Miami Central In The Spotlight Tonight

There are a lot of kickoff classics taking place across the state of Florida this weekend – with next week being the official start of the 2021 season. One team will start the regular season in style, on the road against St. John Bosco in Bellflower, Ca. Welcome to the world of two-time defending 6A Florida state champions, Miami Central. The No. 15 nationally-rated Rockets open the season against the No. 3 team in the country this evening (10:00 on Bally Sports). For head coach <strong>Roland Smith</strong> and the Rockets, this is nothing new. This program relishes being in the spotlight – and during his six state titles with the team, Coach Smith has always prepared his teams to compete against anyone – and have the talent and coaching to stay on the field with anyone. While the Rockets lost linebacker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="32613" first="Terrence" last="Lewis"]</strong> (nation's top linebacker who signed with Maryland) and running back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="32660" first="Amari" last="Daniels"]</strong> (Texas A&amp;M) to graduation among others, they return an abundance of talent. They are loaded in the defensive secondary with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="50001" first="Alfonzo" last="Allen"]</strong> (Arizona State commit), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="50027" first="Jaylin" last="Marshall"] </strong>(Georgia Tech commit), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="108632" first="Anthony" last="Rose"] </strong>(South Carolina commit), and <strong>Edric Weldon</strong>. Junior quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="128321" first="Keyone" last="Jenkins"]</strong>, senior receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="50079" first="Zaylan" last="Reese"]</strong> and senior running back <strong>Ghana Oboh</strong> are under the radar and gifted, and will give the Braves fits. The best one-on-one matchup of the night will be Bosco junior tight end <strong>Matayo Uiagalelei</strong> against Miami Central senior linebacker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="49987" first="Wesley" last="Bissainthe"]</strong>. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Bissainthe is ranked among the nation's best linebackers while Uiagalelei (6-4, 255), also a stout defensive lineman, is one of the top juniors in the country. Junior defensive lineman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="127997" first="Rueben" last="Bain"]</strong> (one of the best in the nation) and senior offensive lineman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="50028" first="Daughtry" last="Richardson"]</strong> (6-4, 285), who is a Florida State commit, are other key players for the Rockets. <strong>AMERICAN HERITAGE/IMG HIGHLIGHT KICKOFF CLASSICS</strong> While it may not count on the records, tonight's (7:30) IMG and Plantation American Heritage game will certainly showcase some of the best talent in the country. Head Coach <strong>Pepper Johnson</strong> and his Ascenders head to south Florida for a matchup that will certainly tell a lot about each team – and will once against showcase football in the state of Florida. For head coach <strong>Pat Surtain</strong> and his defending 5A state champions, the game will prepare them for a competitive season ahead. <strong>THERE ARE MORE GAMES ON TAPE</strong> In addition to Miami Central/St. John Bosco and IMG and Plantation American Heritage, there are a few other “exhibition” kickoff classics slated around the state tonight. Here are 15 of them: <strong>Bradenton Manatee at Tampa Bay Tech</strong> <strong>Eau Gallie at Stuart Martin County</strong> <strong>Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna at Fort Lauderdale Dillard</strong> <strong>Lake City Columbia at Ocala Vanguard</strong> <strong>Leesburg at Bushnell South Sumter</strong> <strong>Miami Booker T. Washington at Armwood</strong> <strong>Miami Edison at Miramar</strong> <strong>Miami Palmetto at Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons</strong> <strong>Niceville at Lynn Haven Mosley</strong> <strong>Oakleaf at Jacksonville Bolles</strong> <strong>Punta Gorda Charlotte at Naples Barron Collier</strong> <strong>Rockledge at Vero Beach</strong> <strong>St. Augustine at Green Cove Springs Clay</strong> <strong>Venice at Miami Northwestern (Traz Powell Stadium)</strong> <strong>West Florida at Navarre</strong> <strong>TRACKING FLORIDA: Teams Look At 2021 Season. </strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2021/03/tracking-florida-teams-look-at-2021-season/">https://prepredzone.com/2021/03/tracking-florida-teams-look-at-2021-season/</a> &nbsp; <strong><em>You Can Contact [player_tooltip player_id="111610" first="Larry" last="Blustein"] with prospect or team information at: Floridakids1@aol.com. We are also on Social Media on @PrepRedzonefl</em></strong>