- April 24, 2024
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In the playoffs, any team can win on any given night. It’s what makes postseason play so much fun.
When Dr. Phillips entered the Class 8A playoffs with a 5-5 record a few weeks ago, many folks scoffed at the notion of them making it further than the first round.
Now, people are paying attention.
On Friday, Nov. 16, the Panthers (7-5, 4-0) continued their postseason tear as they rained chaos down upon Region 2 of the Class 8A playoffs with a gritty 19-7 road win over the top-seeded Vero Beach (11-1, 3-0).
“A lot went well last night, but the biggest thing was us committed to stopping the run game,” said Panthers head coach Rodney Wells. “Even though they were one of the most explosive passing teams we played all year, you have to stop the running game, so they’ll be one-dimensional.”
Outside of giving up a lone touchdown in the second quarter — a 45-yard toss from Indians quarterback Nick Celidonio to Demarcus Harris — the Panthers’ defense completely dominated one of the best offenses in the state.
Up until their matchup with the Panthers, the Indians had averaged 39 points per game and had not been held to under 20 points all season long.
The usual offensive output led by Celidonio (2,957 passing yards and 31 touchdowns) and running back Bryan Primus-Winston (853 rushing yards, nine touchdowns) largely was snuffed out as the Panthers’ defense held them in check.
Even when the Indians did manage to get inside the Panthers’ red zone, they couldn’t find pay dirt.
After a 42-yard field goal from DP kicker Riley Stephens about six minutes into the game, the Indians went downfield — looking like they would take the lead. Instead, on fourth down from the Panthers’ 5-yard line, Celidonio was stuffed on a quarterback keeper to maintain the lead.
A second red-zone failure for the Indians came on their following drive, when — after nine plays — Primus-Winston coughed the ball up at the 1-yard line, which the Panthers recovered in the end zone.
“To hold those guys to seven points — I think one of my coaches said that they haven’t been held to seven points but twice in eight years — so our defense did a great job,” Wells said.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the ball for the Panthers, Japerri Powell and quarterback Brenden Cyr would led the way against a tough Indians defense.
Cyr would hit Jacquez Jones on a 79-yard toss in the second quarter to nab the first touchdown of the night for DP, which was followed by another field goal from Stephens before the end of the half to make it 13-7.
Powell sealed the game for the Panthers with his 23-yard touchdown run with just 1:35 remaining to put his side up for good at 19-7. Powell finished the night with 147 yards on 24 carries.
Friday’s win is a big one for Dr. Phillips, but the Panthers don’t have much time to rest. They head down to Sarasota to take on No. 3 Riverview Sarasota (10-3, 5-1) Friday, Nov. 23.
“It’s a very familiar place,” Wells said. “We were there last year. I think we may have been there the last two years in a row. So we have been down there four times in the playoffs alone. We’ll have a good walk-through practice on Thanksgiving, feed the kids, and then we’ll come in Friday around noon — we’ll eat and travel over to Sarasota.”
