Rockets Miss Their Target

The Miami Central Rockets went to the Citrus Bowl in Orlando with their sites set on bringing home the State Championship trophy back to the 305.

But after losing a record 19 players to D-1 schools last season, the Central coaches and players knew they had to say their prayers before the game if they hoped to pull off a win against the defensive minded Armwood Hawks.

Central head coach Telly Lockett probably knew after losing all of the talent last year that he was under-manned and lacked the firepower necessary to beat the always talented and dangerous Lakeland Armwood Hawks even on a spectacular clear blue sky Saturday in the 407.

The Hawks would add another FG to stretch the lead to 16 before the game became more evenly matched and much more exciting.

Central came back strong in the second quarter and closed the gap to 16-14 at the half to give the Rockets' faithful reason to cheer and hope for the second half.

Both bands rocked the halftime festivities but to be honest the Central Band played way better than their football team as they completely dominated the halftime show.

But it was all for naught as Armwood would seal the deal in the second half behind some great coaching, excellent play calling and the play of Man-child Matt Jones.

If you have never seen Mr. Jones' photo on his scouting report on Rivals or Scout or had the chance to see him play in person then you have no idea that this high school player looks about 30 years old and plays like a Man against Boys.

Anyway, it was a great day to be alive and in Orlando even if you were favoring the team in black and green from "The Bottom".

The final score of the game ended up at 40-31 with the Armwood Hawks as Champs.

Well, that is at least for now pending further review.

You see there is a current FHSAA investigation into the ineligibility of certain players on both teams that could prove the need to for the governing body of high school athletics in Florida to negate one or both of them from retaining the trophy awarded at the State Championship.

Still it was an exciting game on a beautiful weekend in Central Florida in December.  The weather was beautiful and we wish you were her!

I mean the weather is beautiful, wish you were HERE.

Oops, my bad.

Comments

[jamaicancane]

1st

[tjl3909]

2nd

[Native]

third

[roachcane77]

Nice job... love the pics. As a high school coach in the state of FL for 32 years, I can honestly say the FHSAA is worse than the NCAA in terms of providing for a level playing field.

The only outcome I can guarantee from ANY investigation or decision on the part of the FHSAA is that it will result in money coming in to "them," (fines). And, if a decision ever involves a "pubic school vs. private school" matter, you'd best be on the side that has kids paying "tuition." That's all I'm saying... don't get me started.

Sure wish we'd have had that nice Field Turf vs. Wisconsin a few years back, instead of the quagmire we had to deal with...

[SOUP]

Sure wish we'd have had that nice Field Turf vs. Wisconsin a few years back, instead of the quagmire we had to deal with...

Posted by: roachcane77 | December 19, 2011 at 08:04 AM

The field is fantastic. They knew they had to fix it if they were to continue to host games at the site. The stadium as a whole still leaves a lot to be desired but it is better than it was a few years ago. They still need to drop about $25M in the place to fix restrooms and concessions and other things.

Check email later today.

[Ohio_Cane]

Juco DB Bowman down to USC, Oklahoma and Miami

[roachcane77]

I will definitely be checking my email!

[Six]

Side note - Armwood is in Seffner, about 2 mins from the Seminole Hard Rock & Florida State Fairgrounds on the outskirts of Tampa

Their high school is right on top of I-4 and you can see their field that has all their state championship years painted on the side of their field house from the highway

Lakeland a little bit further down the road

You should see the new weight room facilities that Armwood has - crazy

Also, pray that the Canes go after Leon McQuay III from Armwood hard - kid was already the top junior in the nation at Safety and will be the top senior in the nation at Safety this upcoming year

He had a pick 6 in the state championship game

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/player/_/id/138982/leon-mcquay

[CGNC]

LOL at Six badgering the Canes coaching staff! How the heck have you been?

[SOUP]

Six...Yeah U are correct about Armwood being in Seffner on I-4. I have driven by there to see their State Championships painted on the wall facing I-4 a million times. The problem is NOBODY else has a clue where that is so I generalized it to Lakeland the nearest BIG city that most people have heard of.

It is like Wakulla-Crawfordville. Where the heck is that? Near Tallahassee!

[Hassan]

Six holla at cha boy.

I looked for your articles with tampa cbs can not find yours?

[roachcane77]

Thanks Soup...

Looking forward to seeing what players AG & his staff end up bringing in now... only about 6 weeks until NSD.

Still lovin' the fact that Six laid the WORD on Kehoe about recruiting SW FL! (Priceless!)

[herbieibis]

Ojomo denied a 6Th year. oouch! What is the Golden one to do now. We have not much depth of experience at LB, zero at CB and now we have to rely on Porter & Robinson, if they can play a year without getting hurt.Forgot about our noseguard Smith. Oops, we don't run a 3-4 defense. We have pt. guard Earl Moore coming in at 6'1. I have to make fun of this situation. I have to laugh to keep from crying. The offense will be okay but this defensive situation has me pissed. Years of neglect, no coaching & ignoring certain positions in recruiting has gotten us to this point. Golden will bring in 35 guys and maybe, just maybe 6 of these guys will be ready to contribute. I know that half of them will play but that's because he'll have no choice and still the neglect at DT, unbelievable!

[UMike]

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/recruiting/football/story/_/id/7368687/duke-johnson-all-state-titles-u

[j.w.]

Good day, all- lots going on but appreciate the info and blog for those minutes when I can actually read fun stuff

[CaneRock]

Posted by: herbieibis | December 19, 2011 at 01:16 PM

Herbieibis, take a stroll around your town, and come back and tell us how many 6'4", 320lb,
17 to 18 year olds,
with quick twitch muscles that can run 10 yards in just over 2 seconds, and explosive hips...that you can find.
If you can find more than 1, then you need to send your resume to UM.

[Hassan]

I found one, he is going to another school though lol

[Ohio_Cane]

Contrary to what Keith Brown told an Illinois reporter, Papa Cane tells UMike there is 0.0% chance Keith Brown switches back to UM. He told her there was an 80% chance he's switch back

[UMike]

Ohio....I believe..in my own opinion of course, that there is a slight chance. This is why I say this. In one of the articles that came out after he switched (cant remember which one) he basically said he just wanted to get his brother a scholarship. The way in which he said it came across as he didn't necessarily HAVE to play WITH him, just wanted to make sure he got an offer from somebody. Im sure he wants to stick with Duke and his Norland buddies...this is just a personal "hunch" of course lol

[UMike]

SaveUMFootball Papa Cane
Recruiting Update: OL Ryan Brodie, 6'5'' and 270 lbs, will visit UM the weekend of January 27, 2012. Highlights: ow.ly/84qyx

[UMike]

Highlights: http://ow.ly/84qyx

[Ohio_Cane]

UMike, I hope U are right. Kid is a talent

[CaneRock]

Jimmy Graham (New Orleans Saints) - 7 catches, 70 yards, 1 touchdown
The sophomore sensation set another record in his second season with New Orleans, becoming the first tight end in franchise history to record nine touchdowns in a season with an impressive second-quarter endzone grab. He is only 120 yards away from breaking the 31-year old single-season NFL record for yards by a tight end, set by the father of another Pro Cane, Kellen Winsow Sr., with the San Diego Chargers in 1980. Graham, who now ranks fifth in the NFL with 1,171 receiving yards on the season, moved into second place in receptions (87) among all pass-catchers with his seven-catch performance.

http://hurricanesports.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/121911aaa.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

[UMike]

The issue? UM doesn't have room in this class for Brown and his brother, Norland starting weakside linebacker Lamar Atkins. That's the reason Brown decommitted from UM and accepted a scholarship to Illinois. But now that Ron Zook is out Brown said he's looking again and considering UM along with Ohio State (he'll probably visit there after this coming weekend) and LSU. "Everything was perfect with Illinois," Brown said. "But now that this happened with Coach Zook, everything is up in the air. Coach D just wanted me to know they still want me and are willing to take me. We're sort of starting all over." Brown, who plans to enroll in January, said he remains committed to Illinois, but if another school is willing to take his brother on a scholarship (Ohio, Bowling Green and FIU have shown interest) then he said he will free himself up to go wherever he wants. "If he gets a scholarship at the end of the year, then my job is done," Brown said. "He's a good player. The thing is he's only been here for a year. He was playing up in New Jersey, nobody really saw him up there. Miami can't take him because they've got 27 commitments and 30 scholarships total. So, they're limited." Brown said the Canes have always been "the No. 1 team in my heart," but adds that he felt UM coaches sort of took him for granted. Brown claims he didn't hear from any coaches for two months at the start of the season. That, coupled with the fact he's trying to land his brother a scholarship made him open up to other schools who kept showing interest.

Read more here: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/umiami/2011/11/donofrio-visits-norland-talks-with-lb-keith-brown.html#storylink=cpy

[UMike]

Hopefully someone gives his brother a scholarship lol..Coach D and staff are still working him..I dont think that "80%" commit was totally off the wall

[UMike]

SaveUMFootball Papa Cane
Recruiting Update: Those asking about JUCO CB Travell Dixon, it looks like he is all packed up and ready to go to Alabama, per his coach.

[UMike]

then again,...who knows lol

Miami Norland LB Keith Brown is a former Hurricane commitment.

And he now says he was caught up in the moment after his team’s state title win when he declared there was an 80 percent chance he’d recommit to UM.

“That was an after-the-game type of thing,” he said. “It’s between Miami, Purdue, South Florida, Purdue, Ohio State and Louisville.”

He adds that “there are a couple that are higher (on my list than the others) but I don’t want to break it down.”

Brown says he’ll announce a final decision at the Army All-American game and that he’ll have five hats in front of him when he chooses.

“One will be Miami for sure,” he said.

[UMike]

He says that “Miami coaches, they’re still on me hard. They’re coming at me harder than before. I talk to coach (Micheal) Barrow a lot, coach (Mark) D’Onofrio. And coach (George) McDonald is my recruiter, so I talk to him a bit too. They say `We need you, we have a great recruiting class, we want you to know that and we wouldn’t mind having you back in the recruiting class.”

Brown continues to say that if he doesn’t hear about any potential NCAA sanctions before his announcement that UM is a longshot.

“If they haven’t heard I’m not coming,” he said. “At least the coaches need to tell me something, keep me updated.”

* Of winning the state title, Brown said, “It was exciting. I went out with a bang. My team played great. We all played as one, and that’s how I wanted it to end, a state championship.”

* Brown says something UM has going for it is that teammate and good friend Duke Johnson is heading there.

“Playing with Duke would be a big advantage because we’re high school teammates,” Brown said. “He talks to me a lot about Miami, stays in my ear, keeps me updated, tries to persuade me back. I listen to him, that’s my teammate. I think about it.”

[herbieibis]

Canerock,
Nobody else seems to have a problem finding them. They don't have to be 6'4 320 coming out of high school but 6'4 270 to 280 isn't a bad start.
Keith Brown: Forget about it.
Tracy Howard: Forget about it.
Visio Salt: Forgot about it.(Flo.)
Deon Bush: Borderline
Reggie Northrup: Borderline
Bowman: Borderline
Eddie Goldman: Threadbare

[Native]

U

New Orleans Saints’ tight end Jimmy Graham is only 120 yards away from recording the best season by a tight end in NFL history. Graham, who recorded 70 yards on seven catches Sunday, now has 1,171 yards and nine touchdowns in 2011. Kellen Winslow Sr., father of current Pro Cane Kellen Winslow, holds the record with 1,290 yards for the San Diego Chargers in 1980. The Saints have two regular season games left for Graham to break the record: divisional match-ups against Atlanta (12/26) and Carolina (1/1).

http://theufootball.com/

[Native]

^^^^^CaneRock^^^^ I shouldve hit refresh. ha

[Native]

Hurricanesports

The University of Miami baseball team earned its first preseason ranking for the 2012 season on Monday, Dec. 19, using a No. 14 spot in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper preseason Top 40.

Miami returns 18 letterwinners from a season ago in which the Hurricanes finished 38-23 overall (19-10 Atlantic Coast Conference). The Canes advanced to their NCAA-record 39th consecutive NCAA Regional as they traveled to the Gainesville [Fla.] Regional. Among the returning players for the Hurricanes is the entire starting pitching staff that includes Bryan Radziewski, Eric Whaley and Steven Ewing, with the addition of E.J. Encinosa moving to the bullpen as a closer.

Head coach Jim Morris, set to embark upon his illustrious 19th year at the helm in Coral Gables, and the Hurricanes will open the 2012 slate at home inside Alex Rodriguez Park against Rutgers for a three-game set beginning Friday, Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. The Canes will host 16 of their first 18 games inside Alex Rodriguez Park to open the year, including a series with preseason top-ranked Florida beginning Friday, March 2.

UMiami will play a total of 54 games in 2012, including 41 of those contests in the Sunshine State.

http://hurricanesports.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/121911aaa.html

[Hassan]

KWI was a beast. Six the bucs stadium is way better but these crazy 10 burgers are killing me

[UMike]

SaveUMFootball Papa Cane
Recruiting might be slowing down due to the silent period but do not worry, I bring you the Kardashian Christmas Card: http://ow.ly/84uks

[DrewZ2]

“That was an after-the-game type of thing,” he said. “It’s between Miami, Purdue, South Florida, Purdue, Ohio State and Louisville.”

Purdue is so high on his list that they're on there twice?!?! LOL

Seriously though, I don't understand how the kid doesn't stick with Miami in the end. However having OSU in his ear is probably not a great thing either though.

[Hassan]

Sid Rosenberg

http://www.gossipextra.com/2011/12/18/sid-rosenberg-suspended-wqam-1106/#more-4458

[UMike]

larryblustein Larry Blustein
If you are in the South Florida area, you need to check out the Nike Dade vs. South Florida Challenge this Friday night at Traz Powell Stad.

[Montreal_Cane]

Randy "Duke" Johnson has been one of Miami's most loyal commits, and he works hard at bringing other top players with him to the U.

[Montreal_Cane]

This one is for solarcane:

Sid Rosenberg

http://www.gossipextra.com/2011/12/18/sid-rosenberg-suspended-wqam-1106/#more-4458

Posted by: Hassan | December 19, 2011 at 07:54 PM

[Ohio_Cane]

Dewey officially an early enrollee. Good news. Goes toward last year's scholly's

[Q]

eff Keith Brown. I get that your trying to help your brother out. but if he isn't good then so be it. remember the last brown duo we had an issue with.... Dewey is at Miami taking classes. I remember Jeff Luc was at FSU in December...

[Willie Will in Nashville]

Q,

I second that, Keith Brown you should want your brother to earn his own scholorship you can't hold his hand thru life. Plus how do you think your bro is going to feel when the other players on the team tell him that the only reason he is on the team is because you mom'd his way on the team

[Native]

PBP

Duke

If the University of Miami football program wants to return to national prominence, they'll do it on the back of high school running back Randy "Duke" Johnson.

Just ask him.

The Miami Norland senior, named MVP of the Class 5A state championship game Friday after leading his team to a 38-0 win over Crawfordville Wakulla, will be a Miami Hurricane next fall. And he is the single biggest reason for optimism among a UM fan base battered by mediocrity in recent years.

Orally committed to UM since September, 2010, Johnson is the jewel of a 2012 recruiting class that coach Al Golden has said will be the foundation for the football program's resurrection.

"I just love the support I get from the fans," Johnson said a couple days before playing in the state championship game at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando. "That just makes me want to go there and take UM back where it used to be."

If that sounds like great, or unrealistic, expectations, just ask Norland coach Daryle Heidelburg, who warns not to bet against Johnson.

"The kid believes he could put UM on his back and get them back to prominence," Heidelburg said. "The kid is amazing."

Johnson's arrival - he will enroll at UM in June - couldn't come at a better time.

Among five UM underclassmen leaving school early to enter the NFL Draft is tailback Lamar Miller, the Hurricanes' 1,272-yard rusher this season. Miller's departure leaves a giant-sized hole in UM's offense, which will have to replace eight starters next season.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/hurricanes/miami-norland-senior-back-randy-duke-johnson-confident-2041459.html

[tjl3909]

Duke Interview:

http://www.wqam.com/index.php?page=347&sid=c9s0aci5ac45acvi3tnnfb1i3pacid0i

[UMike]

SaveUMFootball Papa Cane
Update on 4-Star RB Greg Garmon: He is down to Iowa and Miami. UM is his dream school. He would play DB at UM and RB at Iowa. Feeling UM.

[UMike]

SaveUMFootball Papa Cane
Do Not Expect: 4-Star Mike Davis to become a Miami Hurricane. UM is not in his Top 3 list - South Carolina, Georgia, and Clemson.

SaveUMFootball Papa Cane
RT @elisabatier: Was told by alum that is close to Mario and program that he is taking the job. Friend called me from bowl to confirm

Pitt Job i think

[UMike]

SaveUMFootball Papa Cane
Joe Rose is 100% right about why Mario Cristobal should take the Pitt job. It's a no brainer if offered - Was told he was offered last week.

[tjl3909]

Damn, if he takes the Pitt job he's going to get some good recruits down here...right now Pitt is a non player in SOFLA recruiting-that will change
I hope he stays at FIU!!!

[SOUP]

DA WURD ON DA SKREETZ IZ...

1. Look at them playahs tryin to be EE. That sh$# dont happen unless they have love and respect for both Miami and this staff. Bois also know its up to them if they want to get into the depth chart.

2. Last week bois were talkin about what work they were going to do during on this break.

3. Clive is that workout freak.

[Ohio_Cane]

Milian - My story on UM-bound and Miami Norland running back Randy 'Duke' Johnson http://bit.ly/rxS75r