The annual showdown between No. 5 Glades Central and No. 3 Pahokee was destined to be a great one, with both teams entering the game in the top half of the Post’s Top 10 and hunting for a playoff berth. The standing-room only crowd at Effie C. Grear Field witnessed an instant classic.

MVP

Jatarie Washingon

Pahokee

SCHOLAR ATHLETES

Omar Afghani

Glades Central

Omar is a two-year letterman on the Glades Central football team as well as a dual enrollment student at Palm Beach State College. He currently holds a 3.8 GPA and is a member of the social media class conducting interviews throughout the school on various topics. After graduation Omar plans to attend Florida State University and study Sports Management.

Kajuani Bolden

Pahokee

Kajuanji currently holds a 4.1 GPA and is a captain of the Pahokee football team as well as a dual enrollment student a Palm Beach State College. He is a member of the EMBODI Elite Community Club, Vice-President of the National Honor Society, a member of the Student Council and the Treasurer of the Trail Master’s Youth Organization. Upon graduation he plans to attend the University of Central Florida in the field of Pre-Med.

HALL OF FAME

Santonio Holmes

Glades Central

Holmes was a letterman in football, basketball, and track at Glades Central. In football, he helped lead his team to two state titles and a 12-1 record as a senior. Holmes attended Ohio State University where he was red-shirted when the Buckeyes won the 2002 National Championship. Holmes would eventually catch 245 passes for 2,295 yards and 25 touchdowns, while gaining 3,123 all-purpose yards. His 24 career receptions and 3,496 yards were ranked the fifth highest totals in school history at the time. His 25 touchdown catches ranked him 3rd in the NCAA. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft. In 2009, Holmes was named MVP of Super Bowl XLIII (43) as his team beat the Arizona Cardinals.

Rickey Jackson

Pahokee

Jackson played football and basketball at Pahokee. He made 188 tackles and caught 21 passes for eight touchdowns as a tight end for the Blue Devils. In 2007, he was named to the Florida High School Athletic Association’s All-Century Team, consisting of the top 33 players in the 100-year history of high school football in Florida. Jackson’s nickname, “City Champ”, came from his days at Pahokee. Jackson went on to play in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints (1981–1993) and the San Francisco 49ers (1994–1995). In 1997, Jackson was inducted into the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame. Jackson won a Super Bowl ring with the 49ers in Super Bowl XXIX (29) one year before retiring. On February 7, 2010, Jackson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

GAME SUMMARY

Resilience is the only way to describe the Blue Devils after what transpired in the final minutes of regulation. Third-ranked Pahokee had just surrendered a go-ahead touchdown to on a 1-yard touchdown run from Raiders quarterback Davious Richards, giving the home team a 27-24 lead. Glades Central coach Jessie Hester went for the two-point conversion and the plan failed. Pahokee got the ball back and drove down the field. Jatarie Washington, the Blue Devils’ junior running back who totaled 201 yards and four touchdowns on 27 carries, got his team to midfield, then quarterback DeAnte Nelson picked up 20 yards on another run. With the help of some penalties, Pahokee found itself at the Glades Central 7-yard line. Then a pair of delay-of-game penalties pushed them back to the 17, and another flag moved them back to the 24. On fourth down with about a minute on the clock, Pahokee Head Coach Orson Walkes turned to seventh-grade kicker Kevin Hernandez, the younger brother of former kicker Ezekiel Hernandez, to tie the game. Hernandez had to send the ball 40 yards to keep the Blue Devils’ hopes alive. The game, Muck Bowl glory and potential playoff seeding was all on the line. The ball sailed through the uprights, giving Pahokee life. The Blue Devils held the Raiders on the last drive in regulation, forcing overtime.The Raiders failed to move the ball on the opening overtime drive, with LaVonski Williams intercepting a pass to end the drive. Pahokee got the ball, and three plays later, Washington took his final carry — a 14-yarder — into the end zone.