Friday Night Lights: A Look Into the Future of Cal Football - Part V
If I had a nickel for every time I had to write “Bye Week” in this article for Friday Night Lights, I would have 9 nickels.
It is homecoming season in Berkeley and around the nation, which is better known as Bear Territory. While Cal gets ready to face off against the Blue Devils for the first time in over 62 years, the future players of the blue and gold get their weekly showcase of their highlights and stats in this week’s rendition of Friday Night Lights.
Spearheaded by a dominant perfmance from QB Brady Palmer at Cathedral Catholic, an electric outing from WR/DB Tyree Sams at Clovis North, and a wall of a man on defense with EDGE Cam Brooks down south in Thomasville, GA - the future of Cal Football this week saw some explosive action, while 9/22 recruits had a bye week.
Let’s get right into it and showcase the next generation of Golden Bears:
(Some things of note: Players are listed in the order in which 24/7 Sports has their current recruitment ranking.)
Taimane Purcell - 4/5-Star (90 OVR) - TE - Kamehameha (Honolulu, HI) – Bye Week!
Victor Santino - RB - 3/5-Star (89 OVR) - Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, CA) - DNP: Season Forfeited.
Nemyah Telona - DL - De La Salle (Concord, CA) – The De La Salle Spartans won Friday night’s non-conference matchup against the St. Mary’s Rams (Stockton, CA) 36-7 and improved to 5-0 on the season. Cal-commit Nemyah Telona was ruled out before the game and did not play, as the Spartans now sit at No. 6 in California and No. 19 nationally.
Cam Brooks - EDGE - 3/5-Star (88 OVR) - Thomas County Central (Thomasville, GA) – Cam Brooks brought in 3 total tackles (all solo and for an offensive loss of 2.5 yards) for the Yellow Jackets in their 35-21 win over the Lee County Trojans. Brooks led the defensive line with 2.5 sacks for 18 yards for loss and 4 QB hurries against the Trojans’ Junior QB Jordan Bush. Brooks is currently ranked No. 24 in all of Georgia amongst high school football players with 6.0 sacks thus far this season and is ranked No. 3 amongst Division 5A. The Yellow Jackets are now 6-0 and are ranked No. 7 in the state of Georgia and No. 48 nationally.
Kamo’i Huihui-White - IOL - 3/5-Star (88 OVR) - St. Louis (Honolulu, HI) – Bye Week!
Nainoa Lopes - QB - 3/5-Star (88 OVR) - St. Louis (Honolulu, HI) – Bye Week!
EJ Morgan - WR - 3/5-Star (88 OVR) - Central East (Fresno, CA) – Bye Week!
Tyree Sams - WR - 3/5-Star (87 OVR) - Clovis North (Clovis, CA) – Tyree Sams continues to dominate on both sides of the ball, showing off his hands and receiving abilities in clutch moments. The senior WR/DB brought in 7 receptions for 97 yards and a TD on offense and picked up his second interception of the year in the Clovis North Broncos’ 41-34 win over the Frontier Titans.
Ernest Nunley - S - 3/5-Star (87 OVR) - Western (Anaheim, CA) – Bye Week!
Jonathan McKinley II - LB - 3/5-Star (87 OVR) - Centennial (Corona, CA) – Bye Week!
Esaiah Wong - OT - 3/5-Star (87 OVR) - Kailua (Kailua, HI) – The Kailua Surfriders improved to 4-3 on the season after defeating the struggling Nanakuli Golden Hawks 44-6 at home. Esaiah Wong and the O-line were able to protect their QB the entire night, not allowing a single sack as Keaunui-Demello threw for 4 TDs, 268 yards, and 1 INT. The rush game was able to excel as Wong and the offensive line stayed sturdy all game, with 318 rushing yards generated across four RBs and 1 TD scored.
Jaxon Pyatt - LB - 3/5-Star (87 OVR) - Arvada West (Arvada, CO) – Bye Week!
Elisha Faamatuainu - IOL - 3/5-Star (87 OVR) - Murrieta Valley (Murrieta, CA) – Elisha Faamatuainu and the O-line for Murrieta Valley allowed just 1 QB hurry and 2.5 sacks against the San Clemente Tritons on Friday, as the Nighthawks won by a final score of 26-14. The Nighthawks’ O-line was able to help generate 260 rushing yards on offense with 2 TDs, as the pass game was extremely limited with just 82 yards in 9 completions on 15 attempts.
Brady Palmer - QB - 3/5-Star (86 OVR) - Cathedral Catholic (San Diego, CA) – Brady Palmer continues to shine in San Diego for Cathedral Catholic, as the Dons took care of business against Granite Hills to remain undefeated and improve to 5-0, as well as No. 13 in California. Palmer was on top of his game, completing 20/27 passes for 295 yards with 2 TDs, including an opening drive that had a 70-yard pass to Junior WR Isaac Cook. Palmer and the No. 13 in the state of California Dons will face off against De La Salle in the Bay Area this weekend for a top-15 in-state matchup.
Jayden Crowder - CB - 3/5-Star (86 OVR) - Santa Margarita Catholic (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA) – In a game that was a showcase for defensive excellence between Santa Margarita Catholic and Nevada’s No. 1 school in the state, Bishop Gorman, Jayden Crowder picked up 4 total tackles (2 solo and 2 assisted) and 1 pass deflection as the Eagles lost 0-14 to the Gaels at home.
Artem Korchagin - IOL - 3/5-Star (86 OVR) - Thomas County Central (Thomasville, GA) – In Thomas County Central’s 35-21 win over the Lee County Trojans, Artem Korchagin and the offensive line were able to help generate 260 rushing yards for their running backs, protection for 169 passing yards, 3 TDs, and 1 INT for their Senior QB Jaylen Johnson, and allowed just 1 sack and 3 QB hurries.
Rocky Cummings - LB - 3/5-Star (86 OVR) - Carlsbad (Carlsbad, CA) – Bye Week!
Frank Fanua - IOL - 3/5-Star (86 OVR) - Mount Miguel (Spring Valley, CA) – Frank Fanua and the Mount Miguel Matadors dropped a non-conference matchup against the Oceanside Pirates due to a 31-yard touchdown pass and extra point with less than a minute left in the 4th that put the Pirates ahead 26-25 for the 1-point victory. Fanua and the o-line created enough pass protection for their QBs to throw for 248 yards, 4 TDs, and 1 INT – while generating enough space for their RBs to rush for 120 yards on the night. The Pirates’ defense was able to sneak through for 2 sacks and 3 QB hurries.
Deon Jackson - CB - 3/5-Star (85 OVR) - Long Beach Poly (Long Beach, CA) – The Long Beach Poly Jackrabbits picked up their 3rd win of the season with a 21-7 victory over the Lakewood Lancers on the road. Deon Jackson made 4 total tackles for the Jackrabbits (3 solo and 1 assisted) with a tackle for loss of 1 yard on the evening. Jackson’s 35 total tackles place him at No. 22 across Division 4 in California.
Luca Wolf - TE - 3/5-Star (85 OVR) - NFL Academy (London, EN) – The NFL Academy played a game against the Manchester Titans last weekend, but neither team posted the final scores – instead focusing on a combine/showcase-esque display of their players and the talent that the EU/British football developmental leagues have to offer.
Kingston “Lucky” Schirmer - DL - 3/5-Star (85 OVR) - Centennial (Corona, CA) – Bye Week!
Future so bright… gotta wear shades!