After a sluggish first half, Boca Raton gained 192 yards rushing and scored two touchdowns Thursday in its 24-0 shutout of Dwyer.
The Bobcats had just 39 yards rushing and a 3-0 lead in the first half.
Josh Coussa’s touchdown on an interception return with 4:43 remaining in the game locked up the victory.
A tenacious Bobcats defense held Dwyer, which had been averaging more than 213 yards per game, to 53 first-half yards.
“The defense kept us in this one in the first half,” said Boca Raton coach Jay Minton.
“Tremain Hall’s two first-half fumbles hurt, but we challenged him at the half and he responded. He did a nice job for a freshman.”
Hall was the Bobcats’ go-to man on the ground. He led all rushers with 90 yards on 13 carries, including an 8-yard run for a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter.
The Bobcats’ first touchdown drive began at their own 30-yard line and ended on Steve Bellisari’s 3-yard plunge with less than a minute left in the quarter.
Bellisari threw four incompletions in the second half, but the pass attempts kept the Panthers honest. He finished the day 2 of 9 passing for 49 yards and gained 67 yards on 14 carries with one touchdown.
Hall’s touchdown came with 5:01 remaining in the game, and Ronnie Castano’s PAT made the score 17-0.
The Panthers then replaced senior quarterback Justin Ebersole with junior backup Joseph Lindley, whose first pass fell incomplete. His second attempt was picked off by Coussa and returned 34 yards for a touchdown. Castano’s third PAT accounted for the final margin.
“There was no emotion in our team today,” said Panthers coach Jack Daniels.
“We didn’t have a good week of practice and we didn’t have a good game. We’re going to have to do better to play against Fort Pierce Central next week.”
Both teams are on the road next Friday. The Panthers (5-3) face District 14-5A leader Fort Pierce Central, while the Bobcats (4-4) have a non-district matchup with Palm Beach Gardens (1-6).
