South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
Balancing act sparks season-opening rout
FORT LAUDERDALE — The fans at Otis Gray Memorial Stadium were treated to a show Friday night as they rooted for a Dillard team that was firing on all cylinders in its season-opening 35-0 win against Maryland’s Rock Creek Christian Academy.
The Panthers dominated on a national stage for the Broward County High School Football National Showcase and left little doubt that they are among South Florida’s, and possibly the nation’s, elite. They made work against the Eagles look effortless, taking an early lead and never looking back.
“I just wanted to get out to a fast start and be clean,” Dillard head coach Tyler Tate said following the win.
Not only did Tate’s offense execute, it thrived, setting the tone right out of the gate.
After needing just two plays to get its first touchdown of the night on a 12-yard rush by senior running back Chris Johnson, Dillard got the ball back following a fumble recovery on the ensuing kickoff. The Panthers doubled their lead on the next play, a 32-yard pass from junior quarterback Armani Norcius to senior receiver Tastean Reddicks that included a highlight-reel diving catch.
“It felt great,” Reddicks said of the play. “My first touchdown as a Panther was great.”
Norcius and Reddicks became a constant theme throughout the night as they linked up on two more scores, of 5 and 12 yards.
“I came in early January, and me and
Armani have been working in and out every week,” Reddicks said. “At least 100 catches every day, just trying to get our chemistry, and it shows on the field.”
Reddicks, a transfer from Deerfield Beach, starred in his first game in new threads. The Oregon State commit finished the night with four receptions for 82 yards and three scores.
“It was great, man,” Tate said of Reddicks’ performance. “It’s the same thing I see in practice every day.
“He could play inside, he can play outside, absolutely unbelievable athlete, man. He showed it tonight.”
After taking an initial 21-0 lead in the first quarter, Tate saw an opportunity to put in his backups and it didn’t result in much of a drop-off.
Sophomore quarterback Jorge Tabora led a 74-yard drive that was capped with a 7-yard pass to sophomore receiver Arthur Jenkins to make it 28-0 at intermission.
The starters only made one more cameo, on the team’s first drive of the third quarter, where they extended to their lead to 35 and made it a running clock against the Eagles.
“I didn’t know how we were going to start the game,” Tate said. “But once we got off to a good start I wanted to make sure from that point we started building depth, getting people ready just in case we need them going forward.”
Not to be outdone, however, was a relentless Dillard defense that lived in the Rock Creek backfield, harassing quarterbacks Tahj Smith and Dominique Jackson.
The Panthers racked up nine sacks and picked off Smith on the Eagles’ lone drive to the red zone at the end of the first half.
While he was proud and impressed with the team’s dominant performance throughout the 48 minutes, Tate still saw some things, namely penalties, that he wants cleaned up ahead of next week’s marquee matchup against Chaminade-Madonna.
“They played very well,” Tate said of his defense. “The thing that I wanted [was] to see these guys play with motor, play with relentless effort. A lot of things we got to clean up. I’m good with the execution stuff, but as long as the effort is there I’m good.”
Friday’s other results
Fort Lauderdale 23, Deerfield Beach 15 Cardinal Gibbons 11, DeMatha (MD) 6 Palm Beach Gardens 39, Atlantic 38 OT Miramar 26, Plantation 21
Palm Beach Central 80,
Palm Beach Lakes 0
Somerset Academy 33,
North Broward Prep 0
Coconut Creek 50,
Bradenton Southeast 0
Seminole Ridge 22, Glades Central 14 Fort Pierce Westwood 36,
Royal Palm Beach 13
Wellington 41, Park Vista 0
Lake Worth 48, Spanish River 18
Jupiter Christian 54, St. Edward’s 7
Doral Academy 48, South Broward 21 Dwyer 13, Jupiter 7
Pine Crest 30, Archbishop McCarthy 14 Monarch 38, Boca Raton 8
West Broward 27, Cypress Bay 24 OT King’s Academy 24, St. Andrew’s 21 Westland Hialeah 3, Hallandale 0 (2nd Q) Stoneman Douglas 29,
McArthur 20 (4th Q)
Boynton Beach 40, Forest Hill 6 (3rd Q)