BELLE GLADE – To put this as nicely as possible, the Pahokee Blue Devils (8-2) made short work of the Glades Central Raiders (2-8 final record) in this year’s Muck Bowl.
Held on the night of Friday, Nov. 4 at Effie C. Grear Stadium in Belle Glade, third-ranked Pahokee made this a one-side affair in its 46-14 win over Glades Central.
And for the first time in Muck Bowl history, Pahokee was able to put a running clock on Glades Central.
It happened at the 1:37 mark of the third quarter, when sophomore quarterback Austin Simmons found senior athlete BiJay Boldin for an easy 6-yard touchdown pass in the end zone.
The Simmons-Boldin scoring connection was followed by a two-point conversion run from senior athlete and Rutgers verbal commit Jashon Benjamin, who made the lead for Pahokee at 46-7 over Glades Central.
BELLE GLADE – To put this as nicely as possible, the Pahokee Blue Devils (8-2) made short work of the Glades Central Raiders (2-8 final record) in this year’s Muck Bowl.
Held on the night of Friday, Nov. 4 at Effie C. Grear Stadium in Belle Glade, third-ranked Pahokee made this a one-side affair in its 46-14 win over Glades Central.
And for the first time in Muck Bowl history, Pahokee was able to put a running clock on Glades Central.
It happened at the 1:37 mark of the third quarter, when sophomore quarterback Austin Simmons found senior athlete BiJay Boldin for an easy 6-yard touchdown pass in the end zone.
The Simmons-Boldin scoring connection was followed by a two-point conversion run from senior athlete and Rutgers verbal commit Jashon Benjamin, who made the lead for Pahokee at 46-7 over Glades Central.
“My goal was to come out strong for four quarters,” said Simmons, who completed 17 of 21 passes for 318 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in the Muck Bowl. “The way we worked in practice and come out with a big win like this, it means a lot going into the playoffs.”
Pahokee head coach Emmanuel Hendrix spoke on the program’s first-ever running clock on Glades Central.
“To be able to go out and dominate like we expected to, it’s a beautiful thing, especially leading to the playoffs,” Hendrix said. “This is the most dominating performance that Pahokee has ever had against Glades Central in the Muck Bowl. It’s always a beautiful thing when the fans can come together and we can go out and get a win…We’re going to enjoy every moment of it.”
Pahokee defensive end DeeJay Holmes, who is our No. 1-ranked overall player in Palm Beach County, recorded three sacks against Glades Central. He spoke on how his team made that running clock possible.
“Our defense was stopping everything,” Holmes said. “Our offense was doing their jobs, getting touchdowns back to back. We forced that running clock. That’s all we did.”
Most of Pahokee’s scores came on the ground, as two of them came from Muck Bowl MVP and two-way senior O’tavious Allen, who plays some at running back and also at linebacker.
One of Allen’s scores came on a 1-yard rushing play to the end zone, which helped Pahokee get a 30-0 halftime lead over Glades Central.
“Two rushing touchdowns,” Allen said. “Shout out to my teammates and coaches.”
Benjamin scored twice on the ground as well.
“Move them sticks,” Benjamin said. “They already knew what time it was.”
The other Simmons touchdown pass was thrown to sophomore athlete Hardley Gilmore IV early in the first quarter.
With all that transpired, Pahokee went on to celebrate its Muck Bowl win in grand style.
FROM MUCK BOWL TO 1R STATE TITLE RUN
So with the regular season now in the rearview, all Pahokee is thinking about is the road to winning the Class 1R state title next month in Tallahassee.
When the FHSAA released its playoff brackets and seedings on Sunday, Nov. 6, it was revealed that Pahokee would be the No. 2 seed in Region 4.
It means that the Blue Devils would get a first-round bye and a home game in the 1R-Region 4 semifinal round. It also means that Pahokee may have to make a return trip to No. 1 seed Hawthorne (8-0) for the 1R-Region 4 final – should both teams win their respective regional semifinal games.
It is presumed that the possible Pahokee-Hawthorne game is the de facto Class 1R state title game this year. It is easy to see how that may be the case, as Hawthorne finished as the FHSAA’s No. 21 overall team in the state and Pahokee finished at No. 24 overall.
Regardless, Hendrix is quite confident in Pahokee’s chances in reaching the 1R summit
“We’re going to prepare to win it all,” Hendrix said.
NEXT GAME FOR PAHOKEE: Friday, Nov. 18 at home vs. winner of No. 3-seed Chiefland (6-2)/No. 6. seed Newberry (6-3); Kickoff set for 7 p.m. – per MaxPreps – at Anquan Boldin Stadium in Pahokee
