BELLE GLADE — Clutching the Muck Bowl MVP trophy, Glades Central wide receiver Rashawn Nembhard seemed almost embarrassed by all the attention.
His teammates were whooping it up in the end zone after beating Pahokee 27-14 in the latest renewal of Palm Beach County’s fiercest high school football rivalry on Oct. 30. Nembhard, a sophomore, didn’t really want to talk about his exploits, preferring to let his performance speak for itself.
“One thing I always tell him, the humble player will always get rewarded,” coach Omar Haugabook said. “The ball always finds the humble guy. The guy that’s fussing and complaining and pouting, the ball never finds them.”
The ball found Nembhard on two long scoring plays, a 40-yard pass from quarterback Tawan Roux and a 90-yard kickoff return. He also set up the Raiders’ third touchdown with a 34-yard catch-and-run.
It was the kind of game kids dream about when growing up in the Muck, and it helped the Raiders (4-5) win their third consecutive game in the rivalry, all under Haugabook.
Glades Central now holds a 36-22 edge in the series.
The Blue Devils (5-4) trailed 24-7 entering the fourth quarter, when their struggling offense came to life, putting together a long touchdown drive and reaching the Glades Central 11 in the final minute before turning the ball over on downs.
It was a typical Muck Bowl, featuring a standing-room-only crowd and plenty of trash talk, shoving matches and personal fouls. Both teams were assessed more than 100 yards in penalties.
But it produced an atypical hero in Nembhard, who missed last year’s Muck Bowl with an injury and entered the game with solid but not spectacular numbers (20 receptions, 381 yards, three TDs).
“We call him GoGo to let you know how fast he is,” Haugabook said. “He is a lightning bolt of a player. He reminds me a lot of the guys that came before us with his speed, with his quickness.
“He’s going to get better and better as a receiver, understanding the game, understanding how to run routes. But man, with the ball in his hands, he is special.”
With the Raiders leading 3-0, Roux launched a deep pass down the left sideline that found a streaking Nembhard in stride for a 40-yard touchdown.
“The coaches called a great play, we executed and the QB threw a great pass,” Nembhard said.
In the second quarter, the teams traded scores in a wild 10-second span.
First, Glades Central punted, and the short kick bounced high in the air. It appeared the Raiders’ coverage team let up, thinking the ball would be downed, but Pahokee’s Mari Cleveland grabbed it and ran 52 yards for a touchdown.
On the ensuing kickoff, Nembhard fielded the ball at the 10, made his way to the right sideline and raced to the end zone untouched.
In the third quarter, Glades Central’s defense made a stop on fourth-and-1 from the Raiders’ 31, setting up a long touchdown drive capped by Zhaire Davis’ 6-yard run.
The Blue Devils opened up their offense in the fourth quarter, with quarterback Braylon Peterson consistently finding receivers on two long drives, the first ending in a 10-yard pass to Cleveland. When the Raiders turned back the second drive at the 11-yard line, they assured that the Muck Bowl trophy would remain at their school for another year.
Haugabook, a former Glades Central quarterback, spent four years as an assistant coach at Pahokee before returning to his alma mater as head coach. During that period, the Blue Devils beat the Raiders three consecutive times from 2021-23.
“To come back home to where it all started, to three-peat again, it’s unbelievable,” he said. “I can’t even put into words how I feel.”
Pahokee coach Carlos Lammons, who played at the school in the mid-2000s, was in no mood to discuss his third consecutive loss in the series.
“There’s nothing to talk about,” he said, walking away.
Unlike most years, when the Muck Bowl concludes the regular season, both teams have to play makeup games on Wednesday, Nov. 4, before moving on to the playoffs. Glades Central will travel to Spanish River to complete a rain-interrupted game, and Pahokee will host Melbourne Central Catholic.
Friday, Oct. 30
- Glades Central 27, Pahokee 14
- Carrollwood Day 28, Cardinal Newman 14
- West Boca Raton 35, Atlantic 0
- DeLand 44, Spanish River 13
- Royal Palm Beach 33, Sebring 10
- Park Vista 17, Dr. Joaquin Garcia 13
- Glades Day 43, Boca Raton Christian 40
- Forest Hill 43, John I. Leonard 8
- Calvary Christian 36, American Heritage-Delray 32
- Jupiter 29, South Fork 14
- King’s Academy 34, Space Coast 0
- Boca Raton 30, Seminole Ridge 12
- Dwyer (4-5) at Wellington (5-4), 6:30 p.m.
- Palm Beach Central (6-3) at Palm Beach Gardens (3-6), 6:30 p.m.
- Inlet Grove (1-7) at Oxbridge Academy (7-3), 7 p.m.
- Spruce Creek (5-4) at John Carroll Catholic (6-3), 7 p.m.
- Santaluces (5-3) at Riverview Sarasota (7-2), 7 p.m.
- St. John Paul II Academy (3-6) at Pine Crest (6-3), 7 p.m.
- Benjamin (3-5) at Saint Andrew’s (5-4), 7 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 29
- Palm Beach Lakes 58, Suncoast 6
- Olympic Heights 23, Boynton Beach 22
- Jupiter Christian 43, Indian Rocks Christian 9
- Somerset Academy Canyons 21, Lake Placid 13
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Muck Bowl: Glades Central beats Pahokee behind MVP Rashawn Nembhard