The Dwyer Panthers will venture away from home to face off against the Palm Beach Central Broncos at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Dwyer has struggled recently with 11 losses in a row, while Palm Beach Central will arrive with four straight victories.
Last Friday, Dwyer was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 14-8 to Seminole Ridge. The Panthers gained 112 more yards on the day, but it was the Hawks that made the best use of them.
The losing side was boosted by Sylvio Joseph, who rushed for 115 yards on only 11 carries.
Even if they lost, Dwyer's defense still kept up the pressure with three sacks. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Jahleel Cambran, Declan Kelly, and Amari Walker, who each picked up one sack apiece. Another thorn in Seminole Ridge's side was Cambran, who picked up a sack, forced two fumbles, and made 15 total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, Palm Beach Central didn't have too much trouble with Wellington on Friday as they won 37-21. Given the Broncos' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 123rd, while the Wolverines are ranked 307th) , the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Dwyer better keep an eye on Chance Routson. He was instrumental in Palm Beach Central's win, rushing for 88 yards and a pair of TDs on only eight carries, while also throwing for 143 yards and one touchdown. They also got a significant boost from Joseph Thomas, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 100 yards.
Palm Beach Central was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 251 rushing yards. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 89.2 rushing yards per game earlier this season, but in their last five contests they've averaged 263.7.
Palm Beach Central didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Travis Jackson. He also made six total tackles, which is notable because Palm Beach Central is 4-2 when he posts at least three total tackles, but 1-2 otherwise. Antoine Sharp was another major factor on D, making 14 total tackles.
Dwyer's defeat dropped their record down to 0-9. As for Palm Beach Central, they now have a winning record of 5-4.
Dwyer suffered a grim 38-14 defeat to Palm Beach Central in their previous meeting back in November of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Routson, who threw for 276 yards and a pair of TDs while picking up 11.0 yards per attempt, and also rushed for 90 yards on only eight carries. Now that the Panthers know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
