How Michigan commits performed in Week 11 of high school action

Michigan’s class lost another player to a disappointing injury when former quarterback commit JD Johnson announced he was medically retiring from football last week. That makes three recruits who have been unable to finish their senior seasons this year. However, there are still plenty of guys who are continuing their hunt for state championships as the playoffs start across the country. Here’s how their attempts are going (spoiler alert: pretty well).

Matchup of the Week

Finally, we had a game this season with two Michigan commits facing off against one another. Four-star offensive lineman Zak Zinter and his Buckingham Browne & Nichols squad hosted four-star linebacker Kalel Mullings and Milton Academy for a big matchup in Massachusetts.

After falling behind 21-7 in the first half, Mullings put the team on his back to save their undefeated season, scoring three touchdowns to lead Milton Academy to a 42-21 victory. Mullings scored on the ground, through the air, and on a 54-yard punt return while also contributing on defense. Zinter also played on both sides of the ball, lining up at defensive tackle while not helping block for the offense.

While this was the first game between Michigan commits this season, we could be in for another one in a couple of weeks. Belleville and West Bloomfield are on a collision course in the Michigan state playoffs if both teams win this week.

Biggest Blowout

It’s been a while since I’ve featured Southern Columbia and three-star running back Gaige Garcia in this section, but this week there’s no way to avoid it. In the first round of the playoffs, top-seeded Southern Columbia absolutely demolished Towanda 75-0.

The Tigers scored eight touchdowns on their first nine plays, while only throwing two passes the entire game, both of which naturally went for scores. On the ground, it only took three carries for Garcia to rack up 178 yards and two touchdowns. He was only barely edged by his younger brother Gavin Garcia, who also only had three carries, but had 143 yards and three touchdowns.

To sum it up, it was an efficient day for Southern Columbia. It’s hard to see anyone challenging them for a state title this year.

Most Impressive Stat Line

Williamstown and three-star defensive lineman Aaron Lewis were enjoying an undefeated season until they took a tough loss to St. Augustine this week by the score of 21-7.

The loss was of no fault to Lewis, who stuffed the stat sheet as usual for his team. He ended up with 10 tackles, two sacks, a fumble recovery and a pass break-up on the day. Interestingly, that was his third pass break-up of the year, indicating a potential hidden talent to deploy at the next level.

Despite the loss, Williamstown will enter the playoffs as the number one seed in their division.

Craziest Play

Last week we showed a player on the offensive side of the ball showing out on defense, and this week it’s happening again. Three-star athlete Eamonn Dennis gave me no choice after grabbing an insane one-handed interception in St. John’s tight 14-7 win over Wachusett.

Dennis is a threat in all three phases of the game, with electric touchdowns on offense and special teams becoming a regular occurrence for the tantalizing prospect.

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