Dwyer extends its streak over Gardens
PALM BEACH GARDENS — Dwyer and Palm Beach Gardens flat-out don’t like each other.
If the animosity between the cross-town rivals wasn’t evident before Friday night, it only took a few minutes in pregame warm-ups for it to be on full display.
After jawing multiple times before the contest, the hostility bubbled over at the pregame captains meeting when players from both teams refused to shake hands. A Dwyer player was subsequently kicked out of the meeting for not listening to the referee.
Needless to say, the scene was set as two rivals finally hit the field. When the dust cleared, it was Dwyer coming away with its eighth consecutive victory over Gardens as they powered through for a 33-25 win.
The defining play came with 3:05 left in the game. Trailing 20-13, Palm Beach Gardens drove to the Dwyer 1-yard line and looked like it was about to tie the score. But on the ensuing play, the Gators fumbled at the 1 and Carl Willis returned it 99 yards for a back-breaking touchdown.
Palm Beach Gardens last beat the Panthers in 2007.
After the pregame talk, the teams were only able to play for four minutes before they were chased to the locker room following a nearby lightning strike. Following a 50-minute delay, tensions continued to remain high. On Palm Beach Gardens’ first punt of the game, a Gator player clocked the Dwyer punt returner before he had the chance to field the ball, leading to a 15-yard penalty.
Dwyer struck first later in the opening quarter. After a 17-yard run from Cedrick Tucker and an ensuing 15-yard Gardens penalty put the Panthers in the red zone, junior running back Bobby Armes scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to give Dwyer a 7-0 lead with 1:36 left in the quarter.
Late in the second quarter, Palm Beach Gardens finally got on the board thanks in part to wide receiver Armani Hayes. The 6-foot-4 senior took over on the Gators’ drive, utilizing his lengthy frame to outjump Dwyer defenders for on a pair of big receptions. Hayes capped off the series with a 12-yard touchdown catch to cut the lead to 7-6 with less 2:25 left.