After a two-week break caused by Hurricane Irma, Palm Beach County will resume the 2017 high school football season this week.
Seventh-ranked Park Vista travels to No. 5 Atlantic in a key district matchup Friday. Both teams are 1-1. (Andres Leiva/Palm Beach Post)
Week 5 begins Friday, with a trio of top matchups on the schedule. They include No. 3 Palm Beach Gardens hosting crosstown rival and No. 6-ranked Dwyer; No. 7 Park Vista traveling to No. 5 Atlantic in a key district matchup; and No. 2 Pahokee facing Class 8A powerhouse Vero Beach on the road.
There is no change to the top 10 from Week 3. Check it out below.
Here is the Post’s Top 10 entering Week 5
1. Oxbridge Academy (1-1)
2. Pahokee (1-0)
3. Palm Beach Gardens (2-0)
4. Palm Beach Central (1-1)
5. Atlantic (1-1)
6. Dwyer (1-1)
7. Park Vista (1-1)
8. Wellington (1-1)
9. Glades Central (1-1)
10. Seminole Ridge (2-0)
Also considered: American Heritage (0-2), King’s Academy (2-0)
Top games this week: (All games will be played at 7 p.m. Friday unless otherwise listed)
No. 6 Dwyer (1-1) at No. 3 Palm Beach Gardens (2-0): The Gators will be looking to snap an eight-game losing streak to the Panthers in this always-intriguing series. Palm Beach Gardens overwhelmed its first two opponents, defeating John I. Leonard and Royal Palm Beach by a combined 96-7. Dwyer has had more of a challenge early on, but also faced two top-10 opponents to open the season. The Panthers edged No. 7 Park Vista 22-15 in a Week 1 overtime win, and then fell to No. 5 Atlantic 21-12 at home. Dwyer has gotten solid play out of quarterback Trevor Omans, and its defense has been sturdy against two teams that can move the ball. The Gators haven’t been tested yet, but expect that to change against the Panthers.
No. 7 Park Vista (1-1) at No. 5 Atlantic (1-1): The Cobras upset the Eagles last season on the way to winning the District 10-8A championship, so Atlantic has plenty of motivation to even the score. Both teams lost their openers before picking up wins in Week 2, with the Eagles getting past No. 6 Dwyer, and the Cobras outlasting West Boca Raton. Atlantic’s defense has been punishing this season, but the Eagles have struggled with consistency on offense. Atlantic scored three first-half touchdowns against Dwyer Sept. 1, but was held scoreless in the second half. The Cobras also had a rough outing offensively against Dwyer in a Week 1 loss, but came back to score 27 points against the Bulls in Week 2.
No. 2 Pahokee (1-0) at Vero Beach (2-0): The Blue Devils haven’t played a game since Aug. 25, thanks to a bye in Week 2 followed by a two-week break forced by Hurricane Irma. They face a huge test against the Class 8A Indians – a perennial state title contender that scored 62 points in a Week 2 win over No. 8 Wellington. Vero Beach also beat a very good Virginia team in Week 1, and will get the home game here. The Blue Devils have plenty of talent, plus a sturdy defense that limited Class 7A Palm Beach Lakes to 92 yards in a 6-2 Week 1 win. But depth will be a concern against the Indians.
