How Michigan commits performed in Week 8 of high school action

We’re around the halfway mark of the high school football season when you take the playoffs into account, and with only one team featuring a Michigan commit holding a losing record many schools will be extending their seasons far as they seek out state championships. Let’s see how the teams’ quests have fared in Week 8 of games.

Matchup of the Week

The Washington Catholic Athletic Conference is one of the toughest football conferences in the country, and this week two of its traditional powerhouses faced off against each other in an instant classic game. After five overtimes, three-star DL commit Kris Jenkins and Our Lady Good Counsel eked out a 42-35 victory over rival Gonzaga.

This tight win is nothing new for the cardiac Falcons, who only have a combined margin of victory of 52 points in their six games this year. Despite the final tally, this game was a defensive battle with the score knotted at only 7-7 after regulation. But after the teams traded touchdowns in the first four overtimes, Jenkins decided to call game with a crucial pass breakup on fourth down.

The schedule doesn’t get any easier for Good Counsel, who faces St. John’s and DeMatha in the next two weeks.

Biggest Blowout

This week’s award easily goes to three-star quarterback JD Johnson, who led his Pinnacle squad to a 60-0 shutout victory over Mountain Ridge. Johnson tossed five total touchdown passes in the game, with three for over 40 yards. On the season, Johnson has proved to be more than an adequate replacement for five-star quarterback Spencer Rattler, throwing for almost 1,500 yards and holding a 15:2 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

Most Impressive Stat Line

Other than Johnson, there weren’t too many eye-popping performances this week. So, I’m going to reward four-star safety RJ Moten for his all-around performance on Friday night. Moten helped out on both sides of the ball for Delran as they beat Ewing 39-14.

On defense, Moten racked up six tackles, including a tackle for loss. He also helped out in multiple ways on offense, scoring once both through the air and on the ground. In total, Moten had six total touches for 62 yards and two touchdowns. This versatility could be utilized by the Michigan coaching staff as they search for a second running back in the 2020 class.

Craziest Play

After he made a statement last week in his five-touchdown performance, three-star athlete Eamonn Dennis followed up with another big game. He scored two rushing yards, one of which was a 60-yard run where Dennis got to show off his speed by beating the defender to the corner and speeding away towards the endzone.

On A Down Note

While it was a great week for most teams, there were a couple of Michigan commits who suffered injuries that could threaten their senior seasons. Four-star safety commit Jordan Morant actually injured his foot a couple of weeks ago, but it wasn’t announced that he would miss the season until he received his Under Armour All-American jersey in a bittersweet moment.

The other injury sustained by a Michigan commit was by four-star defensive end Braiden McGregor. McGregor suffered a knee injury in the fourth quarter of a close 29-26 victory over rival Port Huron. It’s not sure yet the extent of the injury but the worst case is an ACL tear. Hopefully both of these defensive studs will be back at full strength sooner rather than later to help out the Wolverines on the field next season.

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