The Miramar Patriots are a powerhouse in South Florida football. Every year, they are contenders for the ultimate prize, a state title. In 2009, they won their first title and were back in the finals last year, falling in a heartbreaker to Tampa Plant. The school has become a hotbed for top division one talent as well. Players at the college level include West Virginia stars Geno Smith, Stedman Bailey, and Ivan McCartney, Syracuse corner Keon Lyn, and Miami’s Ryan Williams, Tracy Howard, and Malcolm.
One of the men behind this recent surge from Miramar is Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers Coach Tyrell Conyers, or “Coach T.Y.” as he is known. He spoke to CanesInSight about all things Miramar football.
“The time and effort as coaches separates us. We have a great Head Coach in Damon Cogdell and a great coaching staff. Our kids and the way we prepare, we work hard, that’s really key. Our coaching staff is like a family and kids really wanna play for us coaches that they see really care for them. We’re just constantly grinding, the film study, the practices, the teaching part of the game,” said Conyers.
It won’t be easy to replace players such as Tracy Howard and Malcolm Lewis, but Coach TY feels like this team has the capability to do it.
“This team talent-wise is more talented than last year’s team and a lot of people don’t know that because we’re young. They can go blow-for-blow with last year’s team talent-wise. That’s what’s scary about this team. The bar can be so high, it will just be about their maturity. If they mature early enough in the season, it could be a scary run in the playoffs,” he said.
This year’s team is looking for leadership from the more experienced players such as Jermaine Grace.
“He’s the leader on defense and the overall leader along with Sean Avant, who is my top receiver, he played big for us last year. Our center Mike Miranda along with our senior running back Alex Lee too. People look up to Grace being that he’s one of the top recruits on the team. It’s not just about him talking about it. He’s showing them on-and-off the field.”
‘Canes freshman Malcolm Lewis is somebody, who Coach T.Y. has become close to over the years.
“That’s my boy, I love that kid to death. He came to me his tenth grade year, moving up from varsity and from that point we had a great relationship on-and-off the field. He’s a very well-respected kid, he’s very quiet. He’s a great kid inside the classroom too. He’s going to excel on-and-off the field, and he’s just the type of kid you love to coach. I was just glad to have the opportunity to coach Malcolm at the high school level. It’s looking good for him down there at UM, he’s working with the second team. It brings joy to me to see Malcolm doing what he’s doing.”
The top corner in the country from last year’s class, Tracy Howard, also chose Miami.
“Me and Tracy go back since he was 10 years old in little league. The sky is the limit with this kid. He’s another one who is a well-respected kid. He has great parents who raised him well. To me the one thing I love about Tracy that most people don’t know about is that work he puts in on-and-off the field. He shows up early for drills, goes home to watch film, he takes notes. He’s doing stuff that most kids don’t do and that’s why he’s going to be great at the next level and maybe the NFL. He is very confident and he won’t back don’t from no one.”
Miami Sophomore Quarterback Ryan Williams is also a product of “Miramar University”, as he led the Patriots to the state title in 2009.
“When Ryan first came to us, he came from a small school to a big school and the process wasn’t easy for him to transition because of the speed of the game. But he was a diamond in the rough. The kid was very smart, he loved the offense. Once he got us rolling, he took us to the championship. He came to school two days ago and it was good to see him interact and talk with the coaches before camp starts. I got a chance to see him in the spring at a couple practices and scrimmages and he looked very good. I just told him to keep working. It’s not all about the strong arm, he’s very smart. I tell him he kind of reminds me of Ken Dorsey, if you study and prepare yourself you will always be ready no matter if he’s first or second string. But I’m looking for him to start. Like I told him, if you go out there and work hard, they can’t deny you.”
Coach T.Y. has a special relationship with the players that he coaches.
“A lot of these kids I’ve been knowing since the little league level. I had the chance to coach Geno since he was a 10-year old so we’re a family over here. A lot of people don’t know the history between me and these kids. It’s a thrill to see them on TV because not everybody can say they had the chance to coach a Heisman candidate, a Biletinikoff candidate. I thank God I had the opportunity to come across these kids and coach them. That’s what it’s about for me, not about the money or any of that stuff.”
The Patriots will be playing one of the top teams in the country, Manatee, to begin their season.
One of the men behind this recent surge from Miramar is Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers Coach Tyrell Conyers, or “Coach T.Y.” as he is known. He spoke to CanesInSight about all things Miramar football.
“The time and effort as coaches separates us. We have a great Head Coach in Damon Cogdell and a great coaching staff. Our kids and the way we prepare, we work hard, that’s really key. Our coaching staff is like a family and kids really wanna play for us coaches that they see really care for them. We’re just constantly grinding, the film study, the practices, the teaching part of the game,” said Conyers.
It won’t be easy to replace players such as Tracy Howard and Malcolm Lewis, but Coach TY feels like this team has the capability to do it.
“This team talent-wise is more talented than last year’s team and a lot of people don’t know that because we’re young. They can go blow-for-blow with last year’s team talent-wise. That’s what’s scary about this team. The bar can be so high, it will just be about their maturity. If they mature early enough in the season, it could be a scary run in the playoffs,” he said.
This year’s team is looking for leadership from the more experienced players such as Jermaine Grace.
“He’s the leader on defense and the overall leader along with Sean Avant, who is my top receiver, he played big for us last year. Our center Mike Miranda along with our senior running back Alex Lee too. People look up to Grace being that he’s one of the top recruits on the team. It’s not just about him talking about it. He’s showing them on-and-off the field.”
‘Canes freshman Malcolm Lewis is somebody, who Coach T.Y. has become close to over the years.
“That’s my boy, I love that kid to death. He came to me his tenth grade year, moving up from varsity and from that point we had a great relationship on-and-off the field. He’s a very well-respected kid, he’s very quiet. He’s a great kid inside the classroom too. He’s going to excel on-and-off the field, and he’s just the type of kid you love to coach. I was just glad to have the opportunity to coach Malcolm at the high school level. It’s looking good for him down there at UM, he’s working with the second team. It brings joy to me to see Malcolm doing what he’s doing.”
The top corner in the country from last year’s class, Tracy Howard, also chose Miami.
“Me and Tracy go back since he was 10 years old in little league. The sky is the limit with this kid. He’s another one who is a well-respected kid. He has great parents who raised him well. To me the one thing I love about Tracy that most people don’t know about is that work he puts in on-and-off the field. He shows up early for drills, goes home to watch film, he takes notes. He’s doing stuff that most kids don’t do and that’s why he’s going to be great at the next level and maybe the NFL. He is very confident and he won’t back don’t from no one.”
Miami Sophomore Quarterback Ryan Williams is also a product of “Miramar University”, as he led the Patriots to the state title in 2009.
“When Ryan first came to us, he came from a small school to a big school and the process wasn’t easy for him to transition because of the speed of the game. But he was a diamond in the rough. The kid was very smart, he loved the offense. Once he got us rolling, he took us to the championship. He came to school two days ago and it was good to see him interact and talk with the coaches before camp starts. I got a chance to see him in the spring at a couple practices and scrimmages and he looked very good. I just told him to keep working. It’s not all about the strong arm, he’s very smart. I tell him he kind of reminds me of Ken Dorsey, if you study and prepare yourself you will always be ready no matter if he’s first or second string. But I’m looking for him to start. Like I told him, if you go out there and work hard, they can’t deny you.”
Coach T.Y. has a special relationship with the players that he coaches.
“A lot of these kids I’ve been knowing since the little league level. I had the chance to coach Geno since he was a 10-year old so we’re a family over here. A lot of people don’t know the history between me and these kids. It’s a thrill to see them on TV because not everybody can say they had the chance to coach a Heisman candidate, a Biletinikoff candidate. I thank God I had the opportunity to come across these kids and coach them. That’s what it’s about for me, not about the money or any of that stuff.”
The Patriots will be playing one of the top teams in the country, Manatee, to begin their season.
