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Miami Central's run to a second consecutive Class 6A state title in 2013 seemed just about inevitable, and at the center of it all were running backs Dalvin Cook and Joseph Yearby

Cook and Yearby combined for 3,640 yards, 43 touchdowns and were an indomitable force. But with the Rockets two games away from the state championship game, Yearby sustained a fractured fibula in the regional final. It left Cook to shoulder the load for the rest of the playoffs, including the state title game against Seffner Armwood, one of the state's top programs.

"Believe it or not, it was easier to plan for the two of them than one of them," Armwood coach Sean Callahan told Warchant.com this week. "We had some coaches say that some of us thought it was a good thing, but I told them Dalvin would get the ball more, and that was a bad thing."

Callahan watched Cook rush for 223 yards and four touchdowns in Central's 52-7 state title win against an Armwood team that was previously unbeaten.

On Saturday, Callahan will be among many around the nation watching as Cook and Yearby -- the close friends and former teammates -- square off when Miami faces No. 8/12 Florida State at 8 p.m. at Doak Campbell Stadium.

Yearby has rushed for 424 yards and four touchdowns this season; he has surpassed 100 yards in each of his last three games. Cook has rushed for 570 yards and six touchdowns despite missing nearly all of last Saturday's game at Wake Forest with a pulled hamstring -- Cook has not yet practiced this week and is listed as "day to day" for the Miami game.

A match-up between the two star running backs was bound to happen eventually, even if it wasn't so straightforward. Yearby actually was a Florida State commitment until he flipped to Miami. Cook, once committed to both Clemson and Florida, signed financial grant-in-aid papers with the Hurricanes, Gators and Seminoles before selecting FSU.

"Those guys were always earmarked to be solid players," said Larry Blustein, who has covered high school football recruiting in South Florida for 45 years. "Each was a player of the year in their youth leagues in the final year."

Blustein said buzz about Cook and Yearby began to spread throughout Miami even before they arrived at Central from separate youth-league programs. And Central was a good home for them.

The Rockets had a proud history of producing elite running backs, including former UM stars Najeh Davenport and Willis McGahee, both of whom went on to play in the NFL. And before them there was Elvis Peacock, who went to Oklahoma before playing three years in the NFL.

"They've had big-time backs, but never two prestigious backs like that at once," Blustein said. "You'd have Najeh. You'd have Willis. But never two marquee backs at once. That's what makes them two of the best to ever play down here."

Central head coach Roland Smith, who is in his third season, told Warchant that Yearby started his high school career backing up future FSU running back Devonta Freeman. When Freeman graduated, Yearby became Central's first-choice running back and Cook was No. 2.

Yearby rushed for 2,160 yards and 24 touchdowns that season. He set the Miami-Dade County record for most rushing yards by a sophomore, becoming the first 10th-grader to break the 2,000-yard mark, and was named The Miami Herald Offensive Player of the Year.

Smith, who previously won a state championship at Miami Northwestern, said Cook also performed well during his sophomore year. Then Cook used the following off-season to add more muscle, making it clear to Central's coaching staff they needed to use both players.

"They were happy for one another," Smith said of Cook's expanded role during their final two seasons. "They'd shake hands when one did something, or they'd hug after a touchdown. They were unselfish players. If we were on a drive and one of them needed a break, the other would say, 'Let him finish it and get the touchdown.'"

Central developed a system. Let Yearby be the No. 1 running back who would wear down defenses. Then use Cook as an all-around threat to keep opponents guessing.

"A signature game for the two of them had to be the 2012 game vs. Booker T. [Washington]," said Miami Herald preps coordinator Andre C. Fernandez, who covered the pair. "Central was down 19-3 at the half and they had nothing going offensively. The Rockets came out with Yearby at quarterback handing the ball off to Cook and actually passing, on target, to receivers including a late touchdown pass to Da'Vante Phillips that helped them come back and beat [Washington]."

From there, that Washington team would go on a 41-game winning streak that ended with a loss earlier this season to national powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas. Cook and Yearby, meanwhile, would guide Central to the first of what would be three consecutive state championships.

"Everyone understood their roles and went about their business," Smith said. "At the end of the day, it was about winning championships. All the other stuff takes care of itself. They were winning games, winning state championships and became known as the best backfield in the nation."

Blustein assesses Cook and Yearby as the second-best backfield to ever come through South Florida. He said Miami Southridge brothers Darren and Troy Davis remain the area's most impressive duo.

In 1993, the Davis brothers led Southridge to a 15-0 record and a state championship. Troy Davis, the older of the two, rushed for 2,209 yards and 31 touchdowns. He became the first Miami-Dade running back to surpass 2,000 yards in a season.

Darren Davis rushed for 707 yards and 14 touchdowns on 61 carries. Southridge's third-string running back, Sedrick Irvin, rushed for 664 yards and six touchdowns.

"The Davis brothers and Sedrick Irvin at Southridge was pretty unfair," Blustein said. "Both of them played in college. Sedrick Irvin played in the NFL. ... They were all major talents."

Smith said Cook and Yearby each possessed a strong work ethic, although there were a few times where Cook left a stronger mark.

After participating at a camp at the University of Southern California with several high-profile prospects including current LSU star Leonard Fournette, Cook flew back to Miami and was told by Smith that he could go home and rest.

"He told me, 'No coach. It would not sit well with me if my guys are in Miami working and I am here not working,'" Smith recalled. "Less than half an hour later, Dalvin was out there practicing. That's how hard he works."

Smith said the Cook-Yearby partnership created confidence. It also created a friendship.

Cook and Yearby developed a close bond, and that friendship reached new heights in 2013 after Yearby's fractured fibula.

Cook, who wore No. 4 at Central the way he does at Florida State, warmed up for a state semifinal game against Daytona Beach Mainland in his normal jersey. When the game started, he donned Yearby's No. 3.

According to Herald report from the game, Cook shed a few tears when discussing what it meant to wear Yearby's No. 3.

"I was just embracing the moment," Cook told the Herald. "We're going to states four times in a row, and it's kind of a crazy feeling. It's my last time out here on this turf. I sat down and really thought about it, and I'm going to miss playing with Joe and them guys man. [They're] my brothers."

Cook rushed for 1,940 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior. He also had three interceptions en route to being named Florida's Mr. Football. That year, Yearby rushed for 1,700 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Since Florida expanded to eight classes in the 2011-12 season, Armwood and Central have played for the Class 6A state championship in all but one year. Central has won the last three 6A titles.

Callahan, who also has won three state championships, said he and his staff were impressed the first time they watched film of Cook and Yearby.

"We heard about them, saw the film, dropped the clicker, looked at each other and realized they were for real," Callahan said. "That's when our kids realized it ... [and] they were not as big or as strong then. Dalvin was a man when he was a senior. As a sophomore, he was just a fast kid -- him and Yearby. They were good and fast kids, but they were fast kids that are big who can slash. That was really tough. ...

Cook and Yearby went 52-5 during their reign at Central while combining to run for 9,860 yards and 132 touchdowns. Rivals rated Cook as the nation's No. 2 all-around back and the No. 3 player in the state of Florida. Yearby was the No. 8 player in Florida and the country's No. 9-rated running back.

Smith said numerous schools recruited the two of them, hoping to keep the tandem together in college, while others pursued one or the other.

No matter how it worked out, Smith said, it was clear they each would find success. Even if it meant lining up on opposite sidelines -- as they will this Saturday night.

"Well, at one time, it probably crossed their [minds] that they did it in high school and could do it again in college," Smith said. "At the end of the day, they chose the school they chose because it was best opportunity for them. That's why why one chose Miami and one chose FSU."