Hurricane Ian nearly erased Miami Central football’s practice time. It didn’t show Friday.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Maybe it was because they finally got a break with the weather. Or maybe it was because they wanted to make a statement. Whatever the reason, Miami Central once again showed no matter the situation, they find a way to get the job done.
Friday night was another prime example.
In a week the state of Florida withstood the wrath of Hurricane Ian, Miami Central had about 10 minutes of actual practice time on Monday for Friday’s 2M District 13 game with North Miami Beach.
South Florida was spared the brunt of the major storm, but schools were closed Tuesday-through-Thursday.
Cleared to play on Friday, the Rockets, the nation’s No. 4 ranked team in the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 and the No. 2 team in Florida, again took off and routed the Chargers 41-0 at Nathaniel Traz Powell Stadium.
“It was a short week. We couldn’t really get a game plan in, but the kids had laser focus,” Central coach Jube Joseph said. “They came out and they executed. Hats off to them for doing what they’re supposed to do without the coaches being around. They were doing individual things.”
Both teams, obviously, dealt with adversity, and had their preparation impacted.
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While North Miami Beach (2-3, 0-1) came in prepared and actually ran clock early in the first quarter behind mostly running plays by quarterback Mahki Rolle, it was the overall depth and talent level of Central (5-0, 2-0) that made it a mostly “running clock” second half.
On its first drive, Central was backed up on its own 4-yard line. Left-handed quarterback Keyone Jenkins came out throwing and completed a 6-yard pass to Lamar Seymore, a University of Pittsburgh commit.
Lamar Seymour caught a 6-yard touchdown pass from Keyone Jenkins in Miami Central’s 41-0 on Friday.
Photo by Joe Frisaro
Showing they weren’t shy about throwing from the shadows of their own end zone, Jenkins led the Rockets 96 yards for a touchdown. Capping the nearly five-minute drive was Jenkins’ 8-yard touchdown run.
The way the Rockets executed their 13-play first drive makes it hard to believe the players basically prepared for the game on their own.
“We missed a whole week, man,” Joseph said. “We practiced like 10 minutes, and then lightning. After that, we missed the whole week [of practice].”
With school closed, the players were on their own.
“Everybody was home. We didn’t know if we were going to play,” Joseph said. “That just goes to show, the Rockets, they can’t hold us down. Rain. Sleet. Snow. Whatever. Aisle Three at Walgreens. We’ll play you.”
Central has dealt with more than its share of rain. As for sleet and snow, the coldest it gets for South Floridians this time of year is when the air conditioning is set too low at home or in your cars.
Still, we get the point. Joseph is absolutely correct that Central can handle pretty much anything thrown at it.
Friday was the first time in three weeks, the Rockets played four full quarters. The previous two games were shortened due to rain and lightning.
“We wanted to take care of the little things,” Joseph said. “Do the little things. Work on the details and focus on the things we can control. And play Rocket football.”
Winners of three straight state titles, nationally-ranked Miami Central played pretty a complete game.
Highly recruited defensive end, Rueben Bain had a sack that helped lead to a three-and-out for North Miami Beach on its second possession.
Miami Central head coach Jube Joseph addresses his troops following his team’s 41-0 win over North Miami Beach on Friday.
Photo by Joe Frisaro
The Rockets responded immediately with Jenkins throwing a 6-yard touchdown pass to Anjuan Coleman, making it 14-0 with 7.5 seconds left in the first quarter.
Ean Pope scored on an 8-yard run at 10:04 of the second quarter, padding the lead to 21-0.
Central began going to its bench, giving backup quarterback Dylan Tulloch some playing time.
A blocked punt by Amari Wallace set up the fourth Central touchdown, which came on a 5-yard sweep by Corey Washington.
Against mostly backups on defense, North Miami Beach threatened late in the second quarter.
Rolle had completions of 8 and 14 yards, along with runs of 11 and 7 yards, putting the Chargers on the Rockets’ 35-yard line.
Central sent back several defensive starters, and Shawn Smoak came up with a big interception at the 2-yard line.
“We preach making plays, making plays, making plays, and our first team came out and made some plays,” Joseph said.
It didn’t take Central long to make it 35-0 in the third quarter. The running clock begins with at least a 35-point lead either at halftime or in the second half.
Washington took the second half kickoff and broke through for a would-be touchdown, but it was negated by plenty.
The Rockets started at the 50.
Tulloch started at quarterback, and he capped a five-play drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Seymore.
“We’re a second-half team, but we started early this game,” Seymore said. “The last game we started so so.”
With all the depth Central has, it doesn’t necessarily lean on its top players. That’s fine with Seymore, a starter since he’s been a freshman.
Still, getting to play Friday, especially with uncertainty earlier in the week due to the hurricane, was meaningful to seniors like Seymore.
“It’s my senior season, so I need every snap I can get,” Seymore said. “I could be doing better. But I’m here for my guys to go to college, because I’ve got all the offers that I need. I’m here to be on the field and show the guys what to do to get to college.”
Joseph praises Seymore for his leadership and selflessness.
“He’s very consistent,” Joseph said. “The thing about him is, he’s like the big brother to the wide receivers group. He’s been here long enough. He’s started since he was a freshman. The game has slowed down for him. The speed of the game has slowed down for him. He’s more playing with the cerebral aspect of the game, the mental part. He’s doing a terrific job being a leader, on and off the field.”
Closing out the scoring was Jenkins’ 36-yard TD pass to Washington, who had a two-touchdown night.
“We were able to dig deep into the depth chart and give guys who didn’t really get looks, some looks,” Joseph said. “Just gain some confidence going into next week, a rivalry with game against Northwestern.”
