305 vs. 863: Lakeland and Miami Central football teams prepare to clash Friday night

Between the Dreadnaughts and Rockets, the programs have a combined 18 state championships

Lakeland running back Alashawn Haggins runs for a 67-yard touchdown against Plant City. / ROY FUOCO/THE LEDGER / USA TODAY NETWORK

Dade County versus Polk County.

The 305 versus the 863.

It's a dream matchup in the making come true.

The hype train heading into Friday night's heavily anticipated matchup between the Lakeland Dreadanughts and SBLive/Sports Illustrated No. 20 nationally ranked Miami Central Rockets is on full blast. When it's all said and done, one team will have heavy bragging rights and some strong momentum going into the rest of the season.

There's plenty of great games on the Week 1 slate when you look up, down and around Florida high school football. This one between Lakeland and Miami Central really just hits different.

Maybe it's been the wondering of can a Polk County team walk into Traz Powell Stadium and come away with a victory against one of the vaunted state powerhouses?

Lakeland Dreadnaughts quarterback Zander Smith (15) gestures after a touchdown during the first half against the Buchholz Bobcats in the Semifinals of the 2023 FHSAA Football State Championships at Citizens Field in Gainesville, FL on Friday, December 1, 2023. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun] / Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK

If there's a team built to do it, this particular Dreadnaughts' bunch is talented across the board on both sides of the ball. Many back in the spring got to see what Lakeland could do without starting quarterback Zander Smith (North Dakota State commitment) under center.

In a 37-3 spring romp over the Tigers, just three years removed from winning a state championship themselves, the Dreadnaughts used a stifling defense, led by 2026 4-star linebacker Malik Morris and safety Keon Young (Ole Miss commit), to limit a Will Griffin-led offense to just three points on the evening. That was tall telling to how good this defense really can be.

Offensively, it's a hodgepodge of athletes Lakeland head coach Marvin Frazier can throw at opposing defenses, with players like Morris, Shanard Clower, Jadarius Dobie and Jordan Henderson all caable of making big plays.

The Dreadnaughts continued showing off what their ceiling might be in the spring when the defeated Plant City 14-0 and Bartow 27-0 in a jamboree. Frazier's group will get on the charter buses and head down to 'The Mecca' and try to pull off a win against a nationally ranked Rockets team.

Chaminade-Madonna vs Miami Central Football 2023 / Robson Lopes

As always off of NW 95th Street, it's business as usual for Jube Joseph's crew.

The 9-time state champion Rockets finished 8-4 last season and that's just not the standard for Miami Central football. Winning state championships is. Getting back to that is the goal and they displayed against Ocala Vanguard in the kickoff classic that they're looking like a team able to nab state title No. 10.

Joseph's team cruised past the Knights 32-0, in a game that showcased the big-play capability of the Rockets. Penn State commitment Bekkam Kritza showed off his big arm and threw multiple touchdowns on the night.

Kritza will have arguably the best receiving corps in Dade County, with Cardinal Newman transfer Naeshaun Montgomery, Khaleal Sterling and Sean Thompson expected to make a boatload of plays all season long.

Losing Miami (FL) commitment Amari Wallace on defense hurts, but there's still plenty of big hitters on that side of the ball. The defensive line is loaded, led by Oklahoma commit Floyd Boucard and Penn State commit Randy Adirika. Throw in the hard hitting Ezekiel Marcelin (Miami commit), safety Sekou Smith Jr. (Mississippi State commit) and Zion Paret (Florida Atlantic commit) at cornerback and you have yourself one of the best units in the state.

Back to the question of the 305 or the 863. Who comes out on top in this pivotal game with natonal implications?

Come Friday night under the bright lights of Traz Powell Stadium, all of this will be answered. Until then, everything is just talk and there's been plenty of it.

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-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivefl