High School Games to Watch: Week Two
by Caleb Johnson
High school football coverage on ESPN is underway, and, last weekend, Indiana powers Carmel and Cathedral battled it out for state supremacy. Following that are four games over the next week that will feature many of the nation’s top players, including New Era Scouting’s No. 1 overall prospect. Before breaking down this week’s match-ups, here is a breakdown of last week’s game:
In what was expected to be a down-to-the-wire contest, Carmel and Cathedral certainly didn’t disappoint. On a hot Saturday afternoon that took out one of the game’s stars, Carmel fullback Kurt Freytag, Carmel overcame some late-game mistakes to earn a close win. Carmel quarterback Morgan Newton, a Kentucky commit, took over the game over with his dual-threat ability, completing 16 of his 21 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns and adding 89 yards and two scores on 20 carries. Cathedral junior quarterback Kofi Hughes was equally impressive in his first varsity start, passing for 62 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 159 yards and a score, proving that he could be someone to watch out for in the class of 2010.
Final Score: Carmel 28 – Cathedral 21
Player of the Game: Carmel QB Morgan Newton (Kentucky commit)
Friday, August 29 – 8 PM EST – ESPNU
Mays (GA) vs. Carver (GA)
The first game of the week will feature two solid Georgia teams and nearly 20 legitimate Football Bowl Subdivision prospects in Mays and Carver of Atlanta.
Mays finished the 2007 season with a 9-3 record and a trip to the second round of the 4A (second largest) state playoffs. Running back Desmond Walker has an offer from Duke. Cornerback Myer Nolan finished last season with seven interceptions and is drawing interest from schools in the SEC and ACC. The school also features a few highly regarded 2010 prospects in fullback Mario Turner, receiver Acey Palmer and offensive guard Tim Wynn.
Atlanta Carver finished last season with an 11-1 record. They were eliminated in the third round of the 3A (third largest) state playoffs by Cairo, who went on to lose in the state championship game to Columbus Carver. Offensively, they are led by running back Demond Dennis. Dennis rushed for 1,600 yards and 13 touchdowns last season and holds offers from Alabama, Auburn, Illinois, and Louisville, among others. Xavious Heard leads the way at receiver and is getting some looks despite only being 5-foot-8. Defensively, Carver is led by the very highly recruited safety Darren Myles. Myles has totaled 10 interceptions the last two years and has offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Tennessee, West Virginia and many more schools. At defensive end is Phillip Harvey, who holds offers from Western Michigan and Western Carolina. Cornerbacks Mark Williams and Kevin Myles and linebackers Chris Brown and Freddie Aaron add to the group to make an impressive group of seniors. For the class of 2010, the school features a solid trio in running back Patrick Etuk and offensive guards Deric Scott and Emmanuel Walters.
Key Match-up: The game will hinge on whether or not Carver’s star-studded defense can stop the running game of Mays.
Sunday, August 31 – Noon EST – ESPN
Rockhurst (MO) vs. Blue Springs South (MO)
In the last three recruiting classes, the state of Missouri has produced some great quarterback prospects such as: Kansas State’s Josh Freeman, LSU’s Logan Gray and Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert. This game will feature two signal callers who aren’t only the best in the state, but also among the best in the nation.
Rockhurst rolled through their competition last year in route to a 13-0 season and a Class 6A (largest) state title. They are led by Illinois quarterback commit Nathan Scheelhaase. The exciting dual-threat signal caller passed for 1,861 yards and 20 touchdowns to only five interceptions and rushed for another 917 yards and 14 scores in 2007. He recently chose Illinois over offers from Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Missouri, Arkansas, and others. He has some solid talent around him, including 6-foot-2 receiver Keith Langtry, a big-play threat who has 1,358 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns on just 59 catches the past two seasons. Center Tom Freeman is the leader of the offensive line and is debating offers from Northwestern, South Florida, Air Force, Ball State, Army, and Harvard. Rockhurst also features an emerging 2011 prospect in running back Cameron Turner, who performed very well at the National Underclassmen Combine in St. Louis.
Blue Springs South finished with a 9-1 record in 2007 — its only loss coming by just six points against Rockhurst — and somehow missed out on the state playoffs. The school features future Missouri quarterback Blaine Dalton. Dalton committed to Missouri in October of last year. He has thrown for 3,334 yards and 46 touchdowns to only 13 interceptions in his career and is coming off of a season in which he completed over 65 percent of his passes. He’s also a threat on the run, rushing for 1,093 career yards and nine career touchdowns.
Key Match-up: It’s all about the quarterbacks in this one. Both Rockhurst’s Scheelhaase and Blue Springs South’s Dalton will vie for the right to be considered the best quarterback in a state that is quickly becoming a quarterback haven.
Monday, September 1 – Noon EST – ESPN
St. Thomas Aquinas (FL) vs. Elder (OH)
The third game of the week takes place on Monday afternoon, with Florida power St. Thomas Aquinas taking on Elder of Cincinnati in Kirk Herbstreit’s 2008 Ohio vs. USA challenge.
St. Thomas Aquinas finished the 2007 year with a 14-1 record and a class 5A (second largest) state title. As always, they are filled to the brim with talented FBS prospects. Leading the way this year is receiver Dwayne Difton. The 5-foot-11 Difton has offers from Boston College, South Florida, Purdue, and Purdue, to name a few. Joining him in the receiving corps is 6-foot-3 Duron Carter, an Ohio State commit. Completing an impressive trio of receiving targets is tight end Gabrison Holmes, who has racked up offers from Ole Miss, Mississippi State, South Florida, Purdue, and many others. Defensively, linebacker Conor O’Neill is the leader and is deciding between offers from Auburn, Clemson and Wisconsin. Kicker Ben Turk is considered one of the best at his position in the country and is committed to play for Notre Dame. Along the offensive line — always a strength for St. Thomas — guard Thomas Pizzuro and center Jordan Cowart are drawing interest from FBS schools, as is 2010 center prospect Brandon Linder. Fellow junior James C. White is the team’s running back and has already secured an offer from Clemson based on his sophomore season.
Elder is coming off of a disappointing 7-4 season and drew the unfortunate match-up of eventual Division I (largest) state champion St. Xavier in the first game of regional playoffs. A pair of Cincinnati commits in receiver Josh Jones and offensive tackle Austen Bujnoch lead the way offensively for Elder. Offensive guard John Anevski has received offers from plenty of FBS schools including Louisville, Miami (OH) and Bowling Green. Receiver Patrick Mellot and defensive end Nick Daffin are two other seniors who may have a future in college football. Kicker Tony Miliano also could see offers come his way over the next year as he enters his junior season.
Key Match-up: Keep your eyes to the sky in this one. With all the receiving talent on display, this could be a high-scoring game with a lot of yards through the air.
Wednesday, September 3 – 9 PM EST – ESPN2
Mater Dei (CA) vs. Carson (CA)
Wednesday night will feature a showdown of two highly-touted Southern Cal verbal commits, including New Era Scouting’s No. 1 overall prospect.
Mater Dei had a 9-2 season last year that ended in a tough loss to Crespi. NES No. 1 overall prospect Matt Barkley will get his chance to shine o in front of a national audience. This is something that he’ll have to get used to, as he’s slated to play quarterback for Southern Cal in 2009. In three years, Barkley has thrown for 6,594 yards and 56 touchdowns to only 23 interceptions. He’s coming off of a 3,560-yard and 35-touchdown season in which he completed 62 percent of his pass attempts. He chose the Trojans in January over offers from Tennessee, UCLA, California, Florida State and numerous others. Protecting him on the offensive line will be 2010 guard prospect Chris Ward, who has drawn some early interest from California and UCLA.
Carson finished their 2007 campaign with an 11-3 record and a loss to Birmingham to end the year. They are led by Southern Cal tight end commit Morrell Presley, the No. 56 overall prospect in the NES Top 100 and the second-ranked tight end. The 6-foot-4 Pressley committed over a year ago to the Trojans. Running back Kevin Lane, safety Antonio Crews and cornerback Chris Hill are three that are also garnering looks from FBS colleges.
Key Match-up: Everyone’s attention will be focused on Mater Dei’s Barkley and if he can lead his team to a tough win on the way to redemption and a state title this season.