Dwyer exorcised its demons Friday night, as there were no comebacks this time for Booker T. Washington at the Panther Pit. Falling behind 21-7 at the half, the Tornadoes fell just short of the Class 4A state semifinals for the first time in six years, as Dwyer outlasted Booker T. 24-21 to advance.

Booker T.'s season ended at 10-3 in large part because of what plagued it all season: It couldn't stop the run, especially up the middle.

Dwyer (12-1), playing iron-man football, with eight players playing both ways, ran the ball down Booker T.'s throat, amassing 252 rushing yards. That controlled the game and limited possessions.

Leading the charge was Dwyer running back Donald Ross, who rushed 21 times for 140 grueling yards.

Ross scored on a 22-yard touchdown three minutes into the game for a 7-0 Dwyer lead, setting the tone.

After Booker T. tied the game on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Torrance Moise to Emmanuel Noel, it was Ross again finding the end zone for a 14-7 lead on a 4-yard touchdown run with 1:43 left in the first.

''We saw on film that they were soft in the middle, so we just wanted to pound it,'' Dwyer quarterback Bradley Wallace said.

``We have good size up front and wanted to take advantage of it.''

Wallace also caused havoc, rushing 14 times for 66 yards. He kept the Booker T. defense off-balance throughout, as it never knew who had the ball.

Ross only had one negative-yardage play running the ball and Wallace had two, both on sacks.

Another thing Dwyer took advantage of was the condition of its field.

With holes all over the field, Booker T.'s skill players struggled to keep their footing throughout.

But they were still in the game.

The Tornadoes opened the second half with a six-play, 64-yard drive and cut the deficit to 21-14 when Moise hit Quinton Dunbar on a 16-yard touchdown pass early in the third.

But another Dwyer drive took the wind out of the Tornadoes. Although it didn't score on the drive, turning it over on downs at the Booker T. 8-yard line, the drive lasted 12 plays and ate up six minutes.

After a Dwyer field goal made it 24-14 with 10:35 to play, the Tornadoes drove to the Dwyer 6, but a fumble that lost 17 yards forced a 33-yard field-goal attempt that Oscar Diaz missed wide right.

Booker T. got the ball again and scored on a 34-yard touchdown pass from Moise to Andre Edwards with 2:35 to play.

But it missed a golden opportunity to recover the onside kick, as the ball took two huge bounces before going out of bounds.

Moise finished 21 of 28 for 295 yards and three touchdowns.

''We saw things on film that we could exploit in the passing game, but we just ran out of time at the end,'' Booker T. coach Earl Tillman said. ``They ran the ball real well and controlled the ball. It's tough.''

Even with three timeouts in Booker T.'s pocket, Dwyer ran the clock out.

Said Ross of finally beating Booker T.: ``It's a relief. It was like finally getting over the mountain.''

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