Blanche Ely’s Hadley accounts for three first-half TDs, Tigers hold off Dillard 33-28 in annual Soul Bowl

POMPANO BEACH — In what could be a dress rehearsal of next week’s Region 4-3M playoffs, Blanche Ely grabbed a 26-14 halftime lead and held on late for a 33-28 victory in the 54th annual Soul Bowl game on Friday night.

Dillard (5-5) entered the contest one spot ahead of Blanche Ely (8-2) in the Class 3A state rankings, while the Tigers were one spot ahead of Dillard in Region 3-3M. The two teams appear to be destined for a rematch of last year’s regional quarterfinal won by Blanche Ely. They find out on Sunday morning in the FHSAA bracket release.

“Looks like it will be Soul Bowl Part 2,” quipped Blanche Ely coach Michael Bailey. “I don’t think that will disappoint and I think we’ll continue to be victorious.”

Tigers’ quarterback Gary Hadley Jr. accounted for three touchdowns in the first half to stake Blanche Ely to the early halftime advantage before Dillard made a late run. Hadley finished the night a modest 8 for 12 for 101 yards, but he threw for three touchdowns and ran for another score.

“I think we started off pretty good,” Bailey added. “I think this was our first game playing a good first half. I would have liked to have seen a cleaner second half, but overall, I like what we’ve seen. We’ll make some adjustments and get better for next week.”

Blanche Ely (8-2) seized a 7-0 lead with 4:16 remaining in the first quarter on a 1-yard quarterback sneak by Hadley. The score came following a 39-yard interception return by Gaby Almonord to the Panthers’ 1-yard line.

Dillard (5-5) answered as it took the ensuing kickoff and marched 65 yards in 11 plays capped by a 6-yard scoring toss from Nylan Maine to Anthony Carey with 11:53 left in the first half.

The Tigers made it 14-7 on a 47-yard scoring run by Shawn Paschall just two minutes later. Blanche Ely extended the lead to 20-7 on Hadley’s 28-yard TD toss to Richard Hollis. The duo combined again with 1:57 left in the first half as Hollis caught a 17-yard TD from Hadley.

Dillard responded with a 7-play, 80-yard drive capped by Maine’s second TD pass to Carey, this one covering 4 yards, to cut the halftime lead to 26-14.

Blanche Ely extended the advantage to 33-14 on a 33-yard TD reception by Marcel Williams from backup QB Omari McNeal with seven seconds left in the third quarter.

Dillard made a late run on a 5-yard scoring throw from Tyler Chance to Carey, and Carey added a 50-yard scoring run with 5:17 remaining to cut the deficit to 33-28. Carey would up with 11 carries for 74 yards and six catches for 65 yards as he accounted for all Panthers’ scores.

Williams finished his night with 4 catches for 56 yards and a score. He also had a 12-yard reception on the final drive of the night to give the Tigers a first down and enable them to run out the clock.

“Marcel has been double-teamed all year,” Bailey said. “He’s a gamer. He’s been here from the lowest of lows to our undefeated (regular) season last year. Being a senior leader, he understands the mission…you can’t deny him. That kid is great.”

The Tigers’ victory marked the first time since 2015 and 2016 that Blanche Ely topped Dillard in back-to-back years in the Soul Bowl. Blanche Ely leads the all-time series 27-26-1.

“I just want our guys to play four good quarters of football and we haven’t yet,” said Dillard coach Demitris Mincey. “Regardless of the game, we knew we would see each other next week. We’ll watch the film and take away some of the things they can do.”