I D « S C R I P P S T R E A S U R E C O A S T N E W S PA P E R S
FRIDAY NIGHT MOMENT
1994
« Thursday, September 1, 2011 « 7A
W.T. DWYER PANTHERS FIRST VICTORY
What happened: After 23 consecutive losses since the school opened, Dwyer High finally won a football game, beating Spanish River High 13-12 at home. Why it mattered: The school hadn’t won a varsity football game in its first two seasons. The Panthers finished the ’94 season at 1-9.
Key players: After trailing 12-0 at halftime, fullback Jason Orletski scored on a 2-yard TD run. After linebacker Earl Stephens recovered a Sharks’ fumble, Dwyer quarterback Mike Mondul threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to put Dwyer up to stay 13-12.
He said it: “At halftime, I told them ‘you have to have pride in what you do,’ ” Dwyer coach Ben McCoy said. “You have to suck it up for the next 24 minutes.”
SCHEDULE
STRENGTHS
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Despite graduating a lot of talent in the last four years, Dwyer will field a solid 11 players on both sides of the line, coach Jack Daniels said. The dropoff in quality after each starting 11 isn’t significant. Speed will be a Dwyer trademark this season. “We’ve has some fast teams before, but this one has to be the fastest,” Daniels said. “Our entire defense, including our D-tackles, is probably right around 5.4 in the 40. We just have a lot of guys that can run.”
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x-Televised on ESPN at 4 p.m.
DEPTH CHART OFFENSE Pos WR WR QB RB K/Q TE RB TE OL OL OL OL C
Name Johnnie Dixon Clinton Stephens Faton Bauta Matt McMahon BB Puyol Malik Brown Cortney Lowery Evan Harvey Daikwon Fuse Patrick Miller Hayden Harrow Michael Minns Heath Walker
Pos S LB DE LB S CB LB CB OLB DL DL DL
Name Julian Whigham Gage Batten Malik Brown Clay Meister Robert Moss Jonathan Moxey Jared Brown DeAndre Bozeman Shawn Boone Michael Minns Daikwon Fuse Patrick Miller
No 1 3 5 6 7 9 23 33 50 51 52 54 58
Cl Ht Wt So. 5-11 180 So. 5-11 170 Sr. 6-3 223 Jr. 5-8 175 Sr. 6-0 170 Jr. 5-9 160 Jr. 5-7 175 Jr. 6-0 205 So. 6-3 230 Sr. 6-7 270 Jr. 6-0 200 Sr. 6-0 295 Sr. 6-2 275
WEAKNESSES
MIKE ENGLISH/JUPITER COURIER
Dwyer High running back Walter Kobersky (left) tries to escape defender Hayden Harrow during a recent practice session at Blum Stadium.
DEFENSE No 2 8 9 10 12 15 22 35 36 54 50 51
Cl Ht Wt Sr. 6-1 175 Sr. 6-1 225 Jr. 5-9 160 Jr. 6-1 185 Jr. 5-9 160 Jr. 5-10 160 Jr. 5-10 190 Jr. 5-9 150 So. 5-10 161 Sr. 6-0 295 So. 6-3 230 Sr. 6-7 270
Winning combination
RESERVES Robert Nittolo (11, So.,QB), Jethro St. Hubert (13, Sr.,WR/LB), Wayne Brown (20, Sr., RB/DB), Stanley Asbury (21, So., RB), Anthony Williams (25, Jr., LB/S), Giovanni LoDuca (30, Sr., FB), Antonio Knowles (31, Jr., DB), Jelani Jean-Louis (32, Sr., FB/OL), Jerrad Ward (44, So., LB), Ashton Peek (40, Jr., TD/LB), Walter Kobersky (34, Sr., RB), Dejon Wimber (45, Sr. LB), David Wilensky (48, Sr. LB), Sterling Stanley (53, Jr., OL/DL), Nick Agnelli (55, JR., OL/DL), Anthony Hulme (62, So., OL/DL), Danson Barr (63, Sr., DE), Mark Kelly (64, So., OL/DL), Said Abukhalil (65, Jr., OL/DL), Stephon Holmes (66, Jr., OL/DL), Jordan Sylvestre (68, So., OL/DL), Jimmie Wingfield (70, So., LB), Josue Tilus (72, Jr., LB), David Weeks (74, Jr., LB), Bryce Winfrey (75, Jr., WR), Bobby O’Leary (77, Fr., TE), Onterio Rouse (78, Jr., OL/DL), Natone Macon (80, Jr., TE/LB), Mario Brown (81, So., WR), Kelsen Brat (82, So., WR), Trace Batten (83, So., DB) Nick Buono (84, Jr. TE/DE), Kevin Higgins (85, Jr., TE/DL), Ezra Safford (86, So., WR/ DB), Chris Hearn (87, Jr., DB), Craig Rutledge (88, So., DE), Jeremy Boykins (89, Jr., DE).
COACHING STAFF
Coach: Jack Daniels (16th year) Record: 138-39, 2-0 in District 15-4A, state semifinalists
Assistant coaches: Kevin Embick (quarterbacks), Reggie Stanley (running backs), Bobby Sifrit (defensive coordinator), Ed Geiger (offensive line), Jim Sifrit (defensive line), Jeff Austin (outside linebackers), Steve Quizzenberry (assistant offensive line), Mark Bohne (receivers), Tom Mounier (defensive backs), Tom West (conditioning) Mike Hensley (JV), Matt Monstrola (JV), Jahmad Botes (JV), Danny Embick (JV) Dan Goode (football operations).
STADIUM RICK HUBBARD FIELD AT BLUM STADIUM (6,500) Playing surface: Grass Address: 13601 North Military Trail, Palm Beach Gardens Directions: Stadium is located southwest of the school. From I-95, exit at Donald Ross Road. Head east to Military Trail. Take a right (south) and go a quarter-mile to the school. Main office: 561-625-7800 On the Web: www.edline.net/ pages/William_T_Dwyer_High_ School
RIVALS
■■ Jupiter ■■ Atlantic ■■ Glades Central
A tough defense, strong receivers highlight 2011 Dwyer squad By Mike English mike.english@scripps.com 772-692-8932
JUPITER — Dwyer High School shipped off another class of highly talented football players to several NCAA Division I schools in May — quarterback Jacoby Brissett (Florida), tight end/punter Nick O’Leary (Florida State) and defensive end Curtis Maggitt (Tennessee) — but that doesn’t mean the Panthers’ hopes of another state championship graduated with them. There only are three defensive players and four offensive players returning from last year’s 12-2 team that shut out six teams and held five others to 7 points or less. “Although we’ve lost a lot, we’ve got a lot coming back,” coach Jack Daniels said. “We’ve got some great young players. It’s just that we have to get those great young players to mesh with the guys that have experience.” Daniels said spring drills, summer conditioning and early practices have gone well. “(The preseason) has had a good carryover from the summer,” Daniels said. “I’m excited. We have some real playmakers on offense. We have some very good receivers. We’ve had guys in the past that have been pretty good, but I think we have a couple of
guys now that have a chance to be great.” Two players Daniels speaks highly of are sophomores — Clint Stevens and Johnnie Dixon — and he feels they can become two of the best receivers in Palm Beach County. “Those two (Stevens, Dixon) have the ability to get the ball downfield,” the coach said. Stevens started several games as a freshman, making 10 catches for 115 yards and three touchdowns. Senior transfer quarterback Faton Bauta has adapted to the team’s pro-style offense, performing well in the spring and improving during 7-on-7 competitions this summer. Bauta transferred to Dwyer last winter from Brooklyn-Poly Prep, where he was a platoon quarterback for the private school and was a two-time New York Post All-Brooklyn selection. At 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, he’s already attracted a lot of college attention. Rivals.com has Bauta ranked as the 10th overall quarterback prospect in the country and third in Florida (behind Jupiter High’s Tyler Cameron at No. 6 overall and Plant City’s Bennie Coney at No. 7). “We’re trying some different things with him. We’re running more spread and quarterback keepers,” Daniels said.
FATON BAUTA
THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Senior quarterback 2010 stats: Rushed for 540 yards and seven touchdowns on 37 carries and had 62 tackles at middle linebacker. Coach Jack Daniels: “After the spring game, we expanded the package (for Bauta) and he’s shown over the course of the summer and in the preseason that he can throw the football the way we want to.”
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There is no drop-off behind Bauta. Senior quarterback/kicker Bobby Puyol returns as the backup. Behind Jacoby Brissett last season, Puyol threw for 160 yards and three touchdowns, playing in situations when the Panthers didn’t need to pass. Dwyer won the state Class 4A title in 2009 but was stopped short in the state semifinals last year, losing to Seffner-Armwood 22-20 on a last-second field goal. The strength of this Panthers team is its defense, Daniels said. “Our defense is really the foundation of this program,” Daniels said. “They’ve been great since day one. I don’t think we’ve had a bad defense since I’ve been here.” The defensive veterans include senior defensive back Julian Whigham, junior linebacker Jared Brown and senior lineman Patrick Miller. At 6-foot-7, 270, Miller already is onboard for Dwyer’s “Next Generation” of NCAA Division I recruits. While Bauta is mulling over offers from Miami, Alabama, Georiga, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Pittsburgh, Boston College and Utah, Miller has his own stack of mail from schools like LSU, Auburn and Miami. Miller will be getting a lot of two-way duty along with senior lineman Heath Walker (6-foot-2, 275).
CLINT STEVENS
Sophomore receiver 2010 stats: Ten catches, 115 yards, three touchdowns. Coach Jack Daniels: “He was a starter as a freshman and did real well. I think he’s going to be great. He’s one of the guys who can get the ball downfield for us.”
Graduation cost the Panthers their top two ball carriers —Shawn McClaine, who carried for 12,468 yards and had 19 touchdowns, and Jacoby Brissett, who ran for 668 yards and seven TDs. Junior Cortney Lowery was No. 3 on the rushing list last year with 285 yards and four touchdowns. In the spring game against Palm Bay, Lowery led Dwyer with 49 yards rushing, including a 21-yard touchdown run.
KEY GAME SEPT. 4: AT GLADES CENTRAL
It’s prime-time TV again for the Dwyer Panthers and Glades Central Raiders. The game will be broadcast nationally by ESPN at 4 p.m. as part of the cable network’s high school season kickoff coverage. Dwyer made its national TV debut last Labor Day as part of ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit Classics from Columbus, Ohio. The Panthers lost 22-20 in a controversial finish to Cleveland-Glenville High. It’s been two years since two of Palm Beach County’s top teams have played and the Raiders hold a 2-0 advantage over the Panthers, but a win — especially in the Glades — would be a terrific boost for Dwyer, Daniels said.
PREDICTION 14-1, 2-0 DISTRICT 13-7A
Redistricting and reclassification have boosted the Panthers up to a seventeam District 13-7A from the three-team District 15-5A. The move pits Dwyer against Atlantic, Lake Worth, Royal Palm Beach, Santaluces, Spanish River and West Boca Raton. It’s a tough lineup: Atlantic (6A), Lake Worth (5A) and West Boca (5A) were all playoff teams last year, but they probably won’t stand in the way of the Panthers winning a ninth consecutive district title. Class 2A state runner-up Glades Central may prove the biggest challenge for Dwyer in the regular season. Although Daniels won’t look ahead to the playoffs, that’s where the bigger challenge lurks — St. Thomas Aquinas, the Class 5A champion now in the Class 7A ranks. The Raiders and Panthers could meet in the 7A region finals — if all goes well.
GAGE BATTEN
Senior linebacker/fullback 2010 stats: Four carries, 13 yards Coach Jack Daniels: “Gage transferred in from King’s Academy this year and he’ll be playing fullback when we need to pound the ball.”
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September 4 at Glades Central-x 9 Jupiter High 16 Seminole Ridge 23 at Spanish River 30 West Boca Raton October 14 at Santaluces 21 at Atlantic 28 Lake Worth November 4 Royal Palm Beach 11 at Wellington