Demetrius Hart rushed for 165 yards and two touchdowns, Pat Fenlon scored two touchdowns and the Panther defense forced four turnovers as Dr. Phillips hammered host Seminole, 37-13, to advance to their first State Championship game appearance in school history.

DP (14-0) jumped on the Seminoles immediately and didn't let up.  On the first play from scrimmage, Dee Hart took the handoff and raced 78 yards down to the two yard line before punching it in for a touchdown on the next play.  With only 18 seconds ticked off the clock, DP was up 7-0, much to the chagrin of the home crowd.  It would get even quieter on the Sanford sideline on the ensuing possession.  After moving the ball to their 44 yard line, Seminole tested the DP secondary but  Roderick Ryles intercepted his seventh pass of the season at the five yard line to thwart the drive.  DP did not score on their drive but what they did do was burn over six minutes off the clock with a grueling 15-play, 78-yard drive down to the Seminole 16.  But it didn't take them long to get the ball back.  After a Seminole four-yard gain, safety Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix stripped the football and cornerback Andreis Norris was right there to pick up the first of his two fumble recoveries. 

As they've done all year long, the Panthers took advantage of the opportunity.  From the Seminole 13, quarterback Nick Patti faked a handoff to Hart and kept it himself for a 13-yard touchdown run to make it 14-0 with just 2:58 left in the first quarter.  After the defense held Seminole again, Hart's 26-yard punt return and a late hit penalty set DP up at the Seminole 13 again.  Two plays later, Patti rolled right and hit Pat Fenlon in the back of the endzone for a 21-0 lead. Seminole was able to put together a good scoring drive to close the gap to 21-7 before the half but that would be the extent of their offense for the rest of the night.

In the second half, Seminole took the opening drive to midfield and, on fourth down, tried a fake punt but Clinton-Dix blew the play up for a nine-yard loss which resulted in a turnover on downs.  Again, DP would take advantage, drivng 55 yards on seven plays and culminating with Dee Hart's two-yard touchdown run, his 50th touchdown of the season, a new state record, to push the lead to 28-7.  Shawn Moffitt nailed a 33-yard field goal on DP's next possession for a 31-7 lead with 11:49 left in the fourth.  Seminole's next possession was short-lived.  After a 33-yard pass completion, DP linebacker Dontrae Daniels came in with a big hit to jar the football loose and Andreis Norris was there again to recover the loose ball.  That set up arguably the most memorable touchdown of the season. From the DP 37, Patti connected with Chris Gallon for a 38-yard gain but the ball was knocked out by a Seminole defender.  Tight end Pat Fenlon, who was hustling down the field following the play, was right there as the ball bounced right into his hands and he took it the remaining 25 yards for the touchdown and a 37-7 lead.  Seminole would add on a score in the final minute but the Panthers were dominant in every phase of the game and move on to the State Championship game vs. Miami Central, Saturday, December 18th, at 7:00 PM.

Tickets for the game will go on sale Monday afternoon on campus for $10.00 each. 

Click here for Austin Hittel's video highlights of the game!