S01E07 - Muck Bowl Madness
Pahokee
Transcript
00:00Previously on 4th and Forever, at Glade Central, a rollercoaster week capped by a tough loss
00:08saw the team's playoff hopes dashed, only to be resurrected when a forfeited victory
00:13was reinstated.
00:14People, the season still goes on, and the whole thing about the season going on is winning.
00:20Just win.
00:21Just win.
00:23Meanwhile, the Pahokee coaching staff took in a Glade Central game, and the rivalry in
00:28the stands became heated.
00:30We right on.
00:32We putting on for a crowd, man.
00:34It's a battle, man.
00:36One more time, it's a battle.
00:38I'm going to tell you something about these two communities, football.
00:41Football is life to a lot of people.
00:43You know, that comes with the territory.
00:45And once the source of the ineligibility scandal became clear, Pahokee coaches shifted their
00:50attention to the impending Muck Bowl showdown.
00:53And we're going to win this game, period.
00:56We're going to put on for the city.
00:57We're going to light it up.
00:59Now, with a single playoff spot and a year's worth of bragging rights on the line, the
01:04two schools are finally set to square off.
01:08That's what it is.
01:09Two cities going to work.
01:11I had told the team, like, you're not losing to them.
01:13That's my Super Bowl.
01:15And guess what?
01:16It's going down.
01:22It's Muck Bowl time!
01:26For 364 days, 21 hours, and 30 minutes, the residents of Pahokee and Belle Glade form
01:33a singular tight-knit community known as Muck City.
01:37But once again, it's that time of year where for two and a half hours, the towns divide
01:42into rival camps and hunker down for the battle known as the Muck Bowl.
01:47For the entire year, we're family, Pahokee and Belle Glade.
01:50But on that one night, you're swarming enemies.
01:53Muck Bowl time coming around.
01:55It's better than Christmas and Thanksgiving and Halloween put together.
02:01Muck Bowl is...
02:02Look, my hands are sweating now.
02:05By the time game day rolls around, each school's supporters feel less like rival fan bases
02:11and more like one big family.
02:13Get next to football.
02:14That's what we all been waiting for.
02:16Nothing don't get no better than this.
02:18Showtime, let's get to it.
02:19We're ready to go.
02:23In the pressure cooker that is Muck Bowl week, perhaps nobody feels the heat more than the
02:28two school's head coaches, Pahokee's DJ Bolden and Glade Central's Jesse Hester.
02:34Both coaches have endured trying seasons.
02:37For Coach Hester, this year, his players truly excelled in the classroom.
02:41But the accomplishment has been overshadowed by the ineligibility ruling.
02:45Now the team's playoff hopes and perhaps Coach Hester's job are resting on the outcome
02:51of the Muck Bowl.
02:53The initial acknowledgement of it really broke the kids down emotionally.
02:59Awarded us that Wellington game, which is good.
03:02So that kind of helps us out for the playoff chase.
03:05If we win this game against Pahokee, we have a really, really good chance of making it in.
03:14For Coach Bolden, his first year on the job has seen him pulling triple duty as history teacher,
03:20mentor to his student-athletes, and manager of the fans' sky-high expectations.
03:27With all the adversity, with the losses, with the injuries, with all of the hiccups,
03:32it's light at the end of the tunnel.
03:34Making the playoffs.
03:36If we don't win Muck Bowl, we don't make the playoffs, you know.
03:39And none of this is even matters if we don't make the playoffs,
03:42because ultimately we want to go to state.
03:45For players on both teams, the stakes are also sky-high.
03:49The stands will be filled with scores of college recruiters.
03:52Success in the Muck Bowl could help secure a slew of college offers.
03:57You know, a lot of people dream about playing in the Super Bowl or National Championship,
04:00but for us, it's playing in the Muck Bowl.
04:02It's definitely a game that we all look forward to.
04:05The fans and scouts travel in from near and far, eager to take in the showdown.
04:11Maybe 10,000, 15,000 people, probably more than that.
04:16And, you know, everybody want to look good in front of everybody,
04:19because we, what, we five miles apart, so everybody know everybody.
04:22I want the best feeling ever, man, Muck Bowl.
04:26I guarantee you, you will see the best game you're going to see.
04:30Everybody will be pumped, fans and the team.
04:34The win, that mean you got bragging rights.
04:40Undoubtedly one of the biggest fans of the annual match-up is local artist Lester Finney.
04:46This year, Glade Central is hosting the Muck Bowl,
04:49which means Mr. Finney has the honor of creating the game's on-field logo.
04:54Seriously, you have no idea how that feels to be the one to paint the radar in the center field.
05:01When the coach asked me to do that, I was like, oh, have I arrived?
05:09Coming up to this particular game,
05:11the most exciting game of the year is the Muck Bowl.
05:14And I'm going to do just a little bit extra special touch to it.
05:18This particular game is where I go all out.
05:23You know, I put the banner down of the year.
05:27The Muck Bowl is going to be real good this year,
05:30and so the field's got to look to its equivalent.
05:36On the Glade Central practice field,
05:38the elevated intensity is palpable.
05:41The rivalry is going to be a doozy, so to speak,
05:46because I know them guys are going to be pulling some new tricks out of the hat
05:51to try to get us off guard and stay with us with some formation stuff that they haven't seen.
05:56So, like I said, it's your bowl for a really good contest.
05:59So the teams that are better prepared really going to be the team that come out with the victory.
06:04You can talk all you want, but the school that got the trophy,
06:06it'll be for us, too.
06:08That school right now is Glade Central.
06:11I mean, you got to win it for your community, for your school, for the bragging rights.
06:17Two players who seem particularly hyped this week
06:19are Glade Central's number one all-around player, Jim Davis,
06:23and junior defensive back, Jacob Camacho.
06:26The games should be packed.
06:27You know, a lot of people are going to be here from out of town and stuff, scouts.
06:31We just play our game, you know, play how we know we can play,
06:34just play our best ability, and we should be able to come out the win.
06:39You all right?
06:42I feel pretty good about this practice.
06:44The kids came out more in tune, more physically and mentally,
06:48they were ready to practice.
06:50So this was one of our better practices this year.
06:53In Pahokee, senior quarterback and all-purpose standout Jermaine Roberson
06:58is excited to show out in Saturday's game.
07:01On the way to his next-to-last practice,
07:03Jermaine reflects on the choices he's made in his personal life
07:07that have already made him a Blue Raider legend
07:09and a potential game-changer in this year's Muck Bowl.
07:13Whoever I go up against, I'm going to win.
07:15I'm going to win.
07:16I'm going to win.
07:17I'm going to win.
07:18I'm going to win.
07:20Wherever I go, I know that Paul Gilbert fans love me
07:23because of the great player I was and all the great stuff I did,
07:28and I'm taking the wrong route.
07:30I'm going to take you out to the neighborhood where I grew up,
07:32grew up out here.
07:34A project, a lot of memories here.
07:37Everybody say it's the bad side, but it's not bad unless
07:42you make it bad.
07:44I played football for nine years.
07:47I started. My dad passed away. He had died when I was younger.
07:52People tried to rob him because he had a lot of money.
07:54They tried to take his money and he wouldn't give it up to them.
07:57They shot him.
08:00This right here is where my dad got shot at.
08:04He got shot right here.
08:06I still like to walk past it.
08:08Every now and then I just bring back memories.
08:10During every game, Jermaine wears a medallion that bears a photo of his late father.
08:18A reminder of what he's lost and of what all he's accomplished.
08:22All my friends that I grew up with, they either like dead or in jail.
08:26Yeah, that could have been me going down that same path.
08:30But I chose a different path.
08:33It really stick to playing football.
08:35Jermaine's determination has made him a linchpin on both sides of the ball for Coach Bowling.
08:42He can play quarterback. He can play running back. He can play receiver. He can play quarterback.
08:47He can be the punter. He can be the kickoff returner.
08:49He is the athlete and he's kind of like a gym.
08:54At first I was scared to carry the team alone.
08:57But I kept playing. Coach Bowling kept coaching me.
09:01Coach Bowling kept coaching me. It's my senior year, so you really got to focus.
09:04Mainly me because I got to make everything happen.
09:10Another pair of Blue Devils two-way players who rarely come off the field
09:14are Delana Scooter-Kabir and Tameric Caveman-Best.
09:18We need more points on the ball. We need more on top of us.
09:22So we can win this game and bring the Muck Bowl trophy back to Pahokee.
09:26As for Scooter, a year ago he won the Muck Bowl.
09:29Not with Pahokee, but as a member of Glades Central's front line.
09:32On the other side of the line is going to be my former teammate from last year.
09:36Talking my trash to them.
09:38Yeah, after the game we're just going to hug it out. Good game, you know.
09:42Let's do it again.
09:45Right out there, quarterback. Y'all short-arming it, man.
09:47This is an emotional week for Mr. Muck Bowl.
09:50It carries its own weight. It carries its own message. It carries its own intensity.
09:55So for me, as the head coach and the leader,
09:58I kind of want to feel to my guys' emotions.
10:01You know, we channel those emotions into the right times.
10:04We have all gouts, Phil.
10:07This is going to be more of a passing game.
10:09Glades Central will pass the ball more than any team that we have faced.
10:14I got a gout right now.
10:15And you need depth at defensive line, especially defensive end
10:19trying to just contain their vaunted passing attack.
10:23The net. Boom.
10:26Coach Bolden is hopeful that the momentum from their two-game winning streak
10:30will help them pull off just their 15th Muck Bowl victory in the last 40 seasons.
10:34Great ball.
10:35We have all our arsenal. We have all our weapons, you know,
10:38to push through this 1A football playoff run.
10:42Family on three. One, two, three. Family.
10:44Family.
10:50Across the Glades region, local businesses like Pahokee's Town Center Cafe
10:54are also getting in on the Muck Bowl action.
10:57With a menu specially designed for Muck Bowl week,
11:00Latresa Jones' restaurant is a hot spot for both Raider and Pahokee fans alike.
11:05Saturday, we'll have our Blue Devil Fire chicken wings.
11:09And what are we going to do for the Raiders?
11:11We're going to support Pahokee, of course, because we're in Pahokee,
11:14and that's the team we want to win. But they're going to win anyway.
11:17Right. I think so.
11:18Yeah. So that's not an issue.
11:20What makes us so unique and special is that we're in the heart of Pahokee.
11:25Everybody has to pass by us.
11:28And I'm telling you, I'm sitting here going crazy.
11:30I'm thinking, the Muck Bowl, I need to make sure we have a menu.
11:34Nachos. Raiders nachos.
11:36Raiders nachos.
11:38Raiders nachos.
11:40But I know we need to be set up in here so we can be accommodating
11:43to the people that are coming here for the traffic.
11:46For the Muck Bowl, we're going to open all weekend long,
11:49just so people can kind of have a good time, talk trash to each other.
11:53I'm not necessarily a football person,
11:57but I am a person that wants to see us to come together
12:00and to kind of unite and just have a good time.
12:03This is in your blood. Growing up here in Pahokee, being a Blue Devil is fun.
12:08As far as the Muck Bowl, everybody knows each other, so we're very wild.
12:12We're going to have fun.
12:14This happens once a year, there's going to be a bunch of chanting
12:17and screaming and yelling and horn blowing.
12:23Back in Belle Glade, Lester Finney has finished painting the field
12:27and has turned his focus to printing another massive batch
12:31of his one-of-a-kind Muck Bowl T-shirts.
12:34Muck Bowl time is coming up.
12:36I got a lot of T-shirts to make.
12:38This is my Muck Bowl Centre. It turns into the Muck Bowl Centre.
12:42We're going to be Muck Bowling it, and it's a thing that we all do,
12:46and we love the Muck Bowl, and after Muck Bowl, we're all friends and loving again.
12:51Many locals say Lester's T-shirts are where the name Muck Bowl first originated.
12:56Mr Finney started making T-shirts, and when he was making the T-shirts,
13:02it kind of caught on, so he made the first group of T-shirts he made.
13:06He made it for Pahokee High School and Belle Glade Players Only.
13:10That's what the two T-shirts were.
13:12And everybody that saw the T-shirts said they wanted T-shirts too.
13:15And then it evolved and it started having a little rumbling in the community.
13:20And it was coming up to the Muck Bowl, so that's how that Muck Bowl name caught on.
13:26Though the T-shirts feature both schools,
13:29Lester is crystal clear who he's rooting for.
13:32Go Raiders! It's Muck Bowl time!
13:40Kick-off is slated for 6 p.m. Saturday,
13:42but for die-hard fans on both sides, tailgating starts three nights before.
13:49It's a holiday weekend right here in Muck City.
13:52I mean, it's just festivities everywhere.
13:54It's just festivities everywhere. It's a holiday.
13:57People get all year for that. I mean, this is a holiday.
14:00This is a holiday.
14:06I'm excited that they're having it.
14:08I'm just hoping there won't be no problems, no issues, no drama, no none of that right now.
14:11I mean, everybody come out and have fun.
14:15Like, this is rivalry week.
14:17I mean, for two cities to be so close to each other,
14:20for two cities to be so close to each other,
14:22I mean, we all right. We all right.
14:24We around until right now.
14:26Hey, but this book is bigger than football, though.
14:28I mean, like, bigger than football.
14:32But like so many communities across America,
14:34Muck City is no stranger to gun violence.
14:37And less than 72 hours before kick-off,
14:40it is rocked by a deadly shooting.
14:42Right now in Belle Glade, an investigation is underway
14:44into a shooting that left two people dead and two others injured.
14:50The incident was in no way connected to either high school,
14:53but out of an abundance of caution,
14:55administrators decide to move the kick-off up from 6 p.m. to 4 p.m.
15:01Just for safety reasons, for our kids,
15:04the game is going to start a couple of hours earlier.
15:06I think that's what's best for everybody that's involved,
15:09but most importantly for the kids.
15:10There's a lot going on in the community.
15:12They don't want to put nobody in harm coming to the game at night.
15:16That's why they got it in the daytime, so they can see everything.
15:18Last night, it's just sad.
15:21The violence, it just keeps me focused on my path.
15:24It let me know that there's something that I can do in the future to help out.
15:27It makes the violence level go down.
15:31Under this cloud of sadness and anxiety,
15:34the coaches must do everything they can
15:36to keep their players focused on the task at hand.
15:40Our motto this year was no distractions.
15:45No distractions.
15:47And we would just pull it all over the place.
15:51Y'all, we just let so much stuff come inside of our circle
15:54and just break us apart.
15:56We cannot allow that to happen this Saturday.
16:03Think about it, guys.
16:04This could be it.
16:07Your last shot at it.
16:11Yes, sir.
16:13Right on me. Right on three. One, two, three.
16:16This is the best week of practice y'all had all year.
16:21I am so confident in y'all going in this game.
16:25Really proud of y'all.
16:27I really want to win tomorrow for y'all.
16:32They said y'all weren't good enough.
16:35They said y'all's schedule was too tall.
16:37We going to go 0-10.
16:39That's what they said about y'all, about us.
16:43I want to prove so many people wrong, y'all.
16:46BGC on three. One, two, three.
16:47BGC.
16:51The night before the game, both teams come together for a long-standing tradition,
16:56the annual Muck Bowl banquet,
16:58where community leaders and former NFL stars
17:01gather to wax nostalgic about heroes of Muck Bowl's past
17:05and celebrate the current generation of high-achieving scholar-athletes
17:09like Glade Central's defensive leader, Jacob Camacho.
17:14Mom?
17:15Yes?
17:16Can you help me with my sleeves?
17:18Yes.
17:19Showing your chest a little bit?
17:21That's different.
17:23Nice.
17:24Fit you good?
17:25Yeah.
17:26Tonight's the big banquet night.
17:28We're really excited for Jacob so he gets to experience his first Muck Bowl banquet.
17:34They have this banquet as a tradition to get all the players and coaches together
17:39so they can just enjoy each other before the big day.
17:43Seeing Jacob all dressed up, it's really nice
17:46because Jacob really doesn't like to dress up at all.
17:49He's all ready.
17:51What's up, man?
17:53Can we get a picture?
17:55Ears okay?
17:57One, two, three.
18:00Right now, I'm currently getting ready for Muck Bowl banquet.
18:05It's my last Muck Bowl in high school.
18:07I'm a senior.
18:08It's like a get-together where both teams, like Glade Central and Pahokee, come together.
18:13Like Jacob Camacho, Pahokee's turmeric caveman best is excited for the banquet.
18:19But he knows that after tonight's pleasantries, it's all business.
18:24We actually lost last year.
18:26We actually lost last year.
18:28So it'll feel even better to bring the trophy back home this year.
18:33And I know that I'll leave my legacy in Pahokee.
18:38Everything that we're doing tonight is out of my mind.
18:42It's time to play. No friendly, no nothing.
18:45Got to do what we got to do.
18:49All right. See you later.
18:51All right. Have a good time.
18:53All right.
18:57As Glade Central and Pahokee come together to break bread,
19:01both teams feel a sense of unity and family.
19:10First on the agenda, the principals from each school present flares with academic awards
19:15to celebrate their scholastic achievements throughout the current year.
19:20One of tonight's speakers is Glade Central alumni Antonio Thomas.
19:24His time playing football led him out of the muck and on to a successful career.
19:30I would like for everyone in this building to stand.
19:34Stand. One second.
19:36Put your plate down. Stand.
19:39Stand.
19:40Because we are indeed a family.
19:42When I go places, no matter where I go, I always represent Muck City.
19:47I don't represent Belle Glade. I don't represent Pahokee. I represent Muck City.
19:52This place is really, really legendary.
19:55When all I have to say is Muck City, people know exactly where we are.
20:00And they know what it takes to make it from here.
20:02And so on the count of three, I want all of you to say family.
20:07Because that's what we are.
20:09One, two, three.
20:11Family.
20:13Thank you.
20:16Even though it's a rivalry, but it has to be unity.
20:18Because after the game, then what?
20:20So you got to have both communities on the same page.
20:23This is our village.
20:25And everybody that's responsible for each.
20:33Next, Coach Bolden and Coach Hester speak to the players on both teams
20:39about rising to the occasion and giving 100% effort on the field tomorrow.
20:43Our position is opportunity.
20:46It's a vehicle to something great.
20:49Whenever you face opposition, don't quit.
20:53Embrace.
20:55Allow it to push you to something greater than yourself.
21:00The moment in time that you guys will commit to yourself,
21:04that you want to be the absolute best that you can possibly be,
21:09that's when your whole life will change.
21:12As a player, as a person.
21:15Each and every one of you guys, Glade Central, Pahokee,
21:20make that commitment to be the absolute best you can possibly be.
21:27The evening's keynote speaker is Glade Central graduate
21:31and MVP of Super Bowl XLIII, Santonio Holmes.
21:35Santonio reflects on how much Muck City and the Muck Bowl still means to him.
21:41In 2009, I was asked to write down what I wanted to say
21:46on the side of my Super Bowl trophy.
21:48I wrote down these few words.
21:52This one is for the Muck.
21:55We believe in what the Muck Bowl stands for.
21:58We believe in the family and the camaraderie that we have built in this small city.
22:02We have the utmost respect for each and every one of you.
22:05I'm asking each one of you guys that are playing this game tomorrow to stand up.
22:08These words right here are for you guys.
22:10I dare you to be great.
22:14I dare you to be great.
22:17It's time to be great.
22:19If you want to leave a legacy, this is the time that you step up
22:22and you be a part of history.
22:24You got the privilege to be a star today.
22:32It's finally game day as the air around the Glade Central Stadium
22:36fills with smells from everything from hot dogs and hamburgers
22:40to char-grilled gator meat.
22:42Fans from both teams pack the parking lot for pregame revelry.
22:45It's a big event.
22:47We have tailgate, food everywhere, everybody's cooking,
22:52playing music, rooting on the team.
22:57Glade Central gonna win all the way.
22:59Ain't no one team Glade Central.
23:02Sports Glade Central, I mean, I just say my condolences now.
23:06Pahokee's gonna win, you know, so I'm sorry that we had to do this again
23:11on your home field.
23:13Fans, enjoy yourself tonight.
23:15You know, this is one of a kind.
23:17This is the Muck Bowl.
23:19Fasten your seatbelt.
23:21As both teams warm up, the energy on the field reaches a fever pitch.
23:32But then just minutes before kickoff, Glade Central calls an audible
23:36in the traditional pregame warm-ups and leaves the field.
23:46Pahokee seems unfazed by the Raiders' disappearing act.
23:50But Glade Central's Willie McDonald knows if the Raiders are late
23:53for kickoff, they'll be hit with a 15-yard penalty on the first play.
23:58It's 4 o'clock, Randy.
24:00That's crazy. That's not good, Randy.
24:02I don't see them yet.
24:05In the Raiders' locker room, the players seem just as confused
24:09until Coach Hester shows them exactly why he's called them back.
24:15To swap out their gold jerseys for all-black uniforms
24:18custom-made for the Muck Bowl.
24:20I'll show you how exclusive that door is.
24:23Oh, my goodness.
24:31The all-black uniforms have the Raiders and their fans fired up.
24:38So here we see Glade Central in kickoff.
24:48And the surprise move seems to have temporarily taken the wind
24:52out of Pahokee's sails.
24:54After just three plays, the Blue Devils are forced to punt.
24:58Punt! Punt!
25:01Now, punt.
25:04That's a punt to Davis.
25:06Let's go, Jim!
25:10Nice block, pick up.
25:13Davis on the carry.
25:15Outside, inside.
25:17He's still on his feet.
25:19Davis on the sideline.
25:28Jim Davis' 40-yard punt return sets up Glade Central deep
25:32in Pahokee territory,
25:34and the Raiders waste no time going back to No. 1.
25:39Football means a lot to me. That's my dream.
25:42So that comes with hard working, being humble, patient,
25:46and you've got to make sacrifices.
25:48First down, the Raiders ball.
25:53Two plays later, Glade Central running back
25:56Stephen Beldor slashes up the middle for the game's first touchdown,
26:00putting the Raiders up by 7.
26:02In the home team's stands, it's a party-like atmosphere.
26:06That's what we do.
26:10On the Pahokee side, not so much.
26:14And when the Blue Devils' next possession begins in similarly
26:17lackluster fashion, Coach Bolden decides he's seen enough.
26:26Hey, water, water, water.
26:28Listen, all that fashion stuff, it's out the window.
26:32Tuck your shirt. Tuck your shirt.
26:34Boy, that's a goddamn knee pad.
26:36Let's go, man. Tuck your knee, booty.
26:39Despite Coach Bolden's efforts to fire up his team,
26:42Jim Davis, Jacob Camacho, and the rest of the Raider defense
26:46continue to smother Pahokee.
26:48Good job, Jim.
26:50James Davis on the tackle.
26:52Let's go, man.
26:55Senior Blue Devil QB Jermaine Roberson and his receivers
26:59can't find a rhythm.
27:02And the Blue Devils punt it away again.
27:08Now back at receiver, Davis picks apart the Blue Devils' defense
27:13for back-to-back first-down receptions.
27:17Get in.
27:20It looks like the start of a second consecutive Raider touchdown drive.
27:25But the Blue Devils make a defensive shift prior to the next play.
27:29Hey, carry got to come out some.
27:31Carry.
27:32You got to come out some.
27:35The move puts standout linebacker Kerry Mullins
27:38in the perfect position to make a much-needed interception.
27:46There you go.
27:50Let's tie it up. Let's tie it up.
27:57Pahokee is now within striking distance,
28:00and a pair of handoffs to senior running back Corey Pope
28:03make it a 7-6 game.
28:10Pahokee can tie it with the extra point.
28:14A blade central blocks the kick
28:17and goes into halftime with a one-point lead.
28:20Let's go, guys. Let's go. Take it in.
28:22In his halftime speech,
28:24Coach Hester urges his players to focus on the fundamentals
28:27and play smart, physical football.
28:30Offensive line, offensive line.
28:32You're going to put your hands on somebody, right,
28:34and you're going to control that person.
28:36In defensive, guys, eyes on that ball.
28:38We got to line up properly, be patient, and move on the snap.
28:41When that ball snaps, we have to attack them.
28:44Dominate this half, guys. We got to dominate this half.
28:47Pahokee's first-year coach, DJ Bolden,
28:50takes a more emotional approach.
28:52Listen up. What I saw the first quarter was
28:54not some guys that's ready to play football.
28:57Just being honest, second quarter was much better.
29:00Let's put it together third and fourth quarter.
29:03That's how we're going to do our part. Let's start executing.
29:06If you don't fix it, we will lose.
29:09Let's come out this second half like I had on fire.
29:11Offense, let's get this ball going.
29:13Defense, rally together. Here with your coach.
29:17As the teams take the field for the second half,
29:21who will claim the coveted bragging rights in the month?
29:30Next time on 4th & Forever...
29:34Glade Central continues to have its way with Pahokee.
29:40But the Blue Devils refuse to give up.
29:42And in the game's waning moments, with everything on the line,
29:48it all comes down to one final play.