It’s quite simple when you get right down to it: a high school football team with an undefeated record that won the state title for a fourth straight season and had nine players sign with colleges last Wednesday is the best team in the nation.
That’s the way it should be. Unfortunately for Miami Central High School, the way it should be isn’t always the way it turns out.
After going 14-0 this season - completing a four-season span that saw the Rockets go a combined 46-6 and win a state championship each year - the team from Northwest 95th Street was rewarded with the first national championship in program history.
Oh wait, they weren’t. Instead, the Rockets finished second in seven of the eight polls used by MaxPreps to crown its yearly champ. It’s okay though since Miami Central finished second place to another team who finished unbeaten this season.
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Oh wait, they didn’t. The Rockets finished behind a St. John Bosco team from the Los Angeles area that finished the season with a 13-1 record after winning the 2022 CIF State Football Championship. But it’s fine because the Braves must have had a better record versus teams ranked in MaxPreps’ final Top 25.
Oh wait, they don’t. St. John Bosco lost in the regular season to No. 3 ranked Mater Dei before winning a playoff rematch and had a win over the team ranked No. 25. The Rockets finished the season with wins over IMG Academy (No. 5), American Heritage in the state title game (No. 12) and fellow state champs Columbus (No. 23).
No matter what excuses the pollsters want to use, it’s clear that Miami Central was the best high school football team in the country this past season and deserved to be crowned that way. The one poll that did vote the Rockets at the top, NationalHSFB, honored the team at Wednesday’s event for Early Signing Day.
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It’s not enough. It’s not nearly enough for a team that was the only one ranked in MaxPreps’ top five with an undefeated record. It’s not nearly enough for a Miami Central team who had nine players sign letters of intent, including defensive end Rueben Bain to Miami, quarterback Keyone Jenkins to FIU and linebacker Stanquan Clark to Louisville.
It continues the disrespect that has been given to Miami Central from around South Florida and across the country. Each week, doubters have questioned if the Rockets could keep the winning going - and each week, head coach Jube Joseph silenced the doubters with just four of the wins this season being by single digits.
Forget what the pollsters said. The 2022 Miami Central Rockets were truly high school football’s national champs.
