In the history of Miami's Westminster Christian School, there have been hundreds of baseball scouts who have roamed the campus to get a look at future stars such as Alex Rodriguez and Doug Mientkiewicz, who starred for the Warriors back in 1992-93. But when it comes to football, it hasn't been a place where recruiters have flocked to -- until now.

With an empty field across from where the football field sits, there are images of the hit movie Field of Dreams that come to mind while watching the 2009 edition of Warrior football. Not just because of the impressive talent on the field, but that coaching staff that could easily rival some of the best in South Florida.

Led by veteran coach Joe Mira, Westminster's coaching staff reads like a roster of teachers who have given more than 100 combined years to this sport, and all have landed on this campus in southeastern Miami-Dade County.

Mira, a former University of Miami standout player, and the brother of fabled UM quarterback George Mira, has done well at stops along the way such as Miami High, Southridge, Palmetto, Dr. Michael Krop and South Miami.

His assistant coaches such as Don Drinkhahn, Carlos Cespedes and Willie Cannon have touched the lives of thousands of youngsters throughout the years. Drinkhahn coached in parts of four decades at South Dade, Cespedes, regarded as one of the elite offensive line coaches, has been at Mira's side for the past two plus decades -- while Cannon has been everywhere from Southridge to Coral Reef.

``You don't draw up a coaching staff like this,'' said Mira, who took the Westminster position after longtime friend Steve Johnson moved on to Columbus. ``Along with a few younger kids, we have put together a staff that not only has a lot of old school coaching skills, but also relate to the kids of today.''

This coaching staff, along with a few new faces has thrust the Warriors into the spotlight among 1A schools in south Florida, and or the first time in school history, players such as senior Kyle Dodds and UCF commit Perry Meiklejohn, are talking about having a legitimate chance to be in Orlando in December.

IN THE MIX OF THINGS

While Dade Christian, Parkway Academy, Delray American Heritage and state-rated powerhouse Fort Meade will still have plenty to say about which team ends up playing for the 1A state title, at least Westminster Christian is finally in the conversation.

``I have been here since the third grade and never felt that we could finally be on the map as a program capable of playing for a state title,'' said the 5-11, 205-pound Dodds, who plays linebacker, running and even some quarterback. ``Last year, we went 7-3 as an independent, but never had that feeling we could make a serious run.''

For Meiklejohn, the 6-3, 320-pound offensive tackle, a chance to make a serious run is everything he had hoped for when coming over from Coral Reef two years. This impressive line prospect made his commitment to UCF in the spring, and now with more talent than the school has ever had on the football field, there is a strong feeling that this could be one special year.

``It all starts with a tremendous coaching staff,'' Meiklejohn said. ``Then, you add the kind of talent we have over the past two years and you have something impressive. The feeling since we started working in the spring is that this could be a very good year for this school -- all the way around.''

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