1 overall player in Palm Beach County - Pahokee 2023 defensive end and Lou Groza Player of the Year Deejay Holmes - signed with Ole Miss on Feb. 1, 2023. I think this film shows you that while football is, at this point, a very high-level sport, and theres a lot of money involved when you look at it from the community perspective, its also a place for people to come together and build unity. But if you dont play football, what else are you going to do? Weve been on the festival circuit and doing community tours with the film, so weve been showing it to audiences in person. Pahokee pushes back late. But we had a season [where] we went in before we even got really big funding. Executive Producer Sam [Pollard] did a documentary about Hurston [2008s Zora Neal Hurston: Jump at the Sun for PBSs American Masters], but theres other films like After Sherman and Descendant that also talk about this. The school was informed Thursday that . You came out of the muck, and the level of pride and resilience and fortitude that [was] built in those people who suffered all these different tragedies, but still are so proud and joyous, and have so much collaboration in just the most basic survival skills of going fishing and hunting and sharing resources. Be more independent. To me it was the Garden of Eden. Everybody cant be a football player. The defense, led by James Jackson and DeeJay Holmes Jr., played to the tune of Muck Bowl's traditional physicality, the former tallying two interceptions and the latter notching three sacks. I was interested in doing a film that wasnt just about a social issue from a more traditional standpoint, but about showing you something you may have never seen before when it comes to a community like Pahokee. Our No. ", "It's not that people are just looking to constantly find what's out here," Suchak said. That they need to really stay connected with their own family history. EMAIL. You see the price of eggs, and [if] you go down to Pahokee, you see chickens running wild in the street. We saw them [the opposing team] collapsing and the coaches collapsing. Enrollment is 72% black, 18% Hispanic, 9% white, 1% other. And obviously, with the documentary, nothings scripted, right? Still hoping to find entertainment from across the pond? Bhawin: Ira gave me the book Muck City [Winning and Losing in Footballs Forgotten Town]. Rather than see it as this relic of the past or something hokey, its really critical and important, especially in todays world. You realize that even though they dont have much, they have a lot. I was feeling really overwhelmed and tired. It was Jim Crow. With less than 6,000 residents, the rural city has produced numerous football players who went on to play in the NFL, including Anquan Boldin Sr., Janoris Jenkins, and Rickey Jackson. But [theres] red tape with the political stuff because they dont want us to bring this down there for peoples benefit. But if you dont play football, what else are you going to do? Theyre so marginalized and underfunded that they dont have access to that. People count them out and only care about football, but theres more to that town than just football. He doesnt party and do any of that stuff. We are trying to do a workshop right now for youth media [in Pahokee], and the pushback we get on trying to do it is crazy. There are whole generations [there]. Even if some of them are the protagonists, these characters are so insufferable that they made audiences want to see them bite the dust. Days after its release, it was shown on ESPN,[28] and an Adidas commercial was made using footage from it.[29]. But then the question becomes, Who stays, and maintains those family histories? Like Ira says in the opening of the film, I had to tell this story because if I dont, its going to disappear. An important part of this film is the spirit going through that town, about connecting to the history and the ancestors. I don't know nothing about football, but I know who had the biggest pile of rabbits, and that means something.". 2023 www.palmbeachpost.com. They come together and celebrate each others lives and look out for each other in a way that is hard to find in a bigger city and a bigger community. They completely disagreed it was almost like they got set up," Suchak said. Lodge managed a 32-5 record over three seasons, winning a Florida Dairy Farmers Coach of the Year award in 2020. ), More on that Pahokee title loss:Dave George: State ruling doesnt erase Pahokees memorable season. The result is an 80-minute documentary, Outta the Muck, that is making rounds on the independent film circuit and is airing on local PBS stations during Black History Month. I used to go there two times a year but never lived in that type of setting. Football as a place of connection, a place of community, was what I witnessed in Pahokee. You wonder why they want to kill the education. Pahokee, with a population around 6,000, has sent more than a dozen players to the NFL, including Rickey Jackson, Janoris Jenkins, and Fred Taylor. It so happens that McKinley is also a member of the Deans' extended family. "For us, it's for people to look at their own communities and find the love and resilience and togetherness and build on that," Suchak said. The kids trained in this every day. As a matter of fact, in some ways, I think the biggest misconception is people dont understand how tight and connected the community is and how people really look out for each other. They take anybody in. What we try to show in the film is that Iras family, specifically [Iras niece and nephew] Bridget and Alvin, are really the centers of gravity in the community. PAHOKEE, Fla. Three men have been charged in the shooting death of a man in Pahokee in November on Tuesday. He was 76. That was canceled [laughs]. Were going into this tropical climate, and New Jersey is thinking theyre going to come and play these guys in their hometown and not train. To me, a lot of the women are doing better because a lot of them are going out and getting educations, Bridgett is getting an RN [registered nursing] degree. Pahokee had its signing ceremony Wednesday morning, but Holmes was still "mulling his options." He also was considering Cincinnati and Western Kentucky. Thats the reason why these people do that. I think its so overlooked when you think about American history, specifically when youre talking about Black history in this country, is to look at the struggles and the resilience of communities like Pahokee. [8], Pahokee was incorporated in 1922. [My movie], The Throwaways, its police brutality and mass incarceration, so the things that we were working on were about social justice. Timeline Highlights Team Schedule. Digital Trends: This entire process has been a seven-year-long journey. My mother and father met in Pahokee. There were 1,936 housing units at an average density of 358.9 per square mile (138.6/km2). Then the next year, when we were in production, which was 2016, they [the Pahokee football team] were undefeated. Bhawin: That became the core element, even in playing the title, Outta the Muck, as a double meaning. The years of hard work, on and off the field . Information about your device and internet connection, like your IP address, Browsing and search activity while using Yahoo websites and apps. Wile E. Coyote got the Road Runner. "I'll be there. Smith is one of three Pahokee players on the Demon Deacons' roster, including D.J. If it werent for Pahokee, there would be no me. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.2 males. But more importantly, taught him about being a man, being accountable, and doing it with love. Another classic Pahokee tale is how the young boys develop their quickness by chasing rabbits as they flee burning cane fields. Thompson's answer to the madness was simple. This email address is currently on file. Theyre rich in the land growing their own fruits and vegetables, fishing from that lake. Thats what started it all. They have a lot. He did not enroll at the university after being declared academically ineligible. People are drawn to them because they care really deeply about each other, the town, and the history because theyve been there for seven generations. I used to go there two times a year but never lived in that type of setting. PLAYERS OUT OF THE MUCK WHO MADE IT TO THE NFL . Deputies found Johnson and other two shooting victims as the crowd began to disperse. I think what happens is when you have a lack of resources, and the structures of the county government and the state government have basically left you without resources, you learn how to build them yourselves. Enrollment: 329. Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity. . Dan Miller. You come on down here, and you want to play down in this heat, [then] you got to recognize these boys play here. Find out more about how we use your information in our privacy policy and cookie policy. That was the partnership. The film travels into the locker room to capture a speech from Alvin Dean, McKinley's nephew and Bridgett's brother, who says growing up football was all he had. Theyre not out there trying to get famous and have all the spotlight on them. Thompson's passions, in order, are his Christian beliefs, his family, football and sailing on Lake Okeechobee. 2022 PAHOKEE BLUE DEVILS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE Pahokee Blue Devils are classified in 1R- for the 2022 Season . Headed by Bridgett and Alvin, the Deans count seven generations of family with roots growing deep in Pahokees rich soil. The powerful thing about the film is the last moment, where Alvin ties in the history of native people and the runaway slaves and ties it into what Pahokee is today. The Jersey boys found themselves outmatched, both by their opponents and the oppressive heat and humidity. Game Stats Season Stats Nov 6, 2022 @ 12:13pm 46-14 (W) Pahokee @ Glades Central On 11/4, the Pahokee varsity football team won their away non-conference game against Glades Central (Belle Glade, FL) by a score of 46-14. She is the mother to many people there. I got a pretty good football team.'' Despite out playing the Indians badly, Pahokee led just 16-12 at halftime after it got stunned by a blocked punt with 15 seconds left. We briefly touched on the football team and its importance to the community. Georgetown is not the only premier university that recruited Boldin. The racial makeup of the student body is 69% black, 29% Hispanic, 2% white. I still got family members my bloodline starts there, McKinley says in the movies promotional material. Rabbit hunting as running training for would-be football players. Beyond Football: Pahokee, Florida's History of Black Resilience February 14, 2023 by Craig Phillips in Behind the Films This community and the surrounding area around the southern shores of. They won a state championship. Ira reached out to Suchakwho runs an organization called Youth FXasking for help and technical advice. They didnt know that this weather and heat would take a toll on you. Hes just with his family and those boys on the football team. Pahokee edge rusher DeeJay Holmes made an official visit to UCF this past weekend. Pahokee Elementary School is an IB (. Outta the Muck | Official Trailer | Independent Lens | PBS, Today's tech news, curated and condensed for your inbox. Led Pahokee with 92 tackles (25.5 loss) and 19.5 sacks. We thought it was going to be more of an ESPN. Thats what started it all. He passed for nearly 1,000 yards his senior year at Pahokee while playing quarterback. The population was 5,524 in the 2020 census. The population density was 1,109.4 inhabitants per square mile (428.3/km2). We had to do it through crowdfunding and all this other stuff. "This is how people in Pahokee have been living for over a hundred years now because they have been so isolated," Suchak said. "He made sure education was the center of our attention growing up and that it would be life-changing for us" she said. It made me want to reconnect with my own history and my family in a way that was really deeper and more involved and extensive than I ever thought before. [12] Hurricane Wilma, in 2005, destroyed a newly built marina. All we want to do is come down there, give these people some cameras, donate to a nonprofit. If you're interested in British television programming, you'll find plenty of it on Hulu. Johnson's death was the second homicide this year involving a former Pahokee athlete. "This is a football community," Thompson said. Johnson, 31, died Nov. 10, four days after he and two other people were shot on South Lake Avenue and Daniel Place. Very big." The Blue Devils got close in 1976, with a team that included New Orleans Saints All . Bridget said, Well give you the shirt off our back. . The full 30 for 30 sports documentary library is also part of an ESPN+ subscription, as is all sorts of ESPN original content. I still got family membersmy bloodline starts there. "We're showing you what happened. Today is National Signing Day. Its a country town, and dem boys are country with different aspects, but they survive. Stretch Film Division. Once I got down there, I started to build that relationship with the family and get a sense of what the community stories were and some of the history. The public high schools in Belle Glade and Pahokee, located . There have been many characters who act purely out of self-interest with a callous disregard for those around them. It was a different type of thing. Thats South Florida, bro. "This is a football community," Thompson said. Pahokee is known as the Muck because of the nutrient-rich soil on the shores of Lake Okeechobee. Glades Central, Belle Glade's school, has 1,140 students and is tied for the state record with six titles..
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