The first quarter belonged to the Blue Devils, who held a two-score advantage for the majority of the game.
WELLINGTON — Pahokee quarterback Xavier Mitchell threw three touchdowns passes, including an 80-yard screen to Samuel Arnold on the first play of the second half, as the Blue Devils held on for a 27-25 season-opening win over Palm Beach Central on Friday, Aug. 22.
The Blue Devils (1-0) methodically marched down the field with a pair of early touchdown drives to take a 14-0 lead, an advantage they'd hold for much of the night.
Palm Beach Central quarterback Chance Routson accounted for four touchdowns, two passing and two rushing, while often connecting with Jayden Phipps as his top pass-catcher.
The duo almost helped the Broncos come back, but special teams played a big role as the Blue Devils secured a fumbled punt and consistently won the field position battle. The Broncos also failed to convert a two-point conversion and missed a point-after attempt.
Pahokee head coach Carlos Lammons felt that the final score failed to do justice to how far in control the Blue Devils were for three quarters of play.
"We started to become undisciplined and we allowed the game to be a little more difficult than it needed to be," Pahokee head coach Carlos Lammons said. "I'm grateful and I'm happy for the win, but we've got a lot of room for improvement."
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Xavier Mitchell, Samuel Arnold get Week 1 revenge
Palm Beach Central has had Pahokee's number in recent years, defeating them 21-14 last season in Week 1 and besting them 33-30 (OT) the year prior.
The Blue Devils, thanks in part to the offensive efforts of quarterback Xavier Mitchell and running back Samuel Arnold, bucked that trend on Friday night, putting their season on the right track with a Week 1 win.
"The game-plan going into this game, we knew we were underdogs, so we just wanted to come out and get a good team win, score first, get a drive together, and come out strong," Mitchell said. "The offense was running on all cylinders."
Mitchell threw three touchdowns, with Samuel Arnold on the receiving end of one of them — an 80-yard screen pass on the first play of the second half.
The quarterback grabbed Arnold's shoulder and made a bold claim about his running back during postgame interviews.
"Samuel Arnold, No.1 back in the county," he boasted.
Arnold's total would have been even higher had his 88-yard rushing touchdown not been called back because of offsetting penalties.
"He had a long night," Lammons said. "He's a track guy, he works hard, and he was our leader tonight along with Xavier Mitchell. They seized the moment."
CeeJay Embry, Blue Devils line wreaks havoc
Before the season started, CeeJay Embry told The Post he had some lofty goals as Pahokee's leader on the defensive line, and on Friday night, he showed he meant business.
The Western Kentucky commit tallied two sacks and three tackles for a loss during Friday's win, making his presence known in the backfield early and often as he did his best to ruin Palm Beach Central's night.
"The defensive line answered the call," Lammons said. "We challenged them all week. Chance [Routson] is a great athlete and he was our main focal point in our defensive scheme tonight."
Embry explained that they were able to take advantage of their great footwork compared to that of some of the untested Palm Beach Central offensive linemen.
"The game-plan was to do a lot of stunts and trickery to trick their O-line," Embry said. "Get them off their game."
The Pahokee defensive line was not just regularly in Routson's face throughout the game. They also made things exceedingly difficult on the Broncos' rushing attack, taking down their backs in the backfield on several occasions to pin Palm Beach Central in long second and third-down situations.
Notably, Antonio Simpson had an impressive performance in his first career start at will linebacker.
Antoine Lawrence's first start is a memorable one
Lawrence caught two passes on the night against Palm Beach Central.
The first opened the scoring on a deep slant over the middle.
The second was a 26-yard touchdown on a corner route that effectively put the game on ice.
"Did he tell you that he got cut three, four five, six times?" said an assistant Pahokee coach who asked not to be named. "He just kept showing up. And now he's scoring touchdowns. He wouldn't let us cut him."
"Man, Antoine Lawrence —this is his first time playing ball and he's doing wonders," Lammons said. "He's progressing a little faster than we though he would. I'm very proud of him. He's an impact player for us, for sure. He stepped up in a hostile environment and made plays every time his number was called."
Lawrence appears to be the go-to first read on his touchdown plays, demonstrating the faith that both the coaching staff as well as his quarterback have in him.
"It was fun," Lawrence said with a smile. "It was an emotion thing, my first time, first game, my first touchdowns with my team. I'm just happy."
Pahokee will host Cypress Lake in their Week 2 matchup on August 29, while Palm Beach Central will face off against West Boca on August 28.
Alex Peterman covers high school sports for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at [email protected].
Florida high school football scores: Palm Beach County, Week 1
Friday
- Pahokee 27, Palm Beach Central 25
- Atlantic 49, Palm Beach Gardens 19
- Jupiter 28, Dwyer 7
- Boynton Beach 27, Boca Raton 14
- Saint Andrew's 28, King's Academy 24
- Royal Palm Beach 43, Port St. Lucie 0
- Victory Christian 48, Oxbridge Academy 6
- Baylor (TN) 56, Santaluces 17
- Glades Central 38, Seminole Ridge 14
- Benjamin 30, Jupiter Christian 27
- Forest Hill 53, John I. Leonard 0
- Dr. Joaquin Garcia 38, Lake Worth 0
- Spanish River 22, Park Vista 0
Thursday
- Cardinal Newman 49, John Carroll Catholic 0
- St. Edward's 49, Glades Day 21
- Boca Raton Christian 35, Somerset-Key 17
- American Heritage-Delray 54, Somerset Prep 0
- Olympic Heights 30, Suncoast 6
- Melbourne Central Catholic 35, Somerset-Canyons 7
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This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Pahokee football holds off Palm Beach Central in 2025 season opener
Category: General Sports
