Friday Night Lights - A Look Into the Future of Cal Football Part X
Regular season conclusions, postseason beginnings, and the end of a legendary run.
It’s a bye week for the Golden Bears, and many of the Cal-commits in the class of 2026 were able to say the same, as the regular season has (mostly) concluded across the country, and the playoffs have begun. Future Golden Bears from Hawaii to Georgia have the opportunity to make one last title run for their hometown high schools before settling at CMS in the Berkeley Hills, and we will cover it as we have all season.
Daniel McMorris – OT – 4/5-Star (90 OVR) – Norman North (Norman, OK) – Norman North closed out the regular season with a 35-14 victory over the Edmond Santa Fe Wolves, where Daniel McMorris and the Offensive Line helped create 286 passing yards on 22 completions with 28 attempts for 3 TDs, as well as generating 129 rushing yards.
Taimane Purcell – TE- 4/5-Star (90 OVR) - Kamehameha (Honolulu, HI) – Bye Week! The next game for the Warriors and Cal-commit Taimaine Purcell will be on November 21st against the Kapolei Hurricanes.
Victor Santino - RB - 3/5-Star (89 OVR) - Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, CA) – DNP: Season Forfeited.
Nemyah Telona - DL – 3/5-Star (88 OVR) - De La Salle (Concord, CA) – The Spartans capped off their perfect season with a 47-15 victory over the Clayton Valley Charter “Ugly Eagles,” but Nemyah Telona did not collect any stats in the regular season finale, as De La Salle prepares for a 2025 North Coast Section Football Championship run as the 1-seed.
Cam Brooks - EDGE - 3/5-Star (88 OVR) - Thomas County Central (Thomasville, GA) – Bye Week! Cam Brooks and Thomas County Central will be back to kick off the 2025 Georgia High School Football Playoff against Woodstock as the 1-seed.
Kamo’i Huihui-White - IOL - 3/5-Star (88 OVR) - Saint Louis (Honolulu, HI) – The Saint Louis Crusaders’ season came to an end last week (as highlighted in Friday Night Lights) following a 28-33 loss to Punahou.
Nainoa Lopes - QB - 3/5-Star (88 OVR) - Saint Louis (Honolulu, HI) – Lopes’ season concludes along with the Crusaders squad, after the Senior QB put up (as far as what was recorded on Scoring Live by the high school) 1,320 passing yards on 103/159 completions/attempts – including 15 TDs and 4 INTs.
EJ Morgan - WR - 3/5-Star (88 OVR) - Central East (Fresno, CA) – EJ Morgan brought in 3 receptions for 29 yards as the Central East Bengals won their first-round matchup against the Clovis East Timberwolves in the 2025 CIF Central Section Football Championship (Division I-AA) by a final score of 56-21, and move on to face Buchanan in the semifinals.
Tyree Sams - WR - 3/5-Star (87 OVR) - Clovis North (Clovis, CA) – Buchana is, facing Central East mentioned above, because they defeated Clovis North by a final score of 32-14, with the Broncos’ WR and Cal-commit Tyree Sams bringing in no receptions in this contest, as the offense was able to pick up only 7 total receptions for 67 yards and 0 passing TDS compared to the 276 rushing yards and 2 TDs scored in the 2025 CIF Central Section Football Championship playoffs loss.
Ernest Nunley – S/WR - 3/5-Star (87 OVR) - Western (Anaheim, CA) – The Western Pioneers kicked off the D4 2025 CIF Southern (California) Section Football Championships against the Cathedral Phantoms (Los Angeles) but were sent home early in the tournament with a 21-40 loss on the road. Cal-commit Ernest Nunley recorded 6 total tackles (3 solo and 3 assisted) in the playoff opener and deflected 3 passes on the evening as well.
Jonathan McKinley II - LB - 3/5-Star (87 OVR) – Centennial (Corona, CA) – Bye Week! Centennial will face off against the Servite Friars in the DI 2025 CIF Southern Section Football Championships. The 2025 CIF Southern Section Football Championships feature top-ranked teams such as Centennial, Mater Dei, St. John Bosco, and Sierra Canyon, to name a few.
Esaiah Wong - OT - 3/5-Star (87 OVR) - Kailua (Kailua, HI) – The Surfriders finished the regular season with a 21-19 victory over the Aiea Na Alii, where the offensive line was able to generate 117 rushing yards and 3 rushing TDs, as well as 171 passing yards with 1 INT. The Surfriders will face Aiea once again in the opening round of the DI HHSAA Football State Championships.
Jaxon Pyatt - LB - 3/5-Star (87 OVR) - Arvada West (Arvada, CO) – Bye Week! Jaxon Pyatt and Arvada West High School look to face off against the Grandview Wolves in the second round of the 2025 CHSAA State Football Playoffs, as the Wildcats earned a first-round bye as the 6-seed in the tournament.
Elisha Faamatuainu - IOL - 3/5-Star (87 OVR) - Murrieta Valley (Murrieta, CA) – Murrieta Valley began their playoff run with a 35-14 victory over Corona del Mar, with Elisha Faamatuainu and the offensive line helping Sophomore QB throw for 150 yards and 4 TDs on the night, while also generating 308 rushing yards for 1 TD.
Brady Palmer - QB - 3/5-Star (86 OVR) - Cathedral Catholic (San Diego, CA) – Bye Week! Brady Palmer and Cathedral Catholic open the 2025 CIF San Diego Section Open Division Football Championship as the 4-seed against Mission Hills.
Artem Korchagin - IOL - 3/5-Star (86 OVR) - Thomas County Central (Thomasville, GA) – Bye Week! Artem Korchagin and Thomas County Central will be back to kick off the 2025 Georgia High School Football Playoff against Woodstock as the 1-seed.
Kai Meza – WR – 3/5-Star (86 OVR) – Corner Canyon (Draper, UT) – Kai Meza picked up 5 receptions for 39 yards in the Chargers’ 56-14 win over the Syracuse Titans, as Utah’s No. 1-ranked Corner Canyon advanced to the Semifinals of the 2025 UHSAA - Football State Championships
Rocky Cummings: LB – Carlsbad (CA) (3/5 Star, 86 OVR) – Bye Week! Rocky Cummings and Cathedral Catholic open the 2025 CIF San Diego Section Open Division Football Championship as the 4-seed against La Costa Canyon.
Frank Fanua - IOL - 3/5-Star (86 OVR) - Mount Miguel (Spring Valley, CA) – Bye Week! Frank Fanua and the Mount Miguel Matadors open the 2025 CIF San Diego Section Division I Football Championships as the 3-seed against Oceanside.
Deon Jackson - CB - 3/5-Star (85 OVR) - Long Beach Poly (Long Beach, CA) – Deon Jackson’s season and time at Long Beach Poly is over, effectively killing the Jackrabbits’ streak of making the postseason every year since 1979. The Jackrabbits finished 2nd in the Moore League this season, but had six ineligible transfers with falsified paperwork/information, resulting in the school ending the 2025 title run (LA Times).
Luca Wolf - TE - 3/5-Star (85 OVR) – NFL Academy (London, EN) – Luca Wolf took an official visit to Tennessee on October 31st and announced his decommitment from Cal on the morning of November 2nd, with his commitment to the Volunteers following that afternoon.
Kingston “Lucky” Schirmer - DL - 3/5-Star (85 OVR) - Centennial (Corona, CA) – Bye Week! Lucky Schirmer and the Centennial Huskies will face off against the Servite Friars in the DI 2025 CIF Southern Section Football Championships.
Lots of linemen. I like it....
Thank you for the background information on these future Cal players.