The playoff picture got a little clearer Friday night following the completion of district play.
Atlantic celebrates a touchdown Friday night in its 26-7 win over Boca Raton. The Eagles clinched the District 10-8A championship with the victory. (Bruce Bennett/Palm Beach Post)
Atlantic and Dwyer both clinched district championships with wins Friday, while a handful of other teams will have to wait until after Week 11 to see if they qualify on points.
Here are the headlines from Week 10:
* A late field goal clinches the district title for Dwyer (Game story)
* Charles Stewart’s two TDs lift Palm Beach Central over Palm Beach Gardens (Game story)
* Atlantic beats rival Boca Raton to wrap up the district title (Game story)
* Davious Richards throws for 307 yards in a win over Cardinal Newman (Game story)
* Big defensive effort leads Forest Hill past Palm Beach Lakes (Game story)
In other games around the area … Oxbridge Academy nearly hits 70 points in win over Everglades Prep … Park Vista shuts out Santaluces … Suncoast edges John Carroll for sixth win … Cocoa routs No. 2 Pahokee … For more scores from around Palm Beach County, check out our roundup and scoreboard.
How did the Post Top 10 do?
1. Oxbridge Academy (6-1): Beat Everglades Prep 69-12
2. Pahokee (6-2): Lost to Cocoa 45-0
3. Atlantic (7-1): Beat Boca Raton 26-7
4. Palm Beach Central (6-2): Beat Palm Beach Gardens 14-0
5. Glades Central (6-2): Beat Cardinal Newman 40-24
6. Park Vista (6-2): Beat Santaluces 50-0
7. Dwyer (7-2): Beat West Boca Raton 3-0
8. Seminole Ridge (7-2): Beat Jupiter 35-7
9. Forest Hill (7-1): Beat Palm Beach Lakes 6-0
10. Palm Beach Gardens (3-5): Lost to Palm Beach Central 14-0
A pair of ranked teams dropped their Week 10 games, with both Pahokee and Palm Beach Gardens falling by shutout. How far will the Blue Devils drop after a loss to reigning Class 4A state champion Cocoa? Who will take the Gators’ place in the next Top 10? Check out our Week 11 Look Ahead to find out.
4 takeaways
1. Which Dwyer is going to show? Panthers’ coach Jack Daniels would love the answer to that question. Dwyer clinched the District 13-7A championship Friday with a 3-0 win over West Boca Raton, but it was a struggle. That’s been a pattern all year with Dwyer, which some weeks comes out firing on all cylinders, and other weeks struggles mightily with penalties, turnovers and lack of focus. Following Dwyer’s 42-0 win over Wellington Oct. 6, Daniels said his Panthers were finally having fun after a tough start. Dwyer then won its next two games by a combined 79-25. But against the Bulls, the Panthers hurt themselves with penalties, and struggled to move the ball. They finally pulled out the win on a 20-yard field goal with 1:12 remaining. “It’s been puzzling, to say the least, about which team comes out,” Daniels said after the game. Dwyer has a couple of weeks to figure it out.
2. Atlantic emerges from District 10-8A: A 10-3 win over Park Vista way back on Sept. 22 was the difference for the Eagles in claiming the District 10-8A championship. Atlantic, which clinched the title Friday with a testy win over rival Boca Raton, was favored by many to win the district championship after bringing in plenty of talent in the offseason. But things started off on a shaky note, with the Eagles falling 14-13 to Palm Beach Central in Week 1, and then struggling with inconsistency on offense against Dwyer and the Cobras. But Atlantic appears to have righted the ship, scoring at least 26 points in each of its next five games. But the only winning team the Eagles have faced during that stretch is 5-4 Boca Raton. Atlantic, which closes with Wellington next week, is sure to face some tough defenses in the postseason, and will need to be ready.
3. Muck Bowl showdown set: As usual, next week’s Muck Bowl showdown between Pahokee and Glades Central should be an intriguing one. The surging Raiders – ranked No. 5 in the Post Top 10 – won their fourth straight game Friday night, capping an impressive stretch in which they outscored their opponents by a combined 137-39. They face a huge test against the No. 2 Blue Devils, whose two losses – to Vero Beach and Cocoa – have come to a pair of unbeaten and state-ranked teams that could challenge for the Class 8A and Class 4A state titles, respectively. Pahokee, a Class 1A school that has knocked off a handful of bigger schools this season, struggled against Cocoa in Friday’s game, but hopes to reset against the host Raiders.
4. Glades Day on the rise: The Gators got off to a difficult start this season, dropping their first three games, and losing another to Hurricane Irma. But Glades Day has righted the ship, winning its last four games – including a 21-7 decision over high-scoring Jupiter Christian last week – to improve to 4-3. The Gators, who were sitting at 3-3 on Tuesday when the latest playoff point averages were released by the FHSAA, were tied for the fourth and final playoff spot in their Class 2A region. Friday’s win, coupled with a win next week against struggling Saint John Paul II Academy, could solidify the Gators’ hold on a postseason berth.
How did Jodie do?
Record: 15-2
Best pick: I didn’t quite get the score right, but I did pick Forest Hill to pick up its seventh win Friday. The Falcons edged Palm Beach Lakes 6-0.
How did Adam do?
Record: 13-4
Best pick: Adam came close with his Atlantic-Boca Raton pick. He had the Eagles beating the Bobcats 20-10, and the final was 26-7.
