MaxPreps 2013 Preseason Xcellent 25 Football preview: No. 2 Miami Central

It's hard to top a Florida state title-winning season, but Central (Miami) is poised to do just that.

With perhaps the best running back duo in South Florida history, the Rockets will be in the thick of the hunt for a national No. 1 finish.

Miami-bound Joseph Yearby and Florida commit Dalvin Cook make Central's offense explosive. They have the luxury of running behind a big offensive line that is pretty much intact from a year ago. That unit is led by Trevor Darling, another one of the team's numerous BCS-caliber recruits.

Keith Reed, who became the team's starting quarterback during the season last year, is back behind center. He'll have two of his top weapons back in Tavius Brown and Da'vante Phillips.



Only a junior, Phillips is the No. 20-ranked recruit in the Class of 2015 according to 247Sports.

On the opposite side of the ball, Central will be slightly less experienced but still very formidable. Twan Adams and Keon Burgess lack prototypical size at defensive tackle, but both are quick and perhaps most importantly, experienced.

See the entire Preseason Xcellent 25

In the secondary, Deatrick Nichols and Trevon Nottage are both back. At Central, there's no shortage of speed and kids to compete for the job, so finding players to fill in spots in the secondary should not be much of a challenge.

The linebackers return Rasheed Blatch and Jonathan Harris. As in the secondary, Central will have to look for two new starters.

In addition to its brutal district schedule as well as its rivalry game with Booker T. Washington, Central will also test itself with a matchup against Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey.



Local look: "Central is the most complete South Florida high school football team since their 2010 team featuring 17 Division I signees. Any questions on defense are answered by two words: Joe and Dalvin."
- Brandon Odoi, Publisher at Football Hotbed
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School size: Class 7A

Enrollment: 1,850 (Approx.)

2012 finish: 12-2, Class 6A state champion

Head coach: Roland Smith

Career record: 69-13

Years at school: None

Notable players coached:
DB Trevor Ford (Troy, NFL)



LB Sean Spence (Miami, NFL)

DL Marcus Forston (Miami, NFL)
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No. of returning starters: 10 (offense), 6 (defense)

Key losses:

WR Roderick Carter

DE Devyn Reid

K/P Emilio Nadelman



Key returners:

RB Dalvin Cook

RB Joseph Yearby

WR Da'Vante Phillips

OL Trevor Darling

DB Deatrick Nichols



Key newcomers:

DB Calvin Brewton (Transfer)

DL Fermin Silva
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Toughest game: It would be easy to look at its road showdown with Don Bosco Prep, which has defeated Sunshine State powers Manatee and St. Thomas Aquinas in recent years, as the team's hardest game. But that distinction likely belongs to the city rivalry with Booker T. Washington, the nation's No. 9 team.

Question mark: How will the team respond to new head coach Roland Smith? Spring was very successful by all accounts, so the transition seems to have gone well. However, playing under the lights on Friday nights in the fall will be the real test.

Local outlook: As usual, Miami is deep with talented teams. Central and Booker T. Washington both rank in the nation's Top 10, while Miami Northwestern should be vastly improved. Broward County is similarly teeming with impressive teams. Up in Palm Beach County, Dwyer has great skill players and will once again be stout on defense.

Overall outlook: Roland Smith and the team seem to be embracing the challenge of the schedule as well as the expectations of the high ranking. Very few teams can hang with the Rockets athletically. If the defense remains disciplined, it could be a special season for Central.



Coach quote: "We're excited. We had a good spring and we're ready to go."
- Roland Smith
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