Five takeaways from Miami Central’s Comeback at American Heritage

Anthony McQueen's two touchdown passes and rushing touchdown rallies the Rockets past the Patriots

Miami Central coach Derrick Gibson addresses his team after a thrilling comeback victory at American Heritage / Joe Frisaro

PLANTATION, Fla. – A couple of South Florida football powers collided on Friday night in a Miami-Dade vs. Broward County showdown of highly-ranked schools.

In yet another thriller, Miami Central rallied to a 31-21 victory at American Heritage Plantation.

The Rockets (3-0) took a big step forward in re-establishing themselves as a state championship contender.

For Heritage (1-3), it was another crushing loss. Since rallying from 28-points down to defeat St. Joseph’s Prep (Philadelphia) in the Broward National Football Showcase at St. Thomas Acquinas in August, Heritage has lost three straight games.

Now the Patriots are moving on after 5-star quarterback Dia Bell, a Texas commit, has announced he is done for the season due to a minor injury procedure.

High School on SI offers these five takeaways from Central’s convincing win.

Anthony McQueen’s hot second half

Considering how sluggish both teams played in the first half, it was a bit startling that the offenses stepped up in the second half. McQueen was the driving force for Central. The quarterback threw for two touchdown passes, and rushed for another.

McQueen found Joshua Joseph twice for scoring passes.

 “I want to thank my defense because them boys held up,” McQueen said. “They got stop after stop and gave me another opportunity to go and put points on the board.”

McQueen guided the Rockets to 21 unanswered points in the second half. His 1-yard scoring run, and ensuing 2-point conversion run, gave the Rockets the lead for good, 24-21.

Leon Strawder takes over as Heritage’s quarterback

The Patriots (1-3) find themselves in a difficult position. Not only have they lost three straight, they no longer have the services of Bell, regarded by many as the top high school quarterback in the country.

Bell is expected to enroll with the Longhorns in January.

It didn’t take long for Heritage to find Bell’s replacement. And the Patriots got a good one in Leon Strawder, who has transferred in from Northwestern.

Under tough circumstances, Strawder did a nice job in his first start with the Patriots. In the first half, he threw for about 150 yards.

For the game, Strawder had a 60-yard scoring pass to Coi Jean-Noel, and he added a 22-yard touchdown strike to Jamar Denson.

In the third quarter, Strawder’s 7-yard touchdown run gave the Patriots a 21-9 lead.

“The kid is a winner,” Heritage coach Mike Smith said. “It’s tough when you don’t have everything in offensively.”

Joshua Joseph’s big play ability

There were several key momentum swings in the second half. Perhaps the biggest came on a third-and-12 play late in the third quarter.

Central trailed 21-9, and on third-and-long Strawder found Joshua Joseph sprinting downfield for a 76-yard touchdown pass.

While Central still trailed 21-16, the first Joseph touchdown woke up the Rockets’ offense.

“They say big time players make big-time plays in the game,” Joseph said.

That was certainly true on that long pass play.

In the huddle, Joseph told McQueen to trust him on the play because he liked the defensive matchup.

The play worked to perfection.

Joseph also scored the clinching touchdown on a 28-yard pass late in the fourth quarter.

More adversity for Heritage

Moving on without Bell isn’t the only challenge the Patriots are dealing with.

Heritage’s running game was not a factor on Friday, largely because running back Jonathan Bueno was sidelined with a lower-body injury in the first half.

“We’re fighting a ton of adversity right now,” Smith said. “We’re going to find out who we are moving forward.”

Bueno is a hard-nosed runner who has not been at full strength in recent games. Starting linebacker Dylan Bennett had some carries at running back as Heritage is piecing together its roster.

Defense/special teams spark Central

The way the first half played out, it was questionable if either team was going to produce much offense.

Central received a lift late in the first half because of its defense and special teams.

Cole Rodriguez, Central’s kicker and punter, booted a terrific punt that pinned Heritage at its 8-yard-line. The Rockets’ defense took over, and lineman Cameron Mccrae sacked Strawder in the end zone for a safety.

At the time, Central trailed, 7-2.

Moments later, Central grabbed the lead, courtesy of its special teams.

Jayden Ford received the kickoff and raced about 70 yards for a touchdown, which made it, 9-7 in favor of Central.

The special teams initally sparked the comeback.