Rapid Reaction: Miami Central Wins Third Straight

ORLANDO — A few thoughts on Miami Central’s 24-10 win over Armwood in the Florida Class 6A football championship game.

What it means: Miami Central (13-1) won its third 6A title in as many years and fourth in five years. The Rockets rushed for 318 yards with Anthony Jones (29 carries, 199 yards, 3TDs) and Cedric Miller (12 carries, 116 yards) doing the bulk of the damage. Armwood (14-1) entered this year with one of the best defenses in the state according to the statistics. However, the toughness of the Hawks’ schedule was questioned and Saturday’s result was one of the doubters.

Stock watch: Jones came into Saturday’s game as a FIU verbal commitment and likely left Saturday’s game with several new suitors. Jones said Miami was his dream school and he flashed the “U” but there might be other options as well. Armwood linebacker Jordan Griffin hads 19 tackles, three tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. The Wisconsin commitment left it all out on the field and was crushed after the game.

Mixed on Cowart: Five-star prospect Byron Cowart had a big sack nullified because of a penalty but he did knock Central quarterback Jerrod Thomas out on the play and forced him to miss a few series. Otherwise Cowart just didn’t rise to the opportunity despite being blocked one-on-one for most of the game. He had two tackles and a tackle for loss.

Flag on the Play: Even in victory Central kept the officiating crew active. The Rockets were flagged 17 times for 152 yards.