Blanche Ely’s McNeal accounts for four TDs as Tigers roll past Dillard for fourth straight win in Soul Bowl

FORT LAUDERDALE — Blanche Ely junior quarterback Omari McNeal accounted for four touchdowns to lead the visiting Tigers to a 31-7 victory against Dillard in the annual Soul Bowl game on Saturday night.

Blanche Ely won their fourth consecutive meeting between the two teams and lead the all-time series 29-26-1.

“It’s big for the community,” Blanche Ely coach Terence McFadden said. “Everybody knows how big this game is. The records go out the window. At the end of the day, got to enjoy it and get back to work.”

McNeal rushed for three touchdowns and passed for another score in the victory.

“He is learning a lot and he is figuring it out,” McFadden said. “He is learning how to read the defenses. He is learning how to get us into the right play. That is all we can ask for from this kid.”

Blanche Ely (6-2) opened the scoring on the third play of the game. On third-and-1, McNeal rushed for a 60-yard touchdown to make it 6-0 with 10:19 left in the first.

“This is a big one for us because it’s a rivalry and we wanted this bad all week in practice,” McNeal said.

Dillard (4-2) responded on their second play on offense. Junior quarterback Javarius Robinson connected with sophomore wide receiver Anthony Jennings for a 77-yard score to give the Panthers a 7-6 advantage with 9:20 left in the first.

The Tigers quickly answered back on their next series. McNeal fired a deep pass over the middle to junior wide receiver Gary Hadley Jr. for a 69-yard touchdown to make it 12-7 with 8:16 left in the first.

Dillard junior Demitris Mincey Jr. recorded an interception at the Panthers 30-yard line late in the first quarter.

The Tigers pulled away in the second quarter as McNeal rushed for a 13-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 18-7 with 9:55 left in the first half.

With 53 seconds before halftime, Robinson sustained an injury on a rushing attempt and the junior quarterback was carted off the field.

Junior Andrew Stickney stepped in at quarterback for the Panthers in the second half.  Dillard marched downfield on their opening drive of the third quarter. On third-and-goal at the 1-yard line, though, the Panthers fumbled and senior Keith Thompson recovered the ball in the end zone for the Tigers.

Dillard junior Amari Brutus then reciprocated by recovering a fumble at the Tigers 20 on the ensuing possession.

The Panthers failed to capitalize on their next series after a turnover on downs.

Brutus recorded his second fumble recovery of the game at midfield for the Panthers late in the third quarter.

On the ensuing possession, Dillard attempted a fake punt and were stopped as the Tigers took over at their 48.

Sophomore running back Quinton Miller had a 44-yard run to the Panthers 1-yard line. McNeal had a quarterback sneak for a 1-yard score to extend the lead to 24-7 with 21 seconds left in the third.

The Tigers sealed the victory in the fourth quarter. On fourth-and-2, senior running back Shawn Paschall bounced out to the left and turned upfield for a 10-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 31-7 with 7:08 remaining.

Dillard had won four consecutive games after a season-opening loss.

“The tradition is what it is,” Dillard coach Demitris Mincey said. “We didn’t live up to it today. We didn’t execute.”