Miami Central Overrated

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Fightingfor7crusader

Active member
Does anyone else agree with me on this? I know they had to play in the Pit last year but they barely escaped(24-21) from 2-8 Elder a team who lost to Trinity 56 to 7 and to Moeller 36 - 10.
 
 
We're going to find out real soon if Miami Central is way overrated or not.

http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1396468

Miami Central has nation's top schedule
Dallas Jackson
Football Analyst

The Miami (Fla.) Central football team is not on the top line of the preseason RivalsHigh 100 national high school football rankings but the No. 16-ranked Rockets could be in the driver's seat for a national title thanks to the team's schedule.

A major factor in the final ranking is the schedule that a team plays and how it fared week-in and week-out as well as the overall strength of its opponents.

With games against Bradenton (Fla.) Manatee, Loganville (Ga.) Grayson, and Miami (Fla.) Booker T. Washington - three teams ranked inside the Top 10 - Miami Central was a runaway winner as Rivals.com broke down the toughest schedules among teams inside the preseason Top 25.

Fifth-year head coach Terry Lockette said that the challenge presents his players with an opportunity to succeed.

"It is our goal to win every game and win a state title," he said. "We think that with the national rankings and national exposure it can bring a sense of pride and we build on that, it is more than just football, but this game is an avenue to great things for these kids. They know that people are watching them and that can be a distraction from the day-to-day struggles of urban life - or life in the ghetto for some of the kids.

"Our success on the field is measure by the scoreboard and I get that but there are a lot of good things happening here. There is a different attitude now than there was a few years ago; when you get told what you can't do your whole life and then get a chance to show people the other side it is a motivating factor."

What the players at Central had been told for years was that they were second fiddle to their rivals, Miami (Fla.) Northwestern.

Lockette played at Northwestern before going on to play college football and then started his coaching career at Northwestern as well. His time with that program helped him build Miami Central to what it is today.

"Seeing what it took for that program to get into the next chapter of high school football was important," he said. "It was discipline to be committed to (football) every day and not just on the field. To succeed you have to be dedicated and we brought that here with us.

"So many kids will have it in their heads that can't make it. A lot of them grow up in one-parent homes or with grandparents because their parents are dead or in jail. To show them things can be different we had to channel that energy to something positive. We had to change the negative culture and we had to show them things they didn't think they would see."

Through the support of the surrounding community and school administration, the program has been very active in out-of-state games. It has played away games at Kingsland (Ga.) Camden County, Prattville (Ala.) High and Cincinnati (Ohio) Elder. Central will trip to Loganville (Ga.) Grayson this season, and the chance to get out of their current surroundings is more than ample motivation.

"We used to be that school that couldn't get out of the second round of the playoffs," Lockette said. "Now we are the team that competes for titles and plays on television. That is something that kids want to be a part of."

As one of the top-ranked teams in the country, schools from across the state and region have called Central and inquired about setting up a game.

"We have always wanted to get Manatee on the schedule so when they called it was something we were really excited about," Lockette said. "Then when Grayson wanted to play we just said, 'Sure, why not?'"

Lockette knows that just playing the games is not going to get his team to the top. He has to win them.

"We lost to Camden County and then rolled off 14-straight and won a state title," Lockette said. "We finished No. 20 that year and have to think it would have been much higher if we won.

"If we can get through this schedule, this year, it would be incredible."

It would likely lead the team to a national championship as well.
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I saw Miami Central a couple of years ago when they were very highly ranked. I had two observations of the game:

1. They had an abundance of talent. It was almost like watching a small college.

2. They had absolutely no discipline whatsoever and played like a group of individuals.

Is this year's team different? If not, I suspect you guys will be correct in your conclusions.
 
That Grayson team they're playing this weekend is no joke. They are the defending Georgia Class AAAAA (largest classification) champs, and they have the top senior prospect in Georgia this year.

The game is technically at a neutral site, but it's in suburban Atlanta, so it will essentially be a home game for Grayson.
 
Central had a lot of good athletes, but they had horrible coaching and were very undisciplined. Definitely overrated as a whole but they did have that crazy Florida speed.
 
Fightingfor7crusader said:
Does anyone else agree with me on this? I know they had to play in the Pit last year but they barely escaped(24-21) from 2-8 Elder a team who lost to Trinity 56 to 7 and to Moeller 36 - 10.
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After watching the Elder/Central game last year, and watching a half of the Central/Grayson game. Overrated doesn't say enough about this team. I wouldn't rank this team in the top 200 let alone 25.
 
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