• It's the return of perennial national power programs crossing state lines to challenge one another after the pandemic stifled that competition last year. Friday's contest is No. 4 on the
MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Year list, eight of which match teams from different states.
• It's the Rockets traveling nearly 2,800 miles — some of their 56 players flying for the first time — to play west of Texas for the first time since 2017 when they beat Las Vegas power Bishop Gorman, only to be stranded in Sin City for more than a week due to Hurricane Irma. It's also their first game in California. Gorman, by the way, travels to Central on Sept. 4 in the No. 7 Game of the Year.
• It's a battle between a ferocious Central defense, led by preseason All-State performers, linebacker
Wesley Bissanthe and lineman
Rueben Bain, and the Braves' high-octane offense navigated by two future college quarterbacks in senior
Katin Houser (Michigan State commit) and junior Pierce Clarkson. The two QBs have endless weapons, including lightning bolt All-State running back Rayshon Luke and one of the nation's
Top 10 players overall, junior tight end
Matayo Uiagalelei, who is also a top defensive end.
• It's a game of bragging rights between two high-powered states that regularly produce NFL talent. Central alone boasts NFL running backs Willis McGahee, Devonta Freeman and Dalvin Cook, while Wyatt Davis, Josh Rosen and current Clemson preseason All-American quarterback DJ Uiagalelei are among Bosco's alumni.
• It's a showcase that eventually could lead to a MaxPreps National Champion.
Miami Central's Keyone Jenkins threw for 160 yards and three touchdowns in last season's 46-0 6A championship win over Lake Minneola.
File photo by Matthew Christopher
"To start the season with a game that has national title implications is very special," said Bosco coach Jason Negro, whose team had a game scheduled at Central canceled last fall season due to COVID-19. "(Central coach) Roland Smith is a good friend. He does a phenomenal job. I have a lot of respect for their program. They're so talented and well coached. It's just fun to have this opportunity to play a team of this caliber right from the get-go."
Both programs try to venture out of state to test themselves, but last season each played partial in-state seasons. Central won its second straight state title and seventh since 2010. Bosco played a six-game spring season, finishing 5-1 after losing to current No. 1 squad Mater Dei (Santa Ana).
In his ninth season, Smith is 84-16. The Rockets arrived Wednesday at Los Angeles International Airport meet the Braves and their coaching staff on Thursday for a barbecue at Panish Family Stadium.
"We've been masked up and doing the protocols and hoping for no breakouts," Smith said. "We got one more day of practice and then we'll be ready to go. ... We've seen a lot of film on them. We know they're well coached and have some athletes. They're big and physical, but we'll try to use our Florida speed. This is California and they definitely have some kids who can run, too. But I think our linemen might be a little faster. Whoever controls the line is going to win this game."
Bosco's offensive line is stout, led by
Earnest Greene III (6-foot-4, 330 pounds) and
Tyson Molio'o (6-4, 295), a pair of preseason All-State selections, along with Uiagalelei, who is an outstanding blocker as well as receiver. He's also one of the nation's most coveted defensive ends.
"He's very impressive and we have to know where he is at all times," Smith said of Uiagalelei.
St. John Bosco's Matayo Uiagalelei (11) is one of three juniors on the MaxPreps Top 10 Players in the Nation list.
File photo by Louis Lopez
Besides Bain, who Smith believes is one of the best junior lineman in the country,
Daughtry Richardson (6-4, 285) is also a force. Add in returning quarterback
Keyone Jenkins (160 yards passing, three TDs in last year's state title game), running back
Ghana Oboh and a host of receivers led by
Omari Moore,
Zaylan Reese and
Isaac Hay, and Smith thinks his offense is just as loaded as his defense.
That defense is led by Bissanthe, a MaxPreps Junior All-America pick and fourth-year starter considered the 15th best linebacker in the country, according to 247Sports.
"Defensively, they are just so fast from back to front," Negro said. "That (Bissanthe) is just dynamic. They all run to the ball and all hit hard. We're definitely going to have to execute for long periods and hold on to the ball."
Having Houser and Clarkson as ball-handlers is a "unique" luxury to have, Negro said. Both are Power 5 Conference talents and the Bosco coach said they'll split time, just as they did in the spring. In 11 seasons, Negro has led the Braves to a 117-25 record with three state titles and a MaxPreps National Championship in 2019.
"A lot of kids who are a little weaker in character or confidence would have transferred by now," Negro said of Houser and Clarkson. "But they want to compete and put us in position to win a possible state or national title."
The Rockets have those aspirations as well, but are focused strictly on showing out in the Golden State. Smith said his team is definitely representing the Sunshine State in this cross-country showdown.
"Any time we are in another part of the country, we want make sure we show what football is played like in South Florida," he said. "We want to show what our brand is all about. We have great respect for the players and coaches in California. But we've had a lot of players in South Florida get to the pros and we don't want our players or coaches to get disrespected with a poor performance. We want to put give a Grade A showing to let people on the West Coast what we're all about."
