District races grew tighter after an exciting Week 8.
Jakari Moses (No. 21) and Dwyer maintained their No. 2 ranking after a tough 28-27 victory against Royal Palm Beach on Friday. (Photo by Allen Eyestone)
A pair of top 10 teams fell, while two others won their games by a field goal or less.
No. 2 Dwyer escaped with a 28-27 win over district rival Royal Palm Beach on Friday, while No. 7 Glades Central earned a 41-38 win over district rival Davie-University School. Both are in good position to win their respective district championships after those results. Other winners included No. 1 Atlantic, new No. 3 Boca Raton, No. 5 American Heritage, No. 6 Pahokee, No. 8 Wellington, No. 9 Forest Hill and No. 10 West Boca Raton – the only newcomer to this week’s poll. All except the Bulls won their games by at least two touchdowns.
Oxbridge Academy dropped a spot from No. 3 to No. 4 following its 28-24 loss to Chattanooga (Tenn.) McCallie on Thursday, while former No. 9 Berean Christian dropped out of the poll after falling 42-6 to Tampa-Cambridge Christian.
Here’s this week’s top 10:
1. Atlantic (7-0)
2. Dwyer (7-0)
3. Boca Raton (7-0)
4. Oxbridge Academy (5-2)
5. American Heritage (5-2)
6. Pahokee (6-1)
7. Glades Central (5-2)
8. Wellington (5-3)
9. Forest Hill (5-2)
10. West Boca Raton (4-3)
Also considered: Palm Beach Gardens 3-3, Saint John Paul II Academy 7-1
Top games this week (All games Friday at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted)
No. 10 West Boca Raton (4-3) at No. 2 Dwyer (7-0), 7 p.m. Thursday: The Panthers are the only unbeaten team remaining in District 13-7A and are in the driver’s seat to win the district championship. But the Bulls remain in the playoff hunt and will be ready to battle. Dwyer is well aware of how dangerous West Boca Raton can be. The Bulls knocked the Panthers out of the playoffs last season, and Dwyer hasn’t forgotten. The Panthers have struggled on defense during their past two games, and that should be a concern for coach Jack Daniels and his staff. But Dwyer has gotten tremendous production out of junior running back Jakari Moses, who added to his collection of 100-yard games against Royal Palm Beach last week, while backup quarterback Eli Mathews has filled in admirably for starter Toddy Centeio. Centeio hopes to return to face West Boca Raton, which has rebounded following a slow start. The Bulls have won their past three games, outscoring their opponents 91-33. West Boca Raton is in a three-way tie with Forest Hill and Royal Palm Beach for second place in the district at 2-1, so a win against Dwyer would be huge.
No. 8 Wellington (5-3) at Palm Beach Gardens (3-3), 7 p.m. Thursday: The Wolverines clinched a playoff spot last week with a win against Jupiter, and can win the District 9-8A championship by beating the Gators. That’s what happened last year – on Halloween – but Palm Beach Gardens will be eager to reverse that outcome. The stakes are high for the Gators as well, as a win also will clinch the district title. Palm Beach Gardens has been inconsistent this season as well as turnover-prone, but will be well-rested following a bye week. The Gators also will have the home crowd in their corner. The Wolverines and their high-powered offense have averaged 40 points in their past two games, and will be a tough test for Palm Beach Gardens. Wide receiver Ahmmon Richards is one of the best in the area, while Blake Dever continues to pile up big numbers at quarterback. The Gators were shut down on offense against West Boca Raton two weeks ago, and their ground game needs to be effective in order to keep pace with Wellington.
Fort Meade (6-0) at No. 6 Pahokee (6-1): Pahokee could wrap up the District 8-1A championship with a win in this contest while Fort Meade could all but clinch the district title, so expect a playoff atmosphere in Pahokee on Friday. The unbeaten and No. 1-ranked Miners have been dominant this season, outscoring their opponents 245-28, with three shutouts. The Blue Devils’ lone loss was a 17-14 squeaker Oct. 2 to unbeaten Boca Raton, a Class 8A school. Pahokee’s offense has put together two solid performances after managing just two touchdowns against the Bobcats, scoring 33 and 30 points, respectively, against Village Academy and Frostproof. Running back McArthur Burnett is one of the area’s best, and expect the UF commit to see plenty of action Friday.
