'Muck Bowl' Puts Florida Town's Pride on Display

Jan. 22, 2011— -- On the banks of Florida's Lake Okeechobee is Pahokee, an agricultural city of just 6,000 people. Workers toil on miles of sugarcane fields filled with dark, gummy dirt referred to simply as "the muck."

It's considered one of the poorest cities in the country, with unemployment sitting at nearly 40 percent. The average family earns about $26,000, or half the national average.

"It's in the middle of nowhere, not a lot to do. There are no shopping malls to go to. There isn't really any restaurants," New York Jets wide receiver Santonio Holmes said of his hometown to an ESPN documentary crew.

But there is football.

"It's faith, football and farming," said Blaze Thompson, Pahokee High School's head coach. His father stood next to him, proudly wearing the school's state and national championship rings on each of his fingers, from his own years as coach.

In fact, some of the most talented young football players in the country are discovered in Pahokee and its surrounding areas every year. Inside Pahokee High School, are walls of pictures displaying former students. Many players have gone on to play for college football powerhouses including the University of Florida, University of Michigan, and North Carolina State.

In 2009, out of Pahokee's senior class of just 50 boys, 12 received full football scholarships to Division I colleges. In total, those players received $1 million in scholarship funds.

Pahokee has sent more than a dozen players to the NFL, a large statistic for such a small town. Current hometown stars include Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Anquan Boldin.

And so every year, scouts from colleges across the nation flock for the annual "Muck Bowl" between Pahokee High School and Glades Central High School. The showdown, now in its 25th year, brings in the largest crowd for any football game in Palm Beach County.