The 2017 regular season came to end Friday, with some playoff berths still undecided.
A handful of Palm Beach County teams remain on the postseason bubble, and they won’t know whether they’re in or out until Sunday’s FHSAA football playoff selection show.
Pahokee and Glades Central battled into overtime Friday night in the Muck Bowl before the Blue Devils pulled out the win. (Andres Leiva/Palm Beach Post)
In the meantime, here are the headlines from Week 11:
* Park Vista handles turnover-prone Palm Beach Gardens (Game story)
* Pahokee outlasts Glades Central in overtime to win the Muck Bowl (Game story)
* Dylan Barofsky leads West Boca Raton over Cardinal Newman (Game story)
* Benjamin hands King’s Academy its first loss (Game story)
* Atlantic’s defense keys win over Wellington (Game story)
In other games around the area … No. 1 Oxbridge edged Palm Beach Lakes … Jupiter’s 34-game losing streak came to an end … Palm Beach Central shut out John I. Leonard … Forest Hill picked up its eighth win by beating Spanish River … American Heritage shut out Westminster Academy … Seminole Ridge blanked Royal Palm Beach … For more scores from around Palm Beach County, check out our roundup and scoreboard.
How did the Post Top 10 do?
1. Oxbridge Academy (7-1): Beat Palm Beach Lakes 14-6
2. Atlantic (8-1): Beat Wellington 21-5
3. Pahokee (7-2): Beat Glades Central 33-27
4. Palm Beach Central (7-2): Beat John I. Leonard 56-0
5. Glades Central (6-3): Lost to Pahokee 33-27
6. Park Vista (7-2): Beat Palm Beach Gardens 31-14
7. Dwyer (7-2): Bye week
8. Seminole Ridge (8-2): Beat Royal Palm Beach 20-0
9. Forest Hill (8-1): Beat Spanish River 28-21
10. King’s Academy (7-1): Lost to Benjamin 33-21
A pair of ranked teams dropped their regular-season finales Friday, with Glades Central losing in overtime in the Muck Bowl, and unbeaten King’s Academy falling to Benjamin. Will the Raiders drop far? Will the Bucs or another team move into the No. 10 spot? Check back Monday as we issue our final Top 10 of the season.
4 takeaways
1. A thriller in Belle Glade: The Muck Bowl was everything high school football fans expected Friday night. Longtime rivals Pahokee and Glades Central, sporting identical 6-2 records and top-5 rankings, battled into overtime before the Blue Devils pulled out the win. Friday’s game meant a little more than it usually does, at least as it pertains to the postseason. With the FHSAA scrapping districts for small schools this year, playoff berths go to the top four teams in each region based on points. Pahokee was the top team in its Class 1A region going into the Muck Bowl, while Glades Central held the No. 4 spot in its Class 4A region. This game should provide points to both, though it’s also a great source of pride for the two schools. What a way to finish the regular season.
2. Finally, Jupiter: It took 35 games, but the Warriors got back in the win column Friday night with their 14-11 victory over South Fork. Jupiter’s winless streak began way back in 2014, and continued through three coaches. The Warriors haven’t played badly this year under new coach Tim Tharp, and came close to snapping their losing streak earlier this season. Jupiter dropped a 23-22 decision to Suncoast – who finished 6-3 – on Sept. 22, and lost to Wellington 23-20 on Oct. 13. The Warriors didn’t have it easy this year with their schedule. They play in a tough district, and their non-district schedule included eight-win Forest Hill and 5-3 Cardinal Newman. Friday’s win continues the Warriors’ growth under Tharp, and will give them plenty of momentum heading into next season.
3. Park Vista makes its case: The Cobras stood two spots out of a playoff berth when they took the field Friday against Palm Beach Gardens, and they needed a win to stay in the running. They got it, taking advantage of a pair of Gators’ fumbles in a 31-14 victory. Now all they can do is wait. With the changes in this year’s playoff format, the Cobras – who finished behind Atlantic in District 10-8A – can only qualify for the postseason on points. Park Vista has lost just two games this year, and both were close decisions to district champions (Atlantic and Dwyer). Still, their seven wins might not be enough in competitive Class 8A, as Park Vista’s strength of schedule – which part of the playoff formula is based on – lags behind other teams in their region. Much of that is not the Cobras’ fault, as they must play required games in their district, and 10-8A is not a strong one. The bottom four teams finished a combined 6-30 this season, and Park Vista beat all of them handily. The Cobras have every right to take issue with the new playoff format if they’re left out. Still, they did what they had to do Friday.
4. Forest Hill could make the playoffs: The last time Forest Hill advanced to the postseason in football, Bill Clinton was president. In other words, it’s been a long time – 21 years to be exact. The Falcons were a pleasant surprise in 2017, quadrupling their win total from last year, and having fun doing it. Forest Hill’s only loss came to Dwyer, which means the Falcons won’t earn an automatic playoff berth in the FHSAA’s new playoff format. But Forest Hill appears to be in good shape to clinch a postseason berth based on points, as the Falcons held the fourth spot in their region – the top eight qualify – going into Friday’s 28-21 win over Spanish River. Like everyone else, Forest Hill will know for sure on Sunday.
How did Jodie do?
Record: 14-2
Best pick: Adam and I both picked Jupiter to snap its 34-game losing streak Friday, and the Warriors did just that, beating South Fork 14-11.
How did Adam do?
Record: 13-3
Best pick: See above
