The 2016 regular season has come to an end.
Wellington and quarterback Ben Schmickle (No. 8) will host Atlantic in a first-round playoff contest Thursday. (Photo by Allen Eyestone)
Week 11 closed Friday with a Muck Bowl win for Pahokee, a perfect regular season for the Blue Devils, Dwyer and Park Vista, and another dominant performance from unbeaten King’s Academy in Southeastern Football Conference play.
13 Palm Beach County teams move on to the postseason, which begins Thursday.
Here’s the list of games:
Class 8A: Atlantic at Wellington; Palm Beach Gardens at Park Vista. Class 7A: Fort Lauderdale at Dwyer; Palm Beach Lakes at Fort Lauderdale-St. Thomas Aquinas; Class 6A: Boynton Beach at Miami-Northwestern. Class 5A: Fort Lauderdale-Cardinal Gibbons at Suncoast. Class 4A: Glades Central at Miami-Washington. Class 3A: Miami-Westminster Christian at Oxbridge Academy; Cardinal Newman at Hollywood-Chaminade Madonna; Class 2A: Village Academy at Naples-First Baptist Academy. Class 1A: Newberry at Pahokee.
There were some changes to this week’s top 10, with Palm Beach Lakes, Wellington and Boynton Beach rising to No. 5, 6 and 7, respectively, following their wins Friday. Atlantic and Glades Central both fell, while Boca Raton dropped out. Also entering the poll for the first time this season is King’s Academy. The unbeaten Lions play an independent schedule, but have crushed their opponents, winning by a combined 431-66. King’s Academy, ranked No. 10, will play Fort Lauderdale-Pine Crest Saturday at FIU for the Southeastern Football Conference championship. The Lions defeated the Panthers 51-19 in their first meeting this season.
Here is the final Post Top 10:
1. Dwyer (9-0)
2. Oxbridge Academy (9-1)
3. Pahokee (10-0)
4. Park Vista (10-0)
5. Palm Beach Lakes (8-2)
6. Wellington (6-3)
7. Boynton Beach (6-3)
8. Atlantic (7-3)
9. Glades Central (6-4)
10. King’s Academy (10-0)
Top games this week: (All games at 7 p.m. Friday unless noted)
Atlantic (7-3) at Wellington (6-3), 7 p.m. Thursday: This will be the fourth meeting in the past 15 months between the Eagles and Wolverines, with Atlantic winning the previous three by double-digit margins. The Eagles are not quite the team they were last year, when they finished 12-1 and outscored their opponents by an average of 22 points. And they also will be without quarterback Zavion Thompson, a 2,000-yard passer who injured his shoulder in Week 10 and is out for the playoffs. Backup Curtis Williams has taken plenty of snaps this season, but struggled against Dwyer last week and was replaced by Lamar Brewster. Atlantic remains dangerous offensively, and has a solid group of receivers and running backs. Wellington counters with its own strong passing game led by senior quarterback Ben Schmickle and a talented group of receivers. Defensively, the Eagles have allowed more than 20 points to just three teams this season, and one of them was Wellington.
Newberry (8-1) at Pahokee (10-0), 7:30 p.m: The Blue Devils face a huge first-round test against the Panthers, whose only loss this season came to defending Class 1A state champion Trenton – by one point. Newberry, ranked No. 4 in the state, is averaging 33 points per game, and has held opponents to 14 points or less in five of its nine games. The Blue Devils have been just as effective on defense, holding opponents to 13.4 points per game. No. 2-ranked Pahokee limited Class 4A Glades Central to 14 points in its 27-14 Muck Bowl victory Friday, the seventh time this season the Blue Devils have held opponents to two touchdowns or less. Speaking of the Muck Bowl, Pahokee broke an eight-game losing streak with its win against the Raiders.
Palm Beach Gardens (4-5) at Park Vista (10-0): The Cobras finished the regular season unbeaten after Friday’s 35-21 win over Seminole Ridge, and hope to carry that momentum into the playoffs. Park Vista has been on a roll since beating Boca Raton by a field goal Oct. 10, winning its final three games by a combined 123-38. But the Cobras could face a challenge from Palm Beach Gardens, assuming the Gators can rebound from a poor performance against Boynton Beach in their regular-season finale. Palm Beach Gardens allowed 38 points to the Tigers, the third time this season the Gators have given up 30 points or more. But Palm Beach Gardens also has played well on the defensive side, limiting No. 1 Dwyer and No. 6 Wellington to 12 points each. Which Gators’ defense will show up against Park Vista? That’s a big question. The Cobras and dual-threat quarterback John Smith, who had a huge game against Seminole Ridge Friday, certainly won’t make things easy.
