No. 3 Glenville edges No. 10 Dwyer amid controversy

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The final two minutes of the third quarter of their matchup Monday in Ohio Stadium might be the sequence that best defines why the athleticism and big-play abilities of Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) and Glenville (Cleveland, Ohio) have catapulted both into the national spotlight.

The rest of a penalty-riddled contest, which had little flow for most of the first three quarters, came down to a trio of plays over the game's final two minutes which went against Dwyer in a 26-22 loss at the Kirk Herbstreit National Kickoff Classic.

With 1 minute, 36 seconds remaining, Dwyer quarterback Jacoby Brissett - who has offers from several Division I colleges - hooked up with Tommylee Lewis in the end zone from 25 yards. Replays showed that Lewis appeared to get one foot down, but he was ruled out of bounds.

Then on the game's final two plays, Brissett was whistled down on consecutive sneak attempts just short of the end zone. Replays showed that Brissett appeared to cross the goal line on both plays.

"I'm not really sure what to tell you," Dwyer coach Jack Daniels said. "When you play that hard and it comes down to the wire and you don't get the touchdown, there's going to be emotions. I'd say I thought (the second quarterback sneak attempt) was a touchdown, but we didn't get it. They say we didn't get in so apparently we didn't get in."

Glenville defensive end Aundrey Walker, a 6-foot-6, 330-pounder who has offers from USC, Florida and Ohio State among others, was unable to go on the game's final play because of a cramp. Darrell Benjamin, a 6-2, 330-pound sophomore, entered and was credited with keeping Brissett out of the end zone.

According to Glenville coach Ted Ginn Sr., it was the second consecutive week that Benjamin made a goal-line saving tackle.

The Tarblooders, who are third in the MaxPreps Freeman national rankings while Dwyer is 10th, rallied from a 22-9 deficit to improve to 2-0 and win on national television. The Panthers committed 156 yards on 16 penalties on the way to slipping to 1-1.

"I'm not proud about how we played, but we did what we had to do," Ginn said. "You just have to go and keep fighting that battle and just make them believe what we taught them about where we want to go. We represented our state well, and that's a good situation for us."

Dwyer took a 15-6 lead with 2:18 to go in the third quarter when Brissett connected with senior tight end Nick O’Leary on a 49-yard touchdown pass. O'Leary is the grandson of former golfing legend Jack Nicklaus and is considered the nation's top tight end recruit.

The Panthers made it 22-6 on the next play, as Curt Maggitt picked up a fumble and ran in from 12 yards. Maggitt is a 6-4, 220-pound senior defensive end who has offers from Alabama, Miami and Florida among others.

On the ensuing kickoff, Glenville's speed went on display as Shawn Wynn returned it 83 yards for a touchdown. Wynn has offers from several Division I colleges as well, including Tennessee, Michigan and Michigan State.

Another poor play on special teams by the Panthers made it 22-20 with 44 seconds left in the third quarter. A bad snap to O'Leary on a punt attempt splashed into the end zone and was pounced on by Devante Morgan for a touchdown.

The Tarblooders scored the game-winning touchdown with 5:32 remaining when V'Angelo Bentley ran in from 29 yards to complete a nine-play, 96-yard drive.

"We weren't worried about being on TV; we were worried about taking a win," Glenville quarterback Cardale Jones said. "We just kept faith in our defense."

The loss put a damper on a memorable performance from O'Leary, who finished with nine catches for 152 yards and one touchdown.

Brissett led the way offensively for Dwyer, passing for 230 yards and one touchdown and rushing for 90 yards and an additional score.

Pickerington Central (Pickerington, Ohio) 36, Oscar Smith (Chesapeake, Va.)) 20

Although Oscar Smith outgained Central 368-308 overall, a series of big plays by its central Ohio foe ultimately were the difference.

Central's Eilar Hardy, who has verbally committed to Notre Dame as a defensive back, scored on a 55-yard run with 10:46 remaining. Central's final touchdown came when Speedy Hammond ran in from 1 yard with 2:38 left.

Central's Tamani Carter, who is being recruited by Stanford, Arizona and Iowa, returned a kickoff 95 yards for a score.

Smith wide receiver Quinta Funderburk had seven catches for 244 yards and two touchdowns. He is considering Florida, Arkansas and West Virginia among others.

Jarrod Ulrey has covered high school, college and profession sports in Columbus, Ohio for 15 years.