Central (Miami) at Elder (Cincinnati)Central
went 14-1 last season and captured the 6A state championship. A lot of
the top players on that team graduated but a new crop of talent has
emerged, including seven seniors who are committed to BCS-level
colleges. One of the Rockets' top players is actually a sophomore,
Joe Yearby. The explosive running back totaled more than 200 yards on the
ground in Central's 20-0 shutout last week of Cocoa. This is the
Rockets' fourth game in two seasons against out-of-state foes. They went
2-1 last season against non-Florida competition.
Elder started
the season strong with impressive victories against Centerville and
Lakota West (West Chester), but lost its next two games to nationally
ranked opponents including a crushing 56-7 defeat to No. 3 Trinity
(Louisville, Ky.) on Sept. 9. Last Saturday, the Panthers were outscored
17-0 in the second half during a 30-10 loss to No. 12 St. Edward
(Lakewood). Elder is 5-2 against non-Ohio teams in the last four
seasons, including a 35-24 loss to South Florida power St. Thomas
Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) in 2008.
Mitch Stephens: Central 22, Elder 21
Steve Montoya: Central 28, Elder 17
Stephen Spiewak: Central 35, Elder 21
Kevin Askeland: Central 28, Elder 21
Jamie DeMoney: Elder 27, Central 24
Elder fans are always out in full force.
Photo by Wayne Litmer
