National Media & Showcase Platform
FloridaHigh School Football

Rockets Score 35 Unanswered To Pull Away From American Heritage

0 Comment060
Email, RSS Follow
Pin It
Print


Plantation, FL — For over a decade, Miami Central and American Heritage (Plantation) have been synonymous with state championships.  Since 2007, at least one of the two teams has won a state championship every year with the exception of 2017.  In 2021, only one of the two will have a chance to add another trophy to its trophy case as both are now in the same class of 5A.

The two teams met on a rainy Friday night in the regional semifinals with the winner projected to win the 5A state championship.  This game would live up to the season long hype…at least for a half.  

Central defeated Heritage 41-28 with sophomore wide receiver Joshiah Trader scoring two touchdowns in the second half to help the Rockets pull away.  Starting quarterback Keyone Jenkins accounted for three touchdowns and co-quarterback Dyllan Tulloch accounted for two more scores.  

Keyone Jenkins, Quarterback, Miami Central

“That’s my brother,” said Jenkins of Tulloch and dual-quarterback dynamic.  “It was a mental game for the quarterbacks.  We had to keep our composure because this game could have gone either way.  We had a lot of mistakes, we did not play our best football.”

Central was down by two scores in the first half due to turnovers. Jenkins threw an interception in the second quarter to safety Dameon Fagan and Tulloch tossed the football into the arms of Jamarcus Smith who would take it the distance 80 yards for a pick-six. 


The defensive touchdown would make it a 21-6 game in favor of the home team.

It was a back and forth affair for much of the first half as Jenkins opened up the scoring with a 43-yard touchdown run (extra point blocked).  Heritage would bounce back with a pair of Mark Fletcher touchdown runs to help the Patriots go up by two scores. 

Mark Fletcher, Running Back, American Heritage


Fletcher would run for 170 yards in a losing effort.


Central would battle back with a pair of touchdowns of their own.  Tulloch would find an opening on the right side and weave his way to the end zone for a 23-yard touchdown run (two-point conversion pass completed to Zaylan Reese). 


Running back Jonathan Harris would also find some room on the right side to score on a 15-yard touchdown run, but for the second time in the game, the extra point would be blocked. Heritage took a 21-20 lead into halftime.


“We just told them we need to clean up our mistakes and play Rocket football and we’ll be fine and we did that in the second half,” said Head Coach Roland Smith.  “If we got up on them by two touchdowns we thought we were going to win tonight.”

Jenkins started the second half and developed a rhythm throwing the football to Trader.  The 2024 prospect caught the football, avoided a would-be tackler, and took it the distance for a 58-yard touchdown in the third quarter. 


Later in the half, the two would connect again for a touchdown to help extend the Central lead to 14 (two-point conversion run in by Harris).


The Central defense had Patriot quarterback Brandon Inniss on the run for most of the game.  Linebacker Wesley Bissainthe was often running Inniss down or containing from picking up yards on the ground.  Junior defensive lineman Rueben Bain had registered a sack in the game and now has 23 sacks on the year. 

On a fourth down in the fourth quarter, Inniss threw the football up hoping someone would come down with the football, but the ball would fall harmlessly to the ground setting Central up in the red zone with the turnover on downs.  Tulloch would find Reese over the middle, which would essentially seal the victory for the Rockets.  The score made it a 41-21 late in the fourth quarter.


“This was the biggest game of the season,” said Jenkins.  “For us it was more like a statement game.”

Central marches on to face Miami Killian next week in the regional finals.  Killian defeated Stranahan 37-0 Thursday night.  Central is aiming for a third straight state title.

Photos Courtesy of Chuck Bethel Photography

Share
Playoff Preview: Heritage Vs. Central Headline Big Weekend Previous post

Marcus Benjamin works as the senior writer and editor for FootballHotbed.com. He attended Florida A&M and Florida Memorial University completing a bachelors degree in communications in 2010. He's covered high school football in the South Florida area since 2010 for the Miami Herald, Miami Sports Tribune and ShawSports.net. He is married and lives in Fort, Lauderdale, FL.

Related Articles

FloridaHigh School Football October 26, 20240

JV Championship Series: Homestead Outlasts North Miami 26-22

Follow Miami Gardens, FL- The Homestead Broncos Junior Varsity Team earned a birth in the inaugural Football Hotbed JV Championship Series Final this week outlasting the North Miami Pioneers 26-22.  It was a thrilling match that kept fans on the edge of their seats until the final whistle. The Broncos showcased their resilience and teamwork, coming from behind to secure the victory. The game was marked by impressive plays, with standout performances from both teams.  The game’s overall MVP was 2027 quarterback Jahmir McCall of Homestead High.  The Broncos’ quarterback delivered a stellar performance, throwing two touchdown passes and maintaining composure under pressure. Freshman running back Jermaine Green caught the first touchdown reception out of the backfield and the go-ahead touchdown was secured by 2028 wide receiver Gemani Smith. Meanwhile, the defense held strong during critical moments, thwarting the Pioneers’ advances with key tackles and interceptions.  The game sealing pass deflection was made by 2028 defensive back Leone Leonidas. The Pioneers played an excellent game, especially offensively led by their sophomore quarterback, Chammbrayy Campbell.  He hooked up with North Miami 2027 wide out Michael Cabre to open the game’s scoring.  The post-corner pass was perfect and Cabre made a great adjustment to the ball for the touchdown reception. Overall, the Pioneers couldn’t overcome playing sloppy toward the end of the game as turnovers and penalties killed drives.  They turned the ball over with a fumble into the endzone and had an interception on the 1-yard line on drives that would have probably ended up as scores. On the final drive of the game, the Pioneers were thwarted by the Homestead defense that had bended but not broken all game.  As the Broncos celebrated their hard-fought win, they set their sights on the upcoming final, determined to bring home the championship trophy. The team’s coaches praised the players’ dedication and spirit, acknowledging their hard work and commitment throughout the season. Fans and community members eagerly anticipate the final match, ready to support their team with unwavering enthusiasm.The historic Football Hotbed event for Junior Varsity teams is full-sanctioned by the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) who is enthusiastic about the events promise in years to come.  Homestead will play Miami Central in the championship held this coming week.   Jahmir McCall with the Portal 305 and Olin Cushion, III JV Championship Series Highlights: Check out this amazing pass and catch from @NMPioneer_FB junior varsity standouts 2027 QB CHAMMBRAYY CAMPBELL to WR MICHAEL CABRE #hotbedworld vid by @ChrisFodde @FHSAA pic.twitter.com/aFXfa8zLf6— Football Hotbed (@FootballHotbed) October 26, 2024 Photos: JV Championship Series @HSHBroncos and @NMPioneer_FB made history. #hotbedworld https://t.co/VWfp1x7Npw— Football Hotbed (@FootballHotbed) October 26, 2024 Arties Knight, head JV Football Coach, Homestead High

Florida May 21, 20240

Spring Football Excitement Across South Florida

Follow There has been a tremendous amount of excitement across South Florida the past several weeks as teams have begun wrapping up spring practices and having inter-squad scrimmages and spring games. These scrimmages and games are an early indicator of the skill and talent level each school will look to display come the fall.  Once again, South Florida took the majority of the state’s football championships at the Metro Division level that is now defunct. Columbus, St. Thomas Aquinas and Chaminade won the 4M, 3M and 1M titles respectively.  Miami Norland finished as the runner up to Tampa’s Berkley Catholic High School.  This spring, established coaches like Southridge’s Pierre Senatus are upbeat about their program’s potential after having a few seasons under his belt.  In juxtaposition, Miami Northwestern’s first year head coach, NFL Veteran Teddy Bridgewater, is working out the kinks after his first intersquad scrimmage and spring game.  Stay with Footballhotbed.com for the developments of this off season across the Southeast. SPRING PRACTICE: Caught up with head coach Pierre Senatus @LifeCoachPierre on the first day of spring practice in year three of his tenure, fresh off a deep playoff run. #hotbedworld @Brandon_Odoi pic.twitter.com/z0u6AQzqjh— Football Hotbed (@FootballHotbed) April 30, 2024 Coach @teddyb_h2o 🗣️NFL Veteran QB Teddy Bridgewater in his first appearance as head coach at Miami Northwestern during his school's first spring scrimmage talks organization and effort. #hotbedworld pic.twitter.com/r7oOKmiew7— Football Hotbed (@FootballHotbed) May 5, 2024

Brandon OdoifeatureFlorida April 25, 20240

Under the Radar Spotlight: 2026 LB Demitris Mincey

Follow Fort Lauderdale, FL– The linebacker position is…

Leave a Reply