TCPalm breaks down Week 8 football matchups including possible district title clinchers

Week 8 of the high school football season is perhaps the biggest week of the season on the Treasure Coast as three teams have the opportunity to win district championships.

Jensen Beach, Fort Pierce Westwood and John Carroll Catholic all are in control of their own postseason destiny as a victory Friday night would secure playoff football in November.

South Fork will want to have a say to deny the Falcons their second straight District 12-3S championship but will have to do so on the road.

The Panthers will need to try to avenge a 49-7 defeat at the hands of Sebring last year. If they can return the favor on the Blue Streaks' home field, Fort Pierce Westwood would win the District 11-3S title.

The Rams have a long road trip to Sarasota and battle a Cardinal Mooney program hungry to avenge a 26-3 loss in last year's District 6-1S title game.

District 12-4S has plenty of action Friday night, too, as Treasure Coast hosts Fort Pierce Central and Vero Beach hosts Centennial.

TCPalm's Bryan Cooney breaks down every game predicting who wins in Week 8.

Thursday's game

St. Edward's (2-4) at Boca Raton Christian (4-2)

What to watch for — The Pirates picked up a badly needed 27-20 win over Cocoa Beach last week and got a gritty effort from their defense in the second half to get the job done. Nate Sparkman completed passes to eight different receivers last week, and it will take a group effort to move the ball offensively for St. Edward's. The Blazers are coming off a 42-10 loss last week to Jupiter Christian, which defeated St. Edward's 41-0 in Week 6, and Boca Raton Christian relies heavily on young players who will look for a bounce-back performance.

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TCPalm's pick: St. Edward's 31, Boca Raton Christian 30

Friday's games

South Fork (2-4) at Jensen Beach (6-1)

What to watch for — An illness that ran through the Bulldogs along with a few injuries left the team shorthanded in a 35-12 loss to Key West last week. A positive was quarterback Cal Fritz throwing over 200 yards. Getting production through the air would be a boost to help out South Fork's ground game they like to establish early. A bye week came at a good time for the Falcons to heal and continue working quarterback Jonny Ahern into the offense for his second start backing up a four-touchdown performance through the air against Port St. Lucie in Week 6.

TCPalm's pick: Jensen Beach 38, South Fork 7

Fort Pierce Westwood (4-2) at Sebring (3-2)

What to watch for — The Panthers almost dug out of an early hole but couldn't rally all the way back in a 22-20 loss to Moore Haven last week. A few miscues proved costly for Westwood. A flip in intensity right from the opening kickoff Friday is a must against a physical team that can bury opponents early. The Blue Streaks have three wins against teams with a combined one win on the season. In their two losses to quality opponents in Lake Wales and Clearwater Central Catholic, they were hurt most on the ground defensively. Generating big plays is a must for the Panthers.

TCPalm's pick: Sebring 23, Fort Pierce Westwood 15

John Carroll Catholic (2-5) at Cardinal Mooney (5-1)

What to watch for — The Rams had little trouble in their 43-0 over Dr. Joaquin Garcia. With two wins in a row, they should be feeling positive about their prospects being road underdogs. Look for John Carroll Catholic to get very creative offensively, pulling out all the stops. The Rams will need a steady night doing the basics defensively to stay in the game. The Cougars haven't played the toughest schedule, but senior Carson Beach at running back has produced against every team, averaging over 100 yards a game, and has scored seven touchdowns making him a priority for the Rams to stop.

TCPalm's pick: Cardinal Mooney 33, John Carroll Catholic 21

Fort Pierce Central (2-4) at Treasure Coast (4-2)

What to watch for — The Cobras have scored 13 points in a three-game losing streak and fell 29-7 to Heritage, but trailed only 7-0 at halftime to one of Brevard County's top teams. Generating offense has been a problem all year for Fort Pierce Central and going up against one of the best defenses in the area won't make matters any easier. The Titans had a much-needed bye week and can now reset after a brutal stretch of games to focus on winning District 12-4S. Expect Treasure Coast to go to its bread and butter with its power run game to establish itself early but continue to work on its passing.

TCPalm's pick: Treasure Coast 44, Fort Pierce Central 0

Centennial (0-6) at Vero Beach (5-1)

What to watch for — The Eagles had a bye week to try to sort things out and figure out where they can find some offense. Centennial's defense has performed well at times this season but has spent far too much time on the field to stay in games. Vero Beach had two wins last week in a span of five days and quarterback Tyler Aronson has found his form throwing 12 touchdowns in his last four games. How well Vero managed last week physically will show itself early on if they can get out to a lead and run away to continue its winning ways.

TCPalm's pick: Vero Beach 42, Centennial 0

Okeechobee (3-3) at Port St. Lucie (1-5)

What to watch for — Two teams desperately looking to regain momentum meet as the Brahmans have lost three in a row and the Jaguars have lost their fifth straight. Okeechobee gave up 325 rushing yards last week in a 42-22 loss to Immokalee but also had success moving the ball on offense. Port St. Lucie had a bye week last week and needs to find any semblance of explosive plays to kick-start an offense that has scored three points in the past five games.

TCPalm's pick: Okeechobee 33, Port St. Lucie 9

Palm Bay (5-2) at Sebastian River (4-2)

What to watch for — Two teams that have had bounce-back seasons are prepping for postseason runs in different organizations. The Pirates have won three in a row. They have leaned on their defense all season. Two-way standout Zach Emory-Foster makes plays all over the field. The Sharks impressively went on the road across the state and blew out Wesley Chapel 38-6 last week with Buddha James running for 200 yards and two touchdowns. James, a Rockledge transfer, will want to put on a show against another Brevard County foe but will need assistance around him as the Pirates will surely want to load the box and take away the run that Sebastian River prefers on offense.

TCPalm's pick: Palm Bay 30, Sebastian River 24

Tradition Prep (3-2) at Gateway Charter (1-5)

What to watch for — The Pirates have been idle since Sept. 28 and have two games to go in preparation for the postseason in the SSAA. Time off combined with a road trip across the state may not be an ideal formula, but Tradition Prep has impressed all season with the different number of contributors who have emerged on both sides of the ball. Playing a Griffins' team that has been unable to stop teams from scoring points all season, the Pirates need to come ready to play and jump ahead early.

TCPalm's pick: Tradition Prep 34, Gateway Charter 6

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Football: District championships on the line in Week 8