BELLE GLADE – The Pahokee Blue Devils couldn’t have scripted the ending to their regular season any better than they did.
Down 17-14 with just 4:52 left in the Muck Bowl on Saturday (Nov. 2) against Glades Central, senior athlete Jermaine Roberson shined when it mattered most. He led his team down the field with a series of runs and a long pass play that got them to the Raiders 8-yard line.
And just a few plays later, Roberson dodged the Glades Central pass rush and found a very open Johnny Jones at the left corner of the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown pass with less than 30 seconds left.
When Pahokee kicked the extra point for a score to make the score 21-17, it was complete assurance there would be no overtime Muck Bowl this year.
Glades Central got the ball back and tried to end the game in its favor on a Hail Mary play, but Roberson was in the place to intercept the ball as time expired.
And from that point on, Pahokee (4-5) was in true jubilation mode.
“It’s wonderful,” Roberson said. “Everybody is just excited right now.”
Playing in his first game of the season, newly minted Syracuse verbal commit and four-star defensive end/linebacker La’Tarie Kinsler had two tackles in Pahokee’s Muck Bowl win. His presence meant everything to the Blue Devils, who were trailing for much of the game.
“We ain’t have no doubt,” Kinsler said of Pahokee’s comeback victory. “We have Jermaine Roberson, who I believe is the best athlete in the nation. We had full confidence that he was going to get the job done.”
Roberson spoke on how Kinsler motivated him throughout the game.
“He just stayed on me,” Roberson said. “He’s always on me hard. I feel like I can’t make no mistakes. Like with everything else, I just stay positive and get the job done.”
Pahokee head coach D.J. Boldin spoke on Roberson’s impact on the game.
Jermaine and these guys are brothers. They’re thick as thieves,” Boldin said. “They knew Jermaine was going to give them everything he had. Jermaine is a phenomenal player and a phenomenal athlete. We love him to death.”
Kinsler touched on the level of adversity that the Blue Devils had to overcome.
They started the season with a 1-5 record and suffered the injury bug in a big way, with many of their top players out for a variety of reasons. But with a three-game winning streak and a team getting closer to full strength, the Blue Devils are now playing with another gear and on another level.
“It means everything to win with my boys,” Kinsler said. “We have been going through adversity all year. This is what I worked for, to get back for the Muck Bowl to win it with my team.”
Boldin summed up the Muck Bowl ending.
“You can’t put into words the emotions and thrill of the fight,” Boldin said. “We knew this was a going to happen. We knew it was going to do down the wire. With me coming back home to get my first Muck Bowl win, it means everything to me.”
NEXT GAME: MUCK BOWL TEAMS
Pahokee (4-5): Earned No. 2 seed in Class 1A – Region 4 postseason; will host second round of playoffs at Anquan Boldin Stadium in two weeks (Friday, Nov. 15, 7:30 p.m. kickoff)
Glades Central (1-9): Season is over
