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Muck Bowl Stars On Ultimate Stage

AP File Photos

On one side, there's Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin of the Pahokee Blue Devils. On the other side, there's Steelers receiver Santonio Holmes, once a Glades Central Raider.

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By JOEY JOHNSTON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 25, 2009

TAMPA - Super Bowl XLIII will command America's attention next Sunday when the Arizona Cardinals meet the Pittsburgh Steelers at Raymond James Stadium.

But along the southern rim of Lake Okeechobee, the game will be watched with particular fervor.

Finally, it has happened.

The Muck Bowl - one of Florida's top prep football rivalries, chock full of passion and big-time players - is coming to the Super Bowl.

On one side, there's Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin, once a do-everything quarterback for the Pahokee Blue Devils.

On the other side, there's Steelers receiver Santonio Holmes, once a blindingly fast playmaker for the Glades Central Raiders.

Pahokee vs. Glades Central.

Normally, it's reserved for the season's final game.

Now it's on football's ultimate stage.

"This is like a dream, seeing it played out like this," said Jessie Hester, the former Florida State University wide receiver who is Glades Central's football coach. "Down here, this is a big, big deal."

In Belle Glade, the polar opposite of nearby Palm Beach's opulence, visitors are greeted by a sign on the edge of town: "HER SOIL IS HER FORTUNE." In Belle Glade - and in Pahokee, just eight miles away - there are sugarcane fields as far as the eye can see.

According to local legend, when the sugarcane is burned during harvest, rabbits run from the flames and the children give chase. Rabbits are then sold on the streets for a few dollars. In theory, it's why the area has so many speedy football players.

Boldin chased rabbits. So did Holmes.

And now - after growing up in the Muck, the rich, dark soil that provides the area's agricultural advantages - they are chasing the Lombardi Trophy.

"This is causing some issues," Pahokee coach Blaze Thompson said. "We have some residents of Pahokee who say they are diehard fans of the Steelers. But then they say, 'I can't root against Anquan.'

"These are feelings that run deep and strong, like a family thing. Usually, it's settled on the football field in November. But the Super Bowl has given it a new twist. I think the bottom line is people are proud - really, really proud."

Former NFL linebacker Rickey Jackson (Pahokee) had the area's bragging rights because he won a Super Bowl ring while playing with the 1994 San Francisco 49ers. He's about to get company.

No matter who wins, it will create reverberations through the Muck.

"If you lose the Muck Bowl - and we were fortunate enough to win the last one 19-14 - you've got to live with that for an entire year," Hester said. "It's torture. There's a lot of pressure on the kids and coaches to win that game.

"Now we've got this Super Bowl matchup, and it's going to be split down the middle. But when it's all done, I think this is a win-win situation. We'll have another local player with a ring. That's something all the younger kids can relate to. It's something they all can shoot for."

Not long ago, Boldin and Holmes were kids who could only dream about NFL opportunities.

Boldin is nearly four years older, but he is friends with Holmes. They have worked together on local charity events and have sometimes compared notes in the NFL.

Boldin, who accounted for more than 11,000 yards of offense with Pahokee, went to Florida State. He was in the quarterback competition with Chris Rix, but missed time due to an injury and became a full-time receiver.

Despite a subpar time in the 40-yard dash (4.71) at the NFL Combine, Boldin was a third-round pick of the Cardinals in 2003. At this rate, it might go down as one of the best third-round selections in NFL history.

In six seasons, he already has 502 career receptions and 40 touchdowns. Twice, he has surpassed the 100-catch mark in a season.

"I have looked up to him - always," said FSU running back Antone Smith, who, like Boldin, won Florida's Mr. Football Award after his senior season at Pahokee.

Boldin's current season, to say the least, has been flammable.

On Sept. 28, he was carted off the field after a violent helmet-to-helmet collision against the Jets. Boldin missed two games with fractured paranasal sinuses, but he hardly missed a beat upon his return.

At times, Boldin has expressed displeasure with his role. When his incandescent receiving mate, Larry Fitzgerald, received a $40 million contract extension, a miffed Boldin asked for a trade because his contract wasn't reworked.

With the Cardinals driving for the winning touchdown against Philadelphia in the NFC Championship Game, Boldin had a sideline shouting match with Arizona offensive coordinator Todd Haley because he wasn't in the game.

Boldin chalked it up to competitiveness, although his nationally televised petulance has been roasted.

"Anquan is one of the most natural and instinctive players I've ever seen," Thompson said. "He doesn't like to lose, and he's very fiery. I think he reacted emotionally, but he's very professional and my sense is he'll have a great game against the Steelers. And yeah, he'll want to outdo Santonio. Absolutely, he'll want to do that."

Holmes, who attended Ohio State, has been a real find with the Steelers. Like Boldin, he sometimes operates in the shadow of a receiving teammate. Pittsburgh, after all, still counts Hines Ward as its primary receiver.

But Holmes' deep-threat abilities have endeared him to Steelers fans.

"He can move," said former Glades Central receiver Deonte Thompson, now with the Florida Gators. "A lot of us can move. Speed is what we are known for."

"Santonio is one of those guys who makes uncanny plays at the right moment," Hester said. "He makes the big plays, the huge plays. I'm not surprised."

He shouldn't be. Jackson and Jaguars running back Fred Taylor, formerly of Glades Central, are contenders for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. They are the leaders, the pace-setters.

But Boldin and Holmes aren't far behind.

Only one can earn a ring.

It's Super Bowl XLIII. In another sense, it's a mini-version of the Muck Bowl.

Cardinals and Steelers. Or is it Blue Devils and Raiders?

Either way, all of Pahokee and Belle Glade will be watching.

Reporter Joey Johnston can be reached at (813) 259-7353.

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