ELY 14, DILLARD 0
Panthers can't contain James
Devan James broke a scoreless tie with two touchdown runs as Ely outlasted mistake-prone Dillard in the annual grudge match at Lockhart.
BY BOB EMANUEL JR.
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In a matchup of two of the best passing offenses in Broward County, Ely running back Devan James became the show.
James, a junior, ran for 186 yards and scored twice to lead the Tigers to a 14-0 victory over Dillard in the annual Soul Bowl at Lockhart Stadium.
James broke open a scoreless tie with a 5-yard run over left tackle with 2:59 remaining in the third quarter. He added his second score less than three minutes later on a sweep to the left when he broke several tackles and danced down the left sideline.
''It feels excellent coming out knowing I can make big plays and knowing that the Soul Bowl is such a big game for us,'' James said. ``I feel good about that.''
The Tigers (7-2) were forced to rely on James after quarterback Carlton Jackson Jr. struggled for much of the contest. Jackson finished with just 30 yards on 5 of 13 passing.
''They were dropping into a deep cover-four, covering all the deep passes,'' Jackson said. ``I should have took the short routes. Eventually, things opened up for us.''
Ely coach Willie Snead attributed the struggles to the coverage schemes.
''I think our offense struggled a bit tonight because they're so used to getting different looks,'' he said. ``We tried to prepare them. In the postseason, you can expect some different looks and twists. They finally adjusted to it, I think this was a good learning experience.''
James had a pair of big runs, the first a 64-yarder to move the Tigers to the Dillard 20. Four plays later, he punched it in from 4 yards out. James later added the 37-yard TD.
''It was just poor tackling,'' Dillard linebacker Elijah Hodge said. ``We let him get to the outside. The [defensive] ends weren't containing as well as they should have. The linebackers [were not] flowing as well as they should have. The [defensive backs] weren't coming up. I can't fault it on one position.''
Dillard's offense never established itself either. Quarterbacks Bobby McGee and Terrall Robinson combined for 68 yards on 3 of 16 passing. Robinson, a starter until he was injured last month, played most of the second half and had all three completions on nine attempts.
Chris McClover, the Panthers' leading receiver, did not catch a pass until the final minute, snagging a 25-yard pass from Robinson.
''He's a great receiver,'' Ely cornerback Walter McFadden said. ``We just had to play him real physical, man up on him every play.''
The Panthers (4-5) had several scoring chances, but penalties and sacks derailed them.
''Maybe if we got them again on any other day, we might beat them,'' Hodge said. Dillard could have lost some of its focus on Friday when news spread that Stranahan sent a report to Broward County about an ineligible player on the Panthers' roster. A ruling is expected Monday.
If the charge holds up, Dillard would have to forfeit games, and Stranahan would advance to the regionals. Dillard coach Keith Franklin declined comment about the game and the situation.
Hodge said some momentum was lost with the news.
''I think they did that on purpose to throw us off,'' he said. ``We had a meeting about that before the game, and we discussed all the situations. We [couldn't] let that get us down because we had a ballgame to think of, but it was hard not to.''
