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    • Miami Central loses eight games and may miss the Florida football playoffs
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    Miami Central loses eight games and may miss the Florida football playoffs

    Eira Gwyneth Posted on

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    (This story has been updated with additional information.)

    The Miami Central football team was forced to forfeit eight games and was fined $900 for fielding an ineligible player.

    Central, which was 8-1, falls to 0-9. That makes it nearly impossible for the Rockets to reach the postseason, even though their state rating of 21.556 was by far the highest of any team in Region 4-3A. The FHSAA is expected to release the playoff brackets later this week.

    Miami Central coach Jube Joseph did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    Central is ranked No. 6 in the USA Today Florida Network Super 25 and was unanimously ranked the No. 1 team in Class 3A all season.

    According to the Florida High School Athletic Association, the Rockets used a fifth-grade high school athlete in nine games this season. Miami Central self-reported the violation.

    “Miami Central permitted athlete (name redacted) to participate in nine (9) competitions during the 2024-2025 school year as a fifth-year student,” the FHSAA wrote in its findings sent to Miami Central. “The student entered 9th grade for the first time during the 2020-2021 school year.”

    Florida High School Football: 2 teams lose games. Changes in Week 10 of the FHSAA Playoffs

    FHSAA Bylaw 9.5.1 states that a student’s eligibility is limited to eight consecutive semesters, beginning with the semester in which he or she first begins ninth grade. After eight consecutive semesters, the student is permanently excluded from admission.

    In addition to the loss of games and the fine, Miami Central was formally reprimanded by the FHSAA and placed on probation until November 1, 2025.

    Miami Central lost its opening game to Lakeland before going on an eight-game winning streak, including victories over state powers Plantation-American Heritage, Miami Northwestern and Miami Norland.

    Those three teams, along with Miami Edison, Booker T. Washington, Pompano Beach, Stranahan and Pembroke Pines-Somerset Academy, now have an additional win days before the playoffs begin.

    Somerset Academy is on its way to victory in District 15-3A and will clinch the title – and an automatic playoff spot – when it defeats Pompano Beach on Thursday.

    In Region 4-3A, Estero was the ninth-rated team (-1.283) and Barron Collier was the 10th (-2.454), so Central’s fall could open the door for one of those teams to play both on Thursday. It would also elevate Miami Northwestern (6-3) to the region’s top seed.

    Miami Central is a nine-time state champion, including a streak of four straight titles from 2019 to 2022. The Rockets were named the mythical national champions in 2022 by NationalHSFB.com.

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    Eira Gwyneth
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