Dillard football team seeking a breakthrough season amid brutal schedule

It’s been a long time since the glory days of the 1980s when the program won its only two state titles.

But the Dillard Panthers are entering the 2022 season with high hopes that they will be able to get back to the top of the high school football world as they did when legendary coach Otis Gray got them there in 1986 and 1989.

With a roster that returns most of the FBS-level talent it had a year ago, the Panthers enter this season with legitimate expectations that they will finish their season in December just a few miles from their school at DRV PNK Stadium where the state championships will be held for a second straight year.

“The plan is pretty simple,” said Dillard coach Tyler Tate, who will enter his third year as coach after taking over under tragic circumstances in 2020 when long-time head coach Eddie Frasier passed away.

“We expect to win every game. I know what kind of talent we have, we’ve put a great coaching staff together and we’re approaching things with the bar set very high.”

After a little bit of a dip to mediocrity a few years ago (Dillard went 6-6 in 2017), Frasier worked to bring the program back and succeeded after the Panthers went undefeated in the regular season in 2019. Tate then took over and delivered another impressive 9-1 regular season.

But it was that one loss that has haunted Dillard coaches and players throughout the offseason.

Dillard now finds itself in the same district with St. Thomas Aquinas, a program that boasts a state record 13 state titles including six in the past eight seasons. The Panthers had the Raiders on the ropes in a late October showdown for first place in the district.

But trailing 16-13 with three minutes left, Dillard lined up for a short field goal that would’ve tied the game, which ended in disaster as the kick was blocked and returned for a touchdown. But the 23-13 loss served notice that Dillard had closed the gap on the Raiders.

Perhaps looking so forward to a possible regional final rematch in the postseason, Dillard forgot to take care of business the week before against Homestead in a 28-14 semifinal loss to end its season 10-2.

“It was a tough loss but it meant a lot from an experience standpoint,” said Tate of the Aquinas game. “We went in to a hostile environment on the road and my kids came out and performed well. Yeah, we didn’t quite get it done – came up a little short – but you learn from a game like that. Now we come in to this season and our kids already know what to expect and what it’s going to take to get over that hump.”

Long before they get another shot at St. Thomas when they host the Raiders on Oct. 7, the Panthers will have plenty of hurdles to clear if they have any intention of reaching that game undefeated.

Tate spent the offseason putting together one of the toughest schedules they’ve ever had.

Following a national showcase game in which they host Maryland’s Rock Creek Christian Academy on Aug. 26, Dillard will square off against three teams ranked in the Top 15 nationally in St. Thomas (No. 5 per MaxPreps), No. 13 Chaminade-Madonna and No. 15 Miami Central. All three are defending state champions and Dillard will travel to face Chaminade and Central.

“For me, we’re a national team now. That’s why we’re trying to play a challenging schedule,” Tate said. “But in order to be respected as a national team, you not only have to play this kind of a schedule but you have to win some of these games and that’s what we plan to do. That said, nobody is going to hand you anything, you have to go out and take it.”

If Dillard does break through, running back Chris Johnson will have to play a key role.

A state track champion last May when he won both the 100 and 200 meter dash runs with times of 10.45 and 20.78, respectively, Johnson is a 4-star prospect ranked No. 69 overall in the state by 247 Sports who has multiple offers from FBS schools but has narrowed it down to either the University of Miami or Ole Miss.

“I feel like we can beat anybody coming into this year,” Johnson said. “We’ve got more weapons and are going to be more disciplined. We felt like we outplayed St. Thomas that night and let a game slip away that could’ve been ours because we made key mistakes in crucial moments while they didn’t and that was the difference. Now it’s all about staying humble. Everybody is still doubting us right now but we feel we have enough to win a state title. But you can’t talk about it, you have to go out on the field and prove it and that’s what we intend to do.”

Some of the talent Johnson speaks of are offensive lineman Rico Jackson, a 6-6, 305 product (who recently decommitted from Illinois) along with edge rusher Joshua Lloyd, defensive end Armando Blount, defensive tackle Anthony Smith and linebacker Tarrell Greene.

Behind center for the second straight season will be senior quarterback Armani Norcius who also feels like 2022 could be the breakthrough year.

“I think it (St. Thomas loss) showed that we can compete with anybody and that the team that wins a game like that is the team that makes the fewest mistakes,” Norcius said. “We made more mistakes than them that night and that was the difference. If we can clean the mistakes up, we feel like we can beat anybody. We have a big-time schedule and I’m looking forward to the challenge this season which should help prepare us for the postseason.”

FOOTBALL PRESEASON SCHEDULE

Tuesday

True North Academy vs. South Miami (Tropical), 7

Thursday

Jamboree at Traz Powell: Norland, Jackson vs. Dillard, 7

Jamboree at Cardinal Gibbons: Palmetto vs. Cardinal Gibbons, 6; Palmetto vs. Chaminade, 7; Chaminade vs. Cardinal Gibbons, 8

North Broward Prep at Palmer Trinity, 4

American vs. Hialeah (Milander), 7

Southwest vs. Westland Hialeah (Tropical), 7

Coral Reef at Coral Gables, 4

Palm Glades Prep at HML, 7

Douglas at Western, 7

Ocoee at Coral Springs, 7

Piper at Boyd Anderson, 7

Stranahan at Coconut Creek, 7

Nova vs. West Broward (Pines Charter), 7

Taravella at Cooper City, 7

Coral Springs Charter at Delray American Heritage, 7

Friday

Edison at Miramar, 7

NMB at Cypress Bay, 7

Monsignor Pace at Blanche Ely, 7

Goleman at Everglades, 7

Flanagan vs. Krop (Ives), 7

Fort Lauderdale at Doral, 7

Central at Palm Beach Lakes, 7

Carol City vs. Southridge (Traz), 7:30

Booker T. Washington at Glades Central, 6:30

Killian vs. Homestead (Tropical), 7:30

Gulliver at Belen, 7:30

Miami Springs vs. Braddock (Milander), 7:30

South Miami, Goleman at Everglades, 7

North Miami at Valdosta (Ga.), 7

Miami High at Ferguson, 3:30

Sunset at BridgePrep, 4

Archbishop Carroll at La Salle, 7

Marathon at St. Brendan, 7

Dade Christian at Bainbridge (Ga.), 7

Coral Glades vs. South Broward (Boggs), 5

Dwyer vs. Plantation (PAL), 7

South Plantation at Hallandale, 7

Pompano Beach at Boca Raton Spanish River, 7

Pines Charter vs. Somerset Academy, 3:30

Carrollwood Day at Calvary Christian, 7

University School vs. Marco Island Academy (Winterberry), 7

Somerset Academy at Legacy Charter (Orlando), 7

Palm Beach Christian Prep at Westminster Academy, 7

Saturday

St. Thomas Aquinas - Blue vs. Gold game, noon

Deerfield Beach at Colquitt County (Ga.), 5

Northwestern at Orlando Jones, 7

American Heritage at Lowndes (Ga.), 7

This story was originally published August 11, 2022 at 12:00 PM.