Determined: LB Nicholas Thomason gives Dwyer first win of season

BELLE GLADE – It was a true back and forth battle between Dwyer and Glades Central in Week 5.

Both teams, which were winless at the time, were knotted in a 7-7 tie at halftime and 21-21 at the end of regulation on Friday, Sept. 22.

In the first possession of overtime, Dwyer took a 24-21 lead over Glades Central as the road team converted on a field goal made by senior kicker Oliver Robbins.

Watch below and see how well Robbins performed overall against Glades Central.

3/3 Pat 1/1fg 3/3 touchbacks 2 45 yard punts @DwyerHSFootball @KohlsKicking @EraPrep @CoachAlShipman @CoachTonyBugeja @ESPNTop63 pic.twitter.com/zY92Sz8U7k
— oliver robbins (@oliver_robbins0) September 23, 2023

2nd post . 3/3 Pat 1/1fg 3/3 touchbacks 2 45 yard punts @DwyerHSFootball @KohlsKicking @EraPrep @CoachAlShipman @CoachTonyBugeja @ESPNTop63 pic.twitter.com/WKnDmV0LcJ
— oliver robbins (@oliver_robbins0) September 23, 2023

And then the home team took a few shots at the end zone to get its first win of the season.

At this moment, we had Dwyer (then 0-4) and Glades Central (then 0-3) locked in a four-play-maximum sequence to end the overtime period.

The Raiders were clearly going for the win. They were not about to settle for a field goal to tie the game again.

The Panthers had other plans.

Enter senior linebacker Nicholas Thomason, who was hungry for a moment to remember.

The Panthers defense came through on first, second, and third down to thwart the Raiders vision of reaching the end zone.

And on fourth down, you can just watch below for yourself as to what actually happened.

Forced Fumble at the 1 yard line to win the game today! Proud of my boys!
Full game highlights coming soon…@DwyerHSFootball @Snausy54 @EraPrep @emilee_smarr @CoachRayG @CoachAlShipman pic.twitter.com/Fqt9sBjcXm
— Nicholas Thomason (@NicholasT05) September 23, 2023

As a result of this game-winning fourth down tackle for Dwyer’s first win of the season, the 6-foot-1, 195-pound linebacker was voted as our New Era Prep Defensive Player of Week 5.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF WEEK 5: 561@CoachQueSmith @CoachT_22 @BroncosPBCHS @brennanking07 @JackDan55847282 @CNHS_Athletics @JacksonParke3 @CoachGadJacobs @CoachRobertson2 @GoSAScots @NicholasT05 @CoachAlShipman @DwyerHSFootball
— New Era Prep (@EraPrep) September 25, 2023

The hard work is paying off! Blessed to have earned Defensive Player of the Week (561)! @DwyerHSFootball @EraPrep @emilee_smarr @Snausy54 @Snausy54 @RawHunter561 pic.twitter.com/5APnkx1gx5
— Nicholas Thomason (@NicholasT05) September 26, 2023

“We were backed up on the one yard line on third down,” Thomason said. “Glades Central’s left guard and left tackle did a really good job of opening up the B gap. When I saw it open, I immediately filled the hole and saw number 5 from Glades begin to lower his shoulder. So I immediately got low and put my helmet and shoulder right on the ball. I forced a fumble that we recovered in the end zone. It was a great feeling and great team win.”

With the victory, Dwyer improved to 1-4 on the season and dropped Glades Central to 0-4 in the process.

Thomason offered his take on how the Dwyer-Glades Central tilt unfolded from start to finish in the Muck.

“The first quarter was definitely a defensive battle,” Thomason said. “Neither team was able to put points on the board because both defenses were holding their own. Going into half it was 7-7, so the whole second half kind of came down to who could make the bigger plays. For the most part it was a back-and-forth big play showdown. But in the closing stages, Dwyer was able to make the biggest play and win the game. Overall, it was a good hard fought football game from both sides.”

@NicholasT05 fit the wide open gap, getting low on the rb, drives his feet, forces a fumble, only to be recovered by WRDHS for the walk off win. https://t.co/iPAbWnDHD1
— Alex Malsbury (@Snausy54) September 25, 2023

We have reached the halfway point of the regular season. Let us reveal what Thomason has registered in five games played.

•34 tackles

•5 tackles for loss

•4 sacks

•4 pass deflections

•2 forced fumbles

Thomason reflected on his first five games at his position.

“So far the season has gone really well,” Thomason said. “It is my first year playing linebacker, so it’s really cool to see my productivity skyrocketing. Every game we have played, I have come up with big plays and have been consistently getting tackles. So I would say the season has been great for me.”

Week 1: (vs. Jupiter)
(LB/TE/LS) 6’1” 195lbs
7 tackles
2 pass deflections
1 Forced fumble @Snausy54 @DwyerHSFootball @CoachAlShipman @Coach_JBullard @RawHunter561 @CoachRayG https://t.co/Iz4gycI2nF
— Nicholas Thomason (@NicholasT05) August 27, 2023

Week 3 Highlights (vs. Gardens) #9
7 tackles
1 Sack
1 TFL
3 Qb pressures
Great Coverage@Snausy54 @CoachAlShipman @CoachRayG @DwyerHSFootball @EraPrep @ESPNWestPalm @Coach_JBullard @RawHunter561
https://t.co/yp1G2lXa1x
— Nicholas Thomason (@NicholasT05) September 11, 2023