Football is back.
After a busy week of preseason games, the 2017 regular season is set to kick off Thursday.
Akeem Dent and No. 9 Palm Beach Central host No. 1 Atlantic in a Week 1 football matchup Friday. (Bruce Bennett/Palm Beach Post)
A full slate of games will be played in Week 1, with 35-of-36 teams set to take the field. Only Lake Worth has a bye.
There are some solid opening-week matchups on the schedule, and we detail those below. In the meantime, take a look at our first top 10 of the season.
Also, make sure to check out the Palm Beach Post on Thursday, as we release our 2017 high school football preview.
Here is the Post’s Top 10 entering Week 1
1. Atlantic (0-0)
2. Oxbridge Academy (0-0)
3. Pahokee (0-0)
4. Park Vista (0-0)
5. Dwyer (0-0)
6. American Heritage (0-0)
7. Palm Beach Gardens (0-0)
8. Wellington (0-0)
9. Palm Beach Central (0-0)
10. Glades Central (0-0)
Top games this week: (All games will be played at 7 p.m. Friday unless otherwise listed)
No. 5 Dwyer (0-0) at No. 4 Park Vista (0-0): One of these teams will drop their first regular-season game in more than a year. The Panthers went 9-0 during the 2016 regular season, while the Cobras finished 10-0. Park Vista will be the first in a long line of tough games for Dwyer, which faces ranked teams in three out of the next four weeks. The Panthers go into this contest with new starters at almost every position, including quarterback. The Cobras will have consistency in their backfield, with senior quarterback John Smith returning. Containing Smith, who likes to run, will be key for Dwyer’s defense. Look for running back Cedric Tucker to be a threat out of the backfield for the Panthers.
No. 1 Atlantic (0-0) at No. 9 Palm Beach Central (0-0): The Broncos will be tested right off the bat against the top-ranked Eagles, who are one of the deepest teams in the area and boast four of the top 12 players on the Post’s Class of 2018 Big Board. Palm Beach Central is young, but experienced. Junior running backs C.J. Stewart and Lakevious Simmons saw playing time as sophomores last season behind Anthony Wynds, while defensive back Akeem Dent – a transfer from Pahokee – is one of the nation’s top juniors. Senior Nick Atkins also returns at quarterback. However, Atlantic and its big defensive line will be tough to score on.
Palm Beach Lakes (0-0) at No. 3 Pahokee (0-0): The Rams will hit the road in Week 1, opening the season against a tough Pahokee team that has plenty to prove after winning – and then losing – the Class 1A state championship last winter. Pahokee has moved on from that disappointment, and is eager to test its players against a team from a much bigger classification. The Blue Devils already have gotten off to a good start, defeating Class 8A Park Vista in preseason action last week. Like Pahokee, Palm Beach Lakes also hopes to hit the ground running in 2017. The Rams return few starters from a team that broke a lengthy postseason drought, but coach Al Shipman is confident in the young players that will take the field alongside veterans Teja Young, Brandon Adams and Eldridge Franklin.
