Friday Night Lights - A Look Into the Future of Cal Football Part IX
As the regular season comes to an end, the playoff coverage begins next week!
High School Football is wrapping up for the regular season, and the postseason is just around the corner. The future of UC Berkeley’s Cal Football program are looking to finish up their careers at the varsity level before making the jump to the NCAA scene, and this week’s Friday Night Lights will cover the conclusion to the regular season, and intro to the post season, and fresh rankings that see future Golden Bears riding high into championship play.
Daniel McMorris – OT – 4/5-Star (90 OVR) – Norman North (Norman, OK) – Cal’s latest commit, and the Norman North Timberwolves could not shake the Owasso Rams on Halloween night last week, dropping their 5th game of the season and 3rd conference match-up. With the Rams winning 45-14, the Timberwolves did not upload offensive statistics to measure how well the O-Line held up in this 31-point loss to Oklahoma’s No. 8 team in the state.
Taimane Purcell – TE- 4/5-Star (90 OVR) - Kamehameha (Honolulu, HI) – Kamehameha had back-to-back bye weeks while Saint Louis and Punahou wrapped up their season. With the conclusion of their game, the Kamehameha Warriors clinched the ILH Open Division Championship and will thus compete in the HHSAA State Tournament.
Victor Santino - RB - 3/5-Star (89 OVR) - Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, CA) – DNP: Season Forfeited.
Nemyah Telona - DL - De La Salle (Concord, CA) – I knew this day would come, and of course, it had to be brutal. The De La Salle Spartans defeated the California High School Grizzlies by a score of 52-14, with Nemyah Telona picking up 2 total tackles (1 solo and 1 assisted) in the conference match-up against my old high school. The Spartans improved to 9-0 and are ranked No. 17 nationally and No. 5 in the state of California.
Cam Brooks - EDGE - 3/5-Star (88 OVR) - Thomas County Central (Thomasville, GA) – Cam Brooks had a quiet night for the Yellow Jackets, picking up just 1 solo tackle for a loss of 1 yard, but had 5 QB hurries as Thomas County Central picked up their 10th win of the season with a 41-17 victory over the Coffee Trojans. Brooks and the Yellow Jackets finished the regular season undefeated and ranked No. 5 in the state of Georgia, and will face off against Woodstock High in the first round of the 2025 Georgia High School Football Playoffs.
Kamo’i Huihui-White - IOL - 3/5-Star (88 OVR) - Saint. Louis (Honolulu, HI) – Kamo’i Huihui-White and the Crusaders O-Line were able to help generate 235 passing yards for their 3 QBs and 4 TDs, as well as create enough rush protection for 185 rushing yards. The Crusaders dropped their final matchup of the season to the Punahou Buffanblu and finished 2-2 in the ILH Open Division.
Nainoa Lopes - QB - 3/5-Star (88 OVR) - St. Louis (Honolulu, HI) – Lopes had a monster game for the Crusaders in Saint Louis’ 28-33 loss to the Buffanblu. Lopes led the Crusaders QB room with 16 pass completions on 21 attempts with 4 TDs and 0 INT on the night as the defense could not hold off the 4th quarter drives by the Buffanblu offense.
EJ Morgan - WR - 3/5-Star (88 OVR) - Central East (Fresno, CA) – To wrap up the regular season for the Central East Bengals, EJ Morgan brought in 4 receptions for 59 yards in a 46-38 victory over the Buchanan Bears. The Bengals will enter the 2025 CIF Central Section Football Championship as the No. 1 seed after going 9-1 this season and finishing ranked No. 18 in the state of California.
Tyree Sams - WR - 3/5-Star (87 OVR) - Clovis North (Clovis, CA) – Tyree Sams did not suit up in Clovis North’s final game of the season against the Clovis East Timberwolves, where the Broncos won 27-20 after scoring 20 unanswered points in the second half.
Ernest Nunley – S/WR - 3/5-Star (87 OVR) - Western (Anaheim, CA) – The Western Pioneers concluded their regular season with a 46-17 win over the Trabuco Hills Mustangs, but Cal-commit and dual-threat WR/S Ernest Nunley did not suit up for this game.
Jonathan McKinley II - LB - 3/5-Star (87 OVR) – Centennial (Corona, CA) – Jonathan McKinley II did not play in Centennial’s final game of the regular season, as the Huskies finished the year out with a 9-1 in-season record and a National ranking at No. 5 and an in-state ranking of No. 2 in California.
Esaiah Wong - OT - 3/5-Star (87 OVR) - Kailua (Kailua, HI) – The Surfriders rode the waves to victory over the Waipahu Marauders behind a sturdy offensive line, anchored by senior OT Esaiah Wong who helped generate 219 passing yards for 2 TDs and 1 INT, as well as produce 236 rushing yards for 1 TD in a 41-27 win to improve to 8-3 on the season.
Jaxon Pyatt - LB - 3/5-Star (87 OVR) - Arvada West (Arvada, CO) – In a conference matchup that saw the No. 9 and No. 3 teams in the state of Colorado face off, Arvada West finally met their match, as the Ralston Valley Mustangs ruined their perfect season by handing the Wildcats a 20-49 loss. Jaxon Pyatt was back in the action for the Wildcats on defense, picking up 9 total tackles (3 solo and 6 assisted) as he currently leads the 5A Metro region in total tackles.
Elisha Faamatuainu - IOL - 3/5-Star (87 OVR) - Murrieta Valley (Murrieta, CA) – The Nighthawks steamrolled the Roosevelt Mustangs by a final score of 48-13, with Elisha Faamatuainu and the offensive line creating space for 190 rushing yards and 3 rushing TDs, as well as providing the pass protection for 276 passing yards and 3 TDs.
Brady Palmer - QB - 3/5-Star (86 OVR) - Cathedral Catholic (San Diego, CA) – Brady Palmer returned to action for the Cathedral Catholic Dons after missing the last 3 games due to an arm injury sustained against De La Salle, and he was back like he never left. Palmer threw for 387 yards and 5 TDs on 12 completions in his return to his senior season against the University City Centurions, as the Dons dismantled them by a final score of 56-7.
Artem Korchagin - IOL - 3/5-Star (86 OVR) - Thomas County Central (Thomasville, GA) – In the Yellow Jackets’ 41-17 victory over the Coffee Trojans, Artem Korchagin and the offensive line helped generate 142 rushing yards for 4 rushing TDS, as well as provided the passing protection that their 3-Star senior QB needed to complete 14 passes on 20 attempts for 218 yards and 2 TDs.
Kai Meza – WR – 3/5-Star (86 OVR) – Corner Canyon (Draper, UT) – Kai Meza brought in 4 receptions for 33 yards and 2 TDs, as well as 1 TD on an 11-yard rushing play as the Corner Canyon Chargers defeated the Layton Lancers by a final score of 63-9. The Chargers are ranked No. 1 in the state of Utah and are competing for a state championship in the UHSAA Playoffs.
Rocky Cummings: LB – Carlsbad (CA) (3/5 Star, 86 OVR) – Carlsbad bounced back from their huge loss against La Costa Canyon by defeating Del Norte by a final score of 34-6, but Cal-commit and Senior LB Rocky Cummings did not suit up for this game for the third straight contest.
Frank Fanua - IOL - 3/5-Star (86 OVR) - Mount Miguel (Spring Valley, CA) – Mount Miguel defeated the El Capitan Vaqueros in an in-conference matchup that saw the Matador offensive line help produce 335 passing yards for 5 TDs, while only creating 67 rushing yards for 1 TD, as the Mount Miguel Matadors defeated the Vaqueros 42-10.
Deon Jackson - CB - 3/5-Star (85 OVR) - Long Beach Poly (Long Beach, CA) – Deon Jackson stepped into the QB slot for the Jackrabbits and completed 8 passes on 12 attempts for 178 yards with 3 TDs and 1 INT. On defense, Jackson picked up 5 total tackles (4 solo and 1 assisted) for a loss of 1 yard. He intercepted 1 pass while deflecting another in a game where he was everywhere on offense and defense, as Long Beach Poly defeated Compton by a final score of 55-22.
Luca Wolf - TE - 3/5-Star (85 OVR) – NFL Academy (London, EN) – Bye Week!
Kingston “Lucky” Schirmer - DL - 3/5-Star (85 OVR) - Centennial (Corona, CA) – Lucky Schirmer had a very productive night for the Huskies defense, picking up a sack and 4 total tackles (1 solo and 3 assisted) in Centennial’s 60-29 victory over the Chaparral Pumas.
Thanks for the update. One thing, I believe TE Luca Wolf is no longer a Cal commit (word is he flipped to Tennessee earlier this week). We still have a good one with Taimane in the fold!