PALM BEACH GARDENS – Only one play was needed on defense from Elijah Hopkins this past weekend.

With a chance to make the Dwyer-Suncoast game into a running clock for the second half, the sophomore used his ball-hawking skills to find the ball in the air and snag it for a pick-six.

This happened with 30.6 seconds left in the second quarter of Dwyer’s 53-0 win over Suncoast on Nov. 21.

Combined with an extra point by kicker Chance Gagnon, Dwyer took a 39-0 lead that held at halftime.

While that was his most impactful play of the game, it was not his only one.

Hopkins (two tackles, interception return for touchdown) also caught a 32-yard touchdown pass on a corner route from senior quarterback Trevon Taylor (five touchdown passes, one rushing score; six total scores). This came at the 1:01 mark of the first quarter, when Dwyer took a 16-0 lead over Suncoast.

For his efforts, Hopkins (6-foot, 165 pounds) was selected as our Honorable Mention on Defense for Week 4.

“i’m honored because I’ve been working extremely hard in practice on both sides of the ball,” Hopkins said. “The coaches show me great techniques, and I just go out on the field and perform.”

Dwyer head coach McKinley Rolle provided his commentary on Hopkins.

“Elijah is a tremendous talent and a high character student-athlete,” Rolle said. “He works hard, and I’m not surprised he’s having success on offense and defense.”

Taylor (MVP of Week 3) spoke on how Hopkins came through this past weekend for Dwyer.

“He’s a great player and a competitor,” Taylor said. “He works hard and likes to get extra work whenever. He definitely should be a Division 1 player in the future.”