Weather proves to be only obstacle for Miami Central football
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – Once Miami Central High School, the fourth-ranked team in the nation according the SBLive Sports/Sports Illustrated Power 25, got rolling on Thursday night, the Patriots were unstoppable.
Quarterback Keyone Jenkins had two short-yard touchdown runs, and running back Ean Pope had two long TD runs.
The defense picked off two passes that set up touchdowns and tackled the punter for a loss on fourth down.
For two quarters, Central overwhelmed Miami Carol City, and that was just in the first half.
We’ll never know what the second half might have brought, because a heavy downpour and lightning delay prompted both teams to agree to call the game.
For the record book, Miami Central shutout Carol City, 34-0, at a soaked Nathaniel Traz Powell Stadium.
Despite only getting two quarters of action, after weather halted Miami Central’s game with Carol City at the half on Thursday, star quarterback Keyone Jenkins rushed for a pair of touchdowns and guided the Rockets to 34 points in a shutout victory.
Photo by Joe Frisaro
Actually, only Mother Nature could stop Central on this rainy night.
The blowout win improves Central’s record to 3-0 and 1-0 in 2M District 13. Carol City fell to 0-2, with both losses coming in district play.
Central hit its stride in the second quarter, scoring 27 points. Only the elements shut them down.
“Our kids, we don’t care about the weather,” Central coach Jube Joseph said. “We’ll play football on Aisle 3 at Walgreens. We don’t care. Any time the elements are there, you can tell us the Miami Dolphins are in front of us, we’re going to be ready.”
Point taken.
Central doesn’t shy away from a challenge.
The reigning three-time state champions have their eye on the prize again this year. And Carol City, once a formidable rival, put up a good fight in the first quarter.
But Central is too deep, on both sides of the ball. The Patriots didn’t even play all their top players. Defensive lineman Rueben Bain didn’t suit up.
“We know, any time we play somebody, we’re going to get their best shot,” Joseph said. “When you go from being the hunter to the hunted, this is what we want. When we put on this uniform, we know on 95th Street, we’re America’s Most Wanted.”
For the unfamiliar, Miami Central’s campus is on NW 95th Street in Miami.
At Central, there’s a high standard. And the coaches and players take accountability seriously.
“We played better than we did last week,” said Jenkins, a Florida International University commit. “We executed a little bit better than in our last game. But it was going to be better in the second half.”
In their last game, the Patriots handled Booker T. Washington, 36-19. They opened the season with a 20-14 win against IMG Academy.
Jenkins clearly wanted to play the second half. Even though by halftime conditions worsened, and the turf field was filled with water.
The first half was mostly played in a light drizzle, but the rain picked up shortly before halftime. At halftime the bands were on the field, and asked to leave due to the lightning meter sounding. The meter goes off when lightning is within 10 miles of the stadium.
With Central ahead by five touchdowns, and the conditions as awful as they were, it was an easy call to send everyone home.
Carol City received the opening kickoff and Murray lead them on an eight-play drive before he was sacked. A short punt set Central up on the Chiefs’ 38-yard line.
On Central’s first play, Pope dashed 38-yards. It was telling how easily that score was.
Central led 7-0 after the first quarter.
In the second quarter, it was all Patriots. Berlin Compfort tackled the punter on the Chiefs’ 16. Jenkins capped that short drive with a 5-yard run, but the extra point was missed, making it 13-0.
Murray then was intercepted by Jalen Labranche, who returned the ball to the eight. A penalty on Carol City moved it to the four, and Jenkins covered that distance on his second TD run, making it 20-0.
Amari Wallach picked off Murray and Pope raced 25-yards for a touchdown run.
“We got the momentum,” Jenkins said. “The defense kept getting us stops.”
Trayvon Miller capped the scoring with a 20-yard touchdown with 1:32 left before halftime.
Carol City did threaten in the closing seconds of the first half, getting first-and-goal, only to be stopped.
“That’s a testament to my assistant coaches,” Joseph said. “Taking care of the little things throughout the week. Focusing on execution. That was their goal in their individual groups, to make sure they executed. My hat’s off to all my assistant coaches. They did a great job of preparing these kids for these moments.”
The way Central goes about its business, the rain became only a mild distraction.
“That’s our preparation,” Joseph said. “Our preparation is putting our kids in adverse situations constantly. Again, I talk about the assistant coaches. They do a great job of always putting them in adverse situations, and asking them to respond. So when we get in game-time situations, it’s nothing to us.
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