Ask him about the greatest running back in Central's history -- Elvis Peacock -- and Lockett will come back at you with stories about Peacock, the guys Lockett played against in the early 1990s while at Northwestern High, others he never played against, and players before his time.

Never mind Lockett is only 33.

But while history might be Lockett's off-the-field passion, nothing fuels his fire more than winning on it. And that's exactly what he plans to do with the Rockets, who despite boasting some of the county's best talent for decades have never been able to get out of district rival Northwestern's shadow. But those frustrations might soon end.

After being fired as offensive coordinator at Northwestern -- along with 11 coaches -- amid the Antwain Easterling fiasco before the 2007 season and then being cleared of wrongdoing along with the rest of the Bulls' former coaching staff, Lockett has come to Central hungry to build another winner. And he has put together a stellar staff at Central in a short time.

His assistants include former Dolphins running back Mark Higgs, former Hurricane and NFL veteran Earl Little (defensive coordinator) and three other former Bulls assistants.

They will have a bevy of talent to work with.

On my visit Wednesday to Central (which is still under construction), I was blown away with the overall size, speed, depth and athleticism the Rockets had at spring practice. I almost felt like I was back at Northwestern three years ago when I first saw a young group that included University of Miami recruits Jacory Harris, Sean Spence, Marcus Forston, Tommy Streeter, Kendall Thompkins and Aldarius Johnson. Those kids went 30-0 and won back-to-back Class 6A state titles. Living up to that will be hard for the Rockets. But Central has some impressive weapons in place -- especially among the 2010 and 2011 classes.

But the 2009 class is no pushover, either. And it begins with 6-3, 260-pound center Derrick Jean, who already has an offer from FIU but could see many more by the end of the spring. Jean is a leader and was busy keeping teammates in line Wednesday and leading them during stretching exercises. His snaps were on target and his feet were extremely quick. Two other lineman in the 2010 class to follow whom Lockett pointed out as potential Division I recruits are 6-1, 290-pound guard Sean Brown and 6-4, 250-pound offensive tackle Stanley St. Jean.

Offensive line isn't the only place where the Rockets have size and talent. Defensively, it's hard to miss the two newest faces on the Rockets this spring -- a pair of 2009 recruits to watch in 6-4, 280-pound tackle Ephesians Adams and 6-5, 235-pound end Kevin Patfield. Adams didn't have the grades to play in 2007. But he has the size, strength and speed to put himself on the map and among the top-tier recruits in the state if he can do the right things.

Patfield, a former basketball player, also has the goods to be special. But he never played football until this spring. Lockett believes by the end of the season, though, some big-time school will pursue Patfield.

The rest of the special players in the Rockets' 2009 class are all Division I-caliber. Those include receivers Jerious Williams (6-5, 185) and Jamaal Fleming (6-2, 180). Williams, who reminds me a bit of Streeter because of his size, already has an offer from FIU. Fleming, who might have the softest hands on the team, should receive offers soon enough. Linebacker Damon Wright (6-0, 205) and strong safety Leonard Owens (5-10, 190) are two other players Lockett pointed out.

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