FIU commit Jenkins’ three touchdowns spark Miami Central to blowout win over Dillard
Miami Central quarterback Keyone Jenkins used to play cornerback growing up.
So he knows how to deliver a good hit on the football field.
On Saturday night, Jenkins lowered the boom on a Dillard defender as he dove to the pylon and finished off a touchdown run.
The collision left Jenkins a bit shaken up though, and ended his night, as he was carried quickly to the sideline by two of his teammates.
But by then Jenkins, the quarterback, had helped the Rockets do enough damage to eventually secure a comfortable 43-7 victory over the Panthers at Traz Powell Stadium.
“I caught a cramp, that’s all that was,” Jenkins said. “I’m really a dual threat so I’ll run if they need me to run. But I used to play defensive back so I like hitting people.”
Jenkins, an FIU commit, threw for over 200 yards and two touchdowns as Central (4-0), ranked No. 4 nationally by MaxPreps, scored 36 unanswered points to turn the game into a rout in the second half.
The game ended early with 6:09 left in the fourth quarter due to inclement weather and shortly after Central’s backup quarterback Dylan Tulloch threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Corey Johnson, who would also return a punt 40 yards for a touchdown. After a botched snap on the ensuing extra point, Pitt commit Lamar Seymore still converted when he launched a ball into the end zone that was brought down in traffic by Cataurus Hicks to start a running clock.
“It’s a wonderful thing because our team, they’re brothers,” Central coach Jube Joseph said. “They all pick each other up.”
The game’s turning point came on another big hit in the second quarter.
Dillard (2-2) had just tied the game at 7 when four-star running back prospect Christopher Johnson broke loose in Central’s defense and ran for a 60-yard touchdown. On the ensuing drive, Johnson pushed Dillard into the red zone but took a hit to the head from a Central defender and was forced to exit the game. Johnson did not return and Dillard lost the ball on downs four plays later.
Jenkins would then hit Lawayne McCoy for a 54-yard completion deep over the middle. Later in the drive, McCoy made a diving catch in the end zone for a 33-yard touchdown pass from Jenkins.
The Rockets’ defense, which had four-star edge rusher Rueben Bain back in the lineup after missing the previous two games with an injury, held Dillard to minimal yardage and only two first downs in the second half following Johnson’s exit.
Central, which is seeking its fourth consecutive state title and eighth overall, is also vying for a potential national championship following a great start which included a win over Bradenton IMG Academy.
“We have standards and we didn’t live up to them in that first quarter, but we recovered and started playing Rocket football in the second half,” Joseph said. “Once we get going, it’s like an avalanche.”
This story was originally published September 24, 2022 at 11:36 PM.
