Telegraph Staff Writer
Bradford High School’s playoff road covers quite some distance this week as the Tornadoes, the third seed, will travel 269 miles to Pahokee High School to take on the second-seed Blue Devils in a Region 4-1A semifinal on Friday, Nov. 19, at 7:30 p.m.
The winner will play at either top-seed Hawthorne or host fourth-seed Wildwood for the Region 4 championship on Friday, Nov. 26.
Pahokee (7-1), which had a first-round bye last week, is in the playoffs for the 32nd year, though its 2016 season, which ended in a state championship, doesn’t officially count due to using an ineligible player. The Blue Devils’ postseason record (not counting 2016) is 57-24.
The Blue Devils have won six official state championships and have finished as state runners-up three times.
This year’s team played four opponents who finished the regular season with winning records, all of whom qualified for the postseason: Class 8A Wellington (28-21 win), Class 8A Palm Beach Gardens (35-34 loss), Class 4A Clewiston (28-10 win) and Class 4A Glades Central (28-0 win).
Pahokee is scoring an average of 35.9 points per game, while opponents are averaging 10 points per game.
The Blue Devils average 197.8 passing yards per game. Freshman quarterback Austin Simmons has completed 74-of-113 passes for 1,292 yards and 13 touchdowns, while throwing four interceptions. Senior Keyonvis Bouie has completed 24-of-39 passes for 276 yards and six touchdowns, while throwing no interceptions.
Senior receiver Maurice Collier Jr. has been the main target, catching 24 passes for 425 yards and six touchdowns. Senior Dakevious Burgess has 10 catches for 226 yards and a touchdown, while Bouie has 10 catches for 148 yards and two touchdowns. Junior Jashon Benjamin has six receptions for 142 yards and two touchdowns, while senior Mario Powell has 10 for 127 yards and two touchdowns.
Pahokee averages 126.6 yards per game rushing, led by senior Micah Steele, who has 439 yards and five touchdowns on 64 carries.
The Blue Devils have created 21 turnovers (10 fumbles, 11 interceptions) on defense, with junior lineman DeeJay Holmes having three fumble recoveries and Powell, a safety, having three interceptions.
Holmes leads the team in tackles with 81 (23.5 for loss) and sacks with 17.5. Senior linebacker Samuel Tarver has 73 tackles (14.5 for loss), while junior safety Ejavious Boswell has 54 (10.5 for loss). Otavious Allen, a junior lineman, has 48 tackles.
