Friday Night Recaps Week 13: Unlucky No. 13

It was a rough week for the team’s of several Michigan commits this time around. Six teams lost deep into their state playoffs, with most of the games having close margins.

On the other hand, plenty of squads were victorious and continue to advance in their state playoffs. We’re down to eight commits still in action, including Jack Stewart, whose playoffs start after this week.

Now it’s time to eulogize the seasons of the commits who fell this past weekend.

Season Wrap-up:

Cade McNamara

This was the most heartbreaking loss of the weekend, as Damonte Ranch lost in overtime 49-48, to Bishop Manogue, a team they defeated by 35 points earlier in the season. In overtime, Damonte Ranch scored first, and kicked the extra point. But Bishop Manogue converted a two-point conversion in their response to ruin Damonte Ranch’s perfect season.

It was not all bad for McNamara, however. In the defeat, he threw for 351 yards, setting the Nevada state passing record. He now holds the record for most passing touchdowns and yards in a career for a quarterback. This season, McNamara finished with a 63 percent completion percentage, 2,618 yards and 39 touchdowns. I highly recommend this piece on McNamara, which details the adversity he faced in his career, and the dedication he showed to overcome it and end up as arguably the best quarterback in Northern Nevada history. McNamara will be getting an early start at Michigan, enrolling in January.

Zach Charbonnet

Charbonnet and Oaks Christian also suffered a tough defeat, but in a different variety than McNamara. Oaks Christian squared off against St. John Bosco, who is ranked as the No. 1 team in the country. Charbonnet put the team on his back, keeping the game close for as long as he could. He ripped off a 61-yard touchdown run in the first quarter to tie the game. Then, on St. John Bosco’s next possession, he intercepted a pass from DJ Uiagelelei, a 5-star in the 2020 class, and returned it to just outside the red zone.

But that’s where the positive plays ended. St. John Bosco ended up with a 56-10 victory, holding Charbonnet to 86 yards on 19 carries and the Oaks Christian offense to 141 yards overall.

The loss doesn’t dampen what Charbonnet accomplished this season. While missing some time with an injury, he still rushed for more than 1,700 yards at 8.1 yards per carry and scored 14 touchdowns. Throughout the recruiting cycle, Charbonnet has continued to rise in the rankings, and could very well end up as a 5-star. He’ll be joining McNamara in enrolling early.

Eric Gray

While there’s a good chance Gray doesn’t end up in Michigan’s class, his season still deserves to be recapped. Before the season, Gray started a fundraiser for people to pledge money to St. Jude’s Children Hospital for every touchdown he scored. After scoring 41 touchdowns this season, it’s safe to say he made a lot of money for a good cause.

That total helped Gray set the record for most touchdowns scored in Tennessee history, with 138 overall. It wasn’t enough on Friday though, as Lausanne had their 38-game win streak snapped in a 21-14 loss against Christ Presbyterian Academy. In a rainy, muddy field, Gray had a hard time keeping his footing, but was still able to rush for 136 yards and a touchdown on 36 carries.

On the season, Gray ran for 2,500 yards and 40 touchdowns, while catching another score. That’s amazingly 600 yards less than what he ran for last season, but still mind-blowing. Gray has been trending to in-state Tennessee after he canceled his visit to Ann Arbor last weekend.

Chris Hinton

Greater Atlanta Christian fell into a 25-point hole at halftime against Westminster, too big of a margin to overcome despite a furious attempt. GAC eventually fell 44-34 in the second round of the Georgia state playoffs.

This capped a 9-3 season, with all three losses by close margins, including two to division mate Westminster. Hinton pulled double duty, starring on both the offensive and defensive lines. On defense, he made 50 tackles, 6.5 sacks and another three tackles for loss.

Hinton will be waiting until the summer to join the Wolverines in Ann Arbor.

Tyrece Woods

Belleville’s dream season came to an end against highly-favored Chippewa Valley. The Tigers kept the game close, though, losing 28-16. This was a historic season for Belleville, who won the school’s first ever regional championship, and made it to the state semifinals.

The team is loaded with FBS talent, including Woods. He lined up at defensive end and tight end for the Tigers. On the season, he contributed 60 tackles and five sacks, with another 16 TFLs. He also scored a couple of touchdowns on offense. When I spoke to Woods earlier this month, he said he wasn’t sure if he’d be enrolling early or not.

Daxton Hill

One of the most electrifying players in the country, Hill might have been a victim of his own success in his team’s 38-28 loss to Stillwater in the state semifinals. While locking up Stillwater’s lead receiver all game, it opened the field up for their other receiver, who had only scored twice all season, to catch three touchdown passes. Hill also chipped in on offense, catching three passes for 52 yards and a touchdown.

Hill was a factor on both sides of the ball this season. While changing up his role each game based on the opponent, he played all positions in the secondary, racking up 96 tackles, two interceptions and five pass break-ups. He was the last line of defense, often making touchdown-saving tackles using his ridiculous speed.

On offense, Hill was similarly electric, catching only 13 passes for 407 yards and nine touchdowns. He also had a 55-yard touchdown run.

He’ll be in position to contribute from Day 1 when he arrives on campus, whether it be in January or June.

Andre Seldon

Finally, the last commit to end his season this weekend was 2020 cornerback Andre Seldon, who is teammates with Woods. We already covered the game above, so I won’t go into detail again. Seldon had been banged up throughout the entire playoffs, missing Belleville’s previous game, but gritted it out to play against Chippewa Valley.

On the season, Seldon nabbed four interceptions and seven pass break-ups. This included a three-interception game earlier in the season, which could have been four if not for a penalty. These numbers are more impressive when you consider he was mostly avoided in the passing game by opponents. Check out Seldon’s junior year highlights, which he just released, here. Not only can he stick to receivers, but he also lays the wood in run defense.

Chart

Giles Jackson’s game got postponed yet again due to the air quality in California. They’re not scheduled to play on Nov. 24.

Mike Sainristil’s team lost in the playoffs a couple weeks ago, but looks to have a bowl-type game scheduled this weekend, so I’m not going to call their season over quite yet.

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