Miami Central denies American Heritage payback in rematch of 2022 state championship
Miami Central’s football team doesn’t care much for how it starts.
It cares about how it finishes.
That can be applied to the Rockets’ season or Friday night’s matchup against fellow South Florida powerhouse Plantation American Heritage.
After the Patriots struck on a few big plays early, Central battled back from a 15-point deficit to secure one of its biggest wins so far as it beat Heritage 35-32 at Traz Powell Stadium.
The Rockets (4-1) appear to be finding their stride after winning their fourth consecutive game heading into a bye week before a crucial matchup against longtime rival Miami Northwestern.
“It speaks to the resilience and fight these kids have,” Central coach Jube Joseph said. “We had limited practice, lightning delays. We knew this was a great team and we had to weather that storm early. I’m proud of the kids and coaches for fighting back and doing what we’re supposed to do.”
The final score made the game, which was a rematch of the 2022 Class 2M state championship game won by Central, look closer than it appeared.
The Rockets led 35-24, but turned the ball over on downs with six seconds left at their own 17-yard line. Heritage quarterback Dia Bell proceeded to throw his third touchdown pass of the game and second to Jamar Denson on the next play with two seconds left. Bell and Denson connected on a two-point conversion pass.
But the Rockets recovered the ensuing onside kick as time expired to end the game.
Central, which had its streak of four consecutive state championships snapped last season, opened 2024 with a loss to Lakeland High. Since then the Rockets have found a balance on offense after switching to quarterback Anthony McQueen as their starter coupled with a power running game that picked up 126 yards collectively on Friday.
The Patriots (2-3) finished the first half of one of the most challenging schedules of any team in the state.
For a quarter, it appeared Heritage might have been headed to its third victory instead of third defeat after Bell, a University of Texas commit, connected on a pair of long touchdown passes. His first - an 80-yarder on the game’s first play - went to speedy receiver Brandon Bennett. After scoring on a 1-yard sneak on Heritage’s second drive, Bell connected on another deep ball to Jamar Denson to give the Patriots a 21-6 lead.
Central’s defense buckled, but recovered in spite of losing one of its best players to injury after linebacker Ezekiel Marcelin appeared to hurt his left ankle in the second quarter. Although Marcelin, a University of Miami commit, did not return, he was seen walking and jogging after the game without any protective gear on his leg.
Even without him, the Rockets turned up the pressure on Bell and sacked him three times with Steven Moore accounting for two of those.
Bell completed 13 of 16 passes for 276 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. But the Patriots’ offense stalled in the second quarter as OJ Guyton also had two sacks.
“Those guys are starting to make great plays and doing it consistently for us,” Joseph said. “That’s a special team over there. Our attitude and our grit comes from the type of neighborhood we come from. It’s a far cry from the sunny skies of South Beach and it shows how much these kids wanna play for the logo.”
Central’s offense ignited at that point led by quarterback Anthony McQueen, who completed 17 of 24 passes for 352 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and also ran for 56 yards and a score. McQueen’s 56-yard connection with Sekou Smith tied the game at 21 just before halftime.
The Patriots’ offense took a big hit in the second quarter when starting running back Byron Louis ejected after an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Louis finished with 44 yards on 10 carries. Junior Isaiah Calixte took over in the backfield after Louis’ exit and finished with 47 yards, but had a costly fumble in the third quarter that led to the Rockets opening up a two-touchdown lead when McQueen found Nae’shaun Montgomery in the corner of the end zone for a 16-yard score.
Heritage will look to bounce back next week when it hosts unbeaten Plantation in a district game while the Rockets rest to prepare for Northwestern on Oct. 4.
“The key has just been stepping up to the occasion,” McQueen said. “You can see my guys trust me and I just need to keep stepping up for them.
“I feel like I’m better, but I have a lot to work on and we have a long season ahead of us. It felt good they had that trust in me because all I have to do is go and play my game and don’t let anything get in the way.”
