Miami Central Still Going Strong

When it comes to high school football in the state of Florida, there are a handful of teams that you can count on being in the mix every year. One of those programs who has maintained a winning edge through the years is Miami Central. The two-time 6A state champions, who moved to 5A this year, can stand toe-to-toe with anyone every year, and for a public school to accomplish that in an area that is loaded with elite prospects is not easy. The Rocket (6-2) will blast off again on Thursday night against longtime rival Miami Northwestern – for the second time – in the Inaugural Greater Miami Athletic Conference Football Championship Series contest at Traz Powell Stadium. This program, under the direction of head coach <strong>Roland Smith</strong>, has been able to win six state titles and dominate the competition, not only in south Florida, churning out athletes who are performing on football fields in colleges and the NFL. This season has been unique – to say the least – with a few games either postponed or called off – but as always, this is a program not afraid to lineup against any team. Losses to start the season against California national power St. John Bosco (35-12) and Las Vegas Bishop Gorman (21-20) set the tone for this team as they got the train back on track, and despite the battle with longtime rival Miami Northwestern (24-21), it's all about business. Wins against Miami Booker T. Washington (51-7), Miami Springs (55-0), Hialeah-Miami Lakes (56-0), Miami Edison (45-6) and North Miami Beach (41-6) has prepared this talented team for a stretch run that includes a gauntlet (Plantation American Heritage and unbeaten Miami Killian) just to get out of the region, but this team is stacked with impressive talent that colleges and universities across the nation are watching. <strong>SENIOR CLASS IS IMPRESSIVE</strong> As usual, the Rockets are loaded with senior talent that not only leads, but gets the job done. Among those Class of 2022 prospects include standouts <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="50001" first="Alfonzo" last="Allen"]</strong> (DB), <strong>Wesley Bissanthe</strong> (LB), <strong>Zaylen Reese</strong> (WR), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="50104" first="Jayden" last="John"]</strong> (PK), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="50246" first="Elijah" last="Miller"]</strong> (OL), <strong>Ghana Oboh</strong> (RB), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="50028" first="Daughtry" last="Richardson"]</strong> (OL), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="108632" first="Anthony" last="Rose"]</strong> (S) and <strong>Kymani Williams</strong> (DE). There are also impressive performers such as <strong>Trent Henry</strong> (Athlete), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="111711" first="Caleb" last="McKenzie"]</strong> (DB),  <strong>Qualyn McQueen</strong> (DB), <strong>Christopher Nicholson</strong> (OL), <strong>Raashaun Rainey</strong> (DE) and <strong>Keyondre Young</strong> (LB) <strong>UNDERCLASSMEN MAKING THE MOST OF THEIR CHANCES</strong> In addition to what the seniors have done, the Class of 2023 juniors has also stepped up – with one of the best in the nation in defensive end <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="127997" first="Rueben" last="Bain"]</strong> (DE), who has dominated since the 9^th grade. Also, quarterback <strong>Dylan Tulloch</strong>, who has done a tremendous job taking over for the injured and highly-rated <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="128321" first="Keyone" last="Jenkins"]</strong>. The Rockets also have <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="128385" first="Jonathan" last="Harris"]</strong> (RB), <strong>Cataurus Hicks</strong> (WR), <strong>Dante Hunte</strong> (LB), speedy running back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="128408" first="Ean" last="Pope"]</strong>, elite receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="128054" first="Lamar" last="Seymore"], Aramis Soto</strong> (DE), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="128816" first="Zayden" last="Laing-Taylor"]</strong> (DB) and receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="128529" first="Corey" last="Washington"]</strong>. Class of 2024 linemen <strong>Luke Moise</strong> and <strong>William Rothmiller</strong> are also prospects to keep an eye on and continue to make this program strong up front. <strong>Catch More Florida High School Football. </strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/florida/">https://prepredzone.com/florida/</a> <strong><em>You Can Contact [player_tooltip player_id="111610" first="Larry" last="Blustein"] with prospect or team information at: Floridakids1@aol.com. We are also on Social Media on @PrepRedzonefl.</em></strong>