Dwyer football's new starting quarterback throws 3 touchdowns in Forest Hill rout

WEST PALM BEACH — Dwyer High football coach Al Shipman spent the first half of the season wondering whether his team was ever going to put together a complete game.

He doesn't have to wonder any longer.

The Panthers jumped to a quick lead after a blocked punt, dominated on both sides of the ball, and rolled to a 35-7 victory over Forest Hill in a non-district game Thursday night.

"I think our guys were really just tired of losing and it was like hey, man, we've got to seize the moment," Shipman said.

The Panthers (2-5) had been making a habit of playing tough teams close, only to fall short in the end. Last week, Dwyer rallied with two fourth-quarter touchdowns against Pahokee to close to 21-13 before the Blue Devils clinched it with a late score.

Meanwhile, the Falcons (3-3) continued their up-and-down season, following up a 48-point outburst against Wellington with a lone touchdown on an interception return.

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Here are three takeaways from the game: 

New QB in town

Against Pahokee, Shipman sent in backup quarterback Derrick Flanders after Dwyer was held without a first down or a pass completion in the first half. Flanders injected life into the offense, throwing for a touchdown and completing two long passes to set up another score.

That earned him the starting job against Forest Hill — and he played like someone who isn't planning to give it up anytime soon.

Flanders passed for three touchdowns, ran for a couple of key first downs and directed an offense that produced a season high in points.

"Everything we did was working," he said.

Flanders, a senior, threw scoring passes of 10 yards to Rodney Green, 24 yards to Antoine Perry and 2 yards to Dylan Reiman. Dylan Elie and Sylvio Joseph, who formed a potent 1-2 running punch, each scored on a 1-yard run.

"I've got to give him kudos," Shipman said of Flanders. "We had a great week of preparation and the guys rallied behind him. ... We had a real basic game plan and we came out and executed."

Flanders thinks the Panthers can use the performance as a springboard for the rest of the season. "I feel like we can go to the playoffs," he said. "I feel like we can turn everything back around."

Defense pitches shutout

Shipman knows what the scoreboard said, but as far as he's concerned, the defense posted a shutout.

"Oh yes, no doubt," the coach said, adding that the team earned a pizza party for its effort.

Forest Hill's offense, which was averaging more than 24 points a game, had trouble just making first downs. Shipman praised defensive back Corrado Desantis ("he was around the ball a whole lot"), linebacker Nick Thomason and defensive lineman Da'von Bryant.

"But I've got to give kudos to the whole defense," he said. "They did a great job."

Dwyer lost one of its key defensive players when safety Robert Jones suffered an apparent concussion in the second quarter. The game was stopped for about 20 minutes while trainers attended to Jones, who lay motionless on the field. After he was helped onto a stretcher, he gave a thumbs-up to the crowd while being wheeled to an ambulance.

Once play resumed, Flanders said, "It made us motivated, like we've got to do this for him."

After the game, Dwyer coaches told the team that Jones was going to be OK.

Tough night for Falcons

Things began to unravel early for Forest Hill when its first punt attempt was blocked, a play that Shipman said "just kind of lit the fire." Dwyer converted the turnover into its first TD.

"Plays like that are always big for the other team," Falcons coach Garrett Necaise agreed. "Early on that hurt, but at the same time, we've got to do a better job of blocking."

Necaise was perplexed by his offense's struggles, especially coming on the heels of a 48-14 victory over Wellington.

"We just didn't come out the way we should have," he said. "We came out a little flat tonight. We've got to go back and look at film and see what's going on."

The Falcons' only points came on a 98-yard interception return by Josh Herst, who doubles as a quarterback and safety. At that point, the Panthers had built a 28-0 lead. Herst was pressured all night on offense and the Falcons' running game never really got going.

Necaise said he has about a half-dozen players going both ways. "We get worn down," he said. "But we've done it before and we've won before."

Forest Hill returns to District 10-4M play next week at Palm Beach Central. Dwyer has a bye week and then opens District 9-3M play at Atlantic.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dwyer football quarterback Derrick Flanders shines in first start