Devon Dwyer proved on Friday night that his amazing 27 solo tackles the previous week were no fluke as he helped Oviedo (Fla.) post a huge 24-14 Class 7A district victory over Edgewater (Orlando, Fla.).
Devon Dwyer has been credited with 41
total tackles combined the last two
weeks.
Photo courtesy of Dwyer family.
The 5-foot-11, 224-pound senior linebacker was in on 14 tackles (eight solos) despite being considerably banged up throughout the hotly-contested game.Through seven games, he has 69 solo and 30 assisted tackles, six tackles for losses, six forced fumbles and one interception.
Dwyer noted that Edgewater "came out in a Wildcat and I was getting double-teamed a lot. It felt like they were running away from me and passing the ball a lot. I felt they keyed on me more than teams in the past because of my big game."
The previous week Dwyer had set a school record with 27 solo tackles. No national records are kept in that category, but it's safe to assume his total would rank highly in the history of prep football.
He had the 27 solos during a 30-14 loss to East River (Orlando, Fla.), a team which averaged around 6-3, 300 pounds up front with big running backs.
"They are a real run-heavy team (55 running plays)," Dwyer noted. "I had no idea I had that many tackles, but I knew I had played well. I was really sore when it was over. My head hurt for a whole week. It was a real physical game."
Head coach Wes Allen noted, "It was one of the better games I've seen a high school kid play. He was all over the field. They are a big, physical team. He's a hard-nosed kid. Through the course of the game, his nose was bleeding all the time.
"Last night he rolled his ankle and was off the field for just two plays. He had a broken thumb for the first three weeks and still has to get it taped up.
"We knew we were going to rely on him a lot, but didn't realize we'd have to lean on him so much. He has developed himself into a really good player and has got a good future ahead of him now."
One of 27 tackles for Devon Dwyer in
his team's game against East River.
Photo courtesy of Dwyer family.
Defensive coordinator Steve Laurence saw potential in Dwyer as a junior, even though he started just two games. In one, he made 11 tackles and an interception.
"Our defensive line is small and he's the biggest guy we have," Laurence noted. "He reads plays extremely well and calls a lot of our defensive plays. He uses his hands very well. Technique-wise he is very sound. His job is to go to the ball. He's our captain and he has turned into a complete football player."
How tough is he?
"You'd have to amputate his foot to keep him off the field," Laurence said.
Dwyer has lived in seven different states, but football has been a constant in his life since he was in first grade.
"I tried other sports, but none ever compared to football," he said. "It feels really good to finally see all my hard work paying dividends."
He runs 40 yards in a respectable 4.7 seconds, bench presses 330 pounds and has a vertical jump of 31 inches, yet he has no solid scholarship offers yet due to his limited playing time as a junior.
Because he has a 3.7 GPA, he is interested in West Point and some Ivy League schools.
He admitted, "If I got accepted there (West Point), I don't know how I would be able to turn it down."
