Notre Dame commit recap: Sanders scores five touchdowns

C.J. Sanders proved to be a prolific scoring threat in his California debut.

Sanders, the Notre Dame wide receiver commit who transferred from Brentwood (Tenn.) Academy to Sherman Oaks Notre Dame for his senior year, scored five touchdowns Friday night in a 70-34 win over Mira Costa.

The four-star prospect didn’t wait long to make his presence known. He scored on a 30-yard run on Notre Dame's first drive of the game. He took a short pass for a 20-yard touchdown and the second score of the game.

“I wanted to come out with a good start,” Sanders said. “I want to make sure I’m remembered and have a great year. I’m just blessed to be in this position. Now it’s time to keep the ball rolling with the team. I’m looking forward to playing some of the top competition in California.”

Sanders manufactured touchdowns in a number of ways Friday. The 5-foot-9, 176-pounder played as a running back, a wide receiver, a Wildcat quarterback and a kick returner. His other touchdowns came on a 13-yard run, a 48-yard catch and a 92-yard kick return.

“It was awesome,” Sanders said. “It’s my first year with Coach (Kevin) Rooney. He’s a great coach. He puts me in positions to make plays. He put me in the Wildcat. He had special plays set up for me. It was pretty easy to make plays in that system. I had fun.”

The game was also Sanders’ first since he offered his verbal commitment to Notre Dame in May. Fittingly, it came with Sanders wearing an Under Armour jersey for a Notre Dame team. Opponents will be well aware of his presence on the field and his Irish future.

“I feel like there’s no pressure,” Sanders said. “I’m just going to do me and do the best I can. I’m always going to play against the best. If I play against the best, everything will take care of itself.”

Here’s a recap of the rest of Notre Dame’s verbally committed recruiting class from the weekend:

WR Jalen Guyton: Allen 55, Denton Guyer 41. Guyton scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns — a 64-yard reception and 24-yard run — in Allen’s win. He finished with seven catches for 183 yards. Watch highlights here.

S Nicco Fertitta: Bishop Gorman 48, Anaheim (Calif.) Servite 27. Fertitta totaled six tackles against a Servite team featuring Notre Dame wide receiver target Equanimeous St. Brown and Oregon quarterback commit Travis Waller.

OL Trevor Ruhland: Cary-Grove 38, Wheaton North 28. Ruhland helped clear the way for 265 rushing yards in a revenge win over Wheaton North. Last season, Cary-Grove lost to the same team by 24 points.

RB Josh Adams: Central Bucks South 41, Central Bucks West 14. A healthy Adams rushed 15 times for 232 yards and two touchdowns in the first half of a blowout victory. He also caught one pass for 26 yards.

DT Elijah Taylor: Archbishop Moeller 21, Pickerington North 6. Taylor and the Moeller defense shutout Pickerington North for the first three quarters and limited the opposing offense to 2.2 yards per carry.

WR Miles Boykin: Providence Catholic 21, Joliet Catholic 10. Boykin made six catches for 70 yards including an eight-yard touchdown in the Providence Catholic victory.

CB Shaun Crawford: St. Edward 38, Gilman (Md.) 7. Crawford and the St. Edward defense limited the Gilman offense to just 87 total yards in Sunday's game on ESPNU. Gilman quarterback Kai Locksley, a Florida State commit, passed for only 13 yards and rushed for 45 yards. Crawford finished with one pass breakup, one tackle and a 10-yard reception.

OL Tristen Hoge: Highland 42, Orem 36. Hoge anchored the Highland offensive line as the Rams scored the game-winning touchdown with 47 seconds left to break a 36-36 tie. Highland tallied 335 yards of offense — 253 passing and 82 rushing. Watch highlights here.

CB Nick Coleman: Archbishop Alter 42, Fairmont 12. Coleman played both ways in the blowout win for Alter. He rushed 10 times for 63 yards and a touchdown. He recorded one pass defended at cornerback for a defense that shut out Fairmont, 35-0, in the first half.

LB Josh Barajas: Andrean 45, Merrillville 34. Barajas and Andrean took down crosstown rival Merrillville in the “Battle of Broadway.” Barajas recorded nine tackles and two sacks at linebacker and a 20-yard reception at tight end. Watch highlights here.

CB Ashton White: Mount St. Joseph 42, Bishop McNamara 7. White and Bishop McNamara couldn’t keep pace after a 7-7 first quarter against Mount St. Joseph on Saturday. White caught five passes for 76 yards as a wide receiver and recorded three tackles on defense.

S Prentice McKinney: Cedar Hill 56, South Oak Cliff 34. McKinney and the South Oak Cliff defense could not slow the high-powered Cedar Hill offense. Cedar Hill, led by USC running back commit Aca’cedric Ware and his 193 rushing yards and four touchdowns, scored on all but two possessions.

DT Brandon Tiassum:Beech Grove 50, Park Tudor 36. Tiassum made some noise in the Beech Grove backfield, but Park Tudor couldn’t slow the Beech Grove offense enough to keep pace. Tiassum tallied 11 tackles and five sacks in the loss. Watch highlights here.

DL Micah Dew-Treadway: Hinsdale Central 23, Bolingbrook 15. Dew-Treadway and the Bolingbrook defense couldn’t hold on to a 15-14 halftime lead as Hinsdale Central pulled off the upset. He recorded eight tackles (three solo, five assisted).

*Stats reported were provided by the players or the following news organizations: MaxPreps, Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch, Idaho State Journal, Dallas Morning News and Cleveland Plain Dealer.

tjames@ndinsider.com | 574-235-6214 | Twitter: @TJamesNDI