Notre Dame commit recap: CB Elijah Hicks makes clutch plays

The playoff runs for Notre Dame’s commits brought plenty of drama last week. ND Insider recaps how the 15 Irish pledges in action fared.

CB Elijah Hicks | La Mirada (Calif.) High 32, La Serna 31: Needing a field goal to win the game, La Mirada looked to Hicks to put the Matadores in position. Hicks caught a 22-yard pass on fourth down and a 30-yard pass on the next play to set up the game-winning field goal with 12 seconds left. Hicks also returned a kickoff 82 yards for a touchdown and intercepted a pass. He finished the game with three catches for 59 yards, two tackles and one tackle for a loss. La Mirada (10-2) will face Los Alamitos (9-3) on Friday in the CIF Southern Section Division 3 semifinals.

QB Avery Davis | Cedar Hill (Texas) High 23, Guyer 21: Davis engineered a Cedar Hill comeback after trailing 21-7 at halftime. He threw two touchdowns in the second half and put the Longhorns in position for a 23-yard field goal with 4:16 left which proved to be the game-winner. Davis completed 24 of his 38 passes (63 percent) for three touchdowns with one interception. He also rushed nine times for 29 yards. The interception was Davis’ first since Oct. 14. He’s only thrown four in nine games. Cedar Hill (10-2) will play against Mansfield (10-2) and Irish cornerback commit Paulson Adebo on Friday in the third round of the UIL Conference 6A Division 2 playoffs.

WR Jordan Pouncey | Winter Park (Fla.) High 35, Timber Creek 21: Pouncey caught one of three interceptions made by the Winter Park defense. He also scored one of the five Winter Park touchdowns on an 18-yard run. Pouncey recorded 10 carries for 30 yards, a punt return of 42 yards, a 39-yard reception and nine tackles. Winter Park (9-3) will square off with Seminole (11-0) on Friday in the FHSAA Class 8A regional finals.

CB Paulson Adebo | Mansfield (Texas) High 54, Tascosa 43: Adebo caught two passes for 45 yards and rushed once for 45 yards in the shootout victory. Adebo and the Mansfield defense struggled to slow down Tascosa’s running game, which accounted for 444 of the 449 yards gained by its offense. Mansfield will play against Cedar Hill on Friday in the third round of the UIL Conference 6A Division 2 playoffs.

RB CJ Holmes | Cheshire (Conn.) Academy 45, Brunswick School 20: Holmes capped his career with 20 carries for 120 yards and an 11-yard touchdown. Holmes also caught an interception as Cheshire Academy (8-2) won the NEPSAC Wayne Sanborn Bowl.

WR Michael Young | Destrehan (La.) High 37, Mandeville 36: A potential game-tying touchdown in the final minute led to a game-winning two-point conversion for Destrehan. A mishandled snap on the extra point attempt turned into a two-point play on a wild completion. Young didn’t score on either play, but he did turn in a 27-yard touchdown reception in the game. Destrehan (11-0) will host John Ehret (12-2) on Friday in the LHSAA Class 5A quarterfinals.

DE Justin Ademilola and DT Jayson Ademilola | Jersey City (N.J.) St. Peter's Prep 28, Bergen Catholic 7: The Ademilola twins each recorded a sack as the St. Peter’s Prep held strong in the victory. The Marauders didn’t allow a score in the final three quarters. St. Peter’s Prep (8-3) will play against Paramus Catholic (9-2) on Friday, Dec. 2, in the NJSIAA Non-Public Group 4 championship.

LB Drew White | Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas 37, Dwyer 0: White and the St. Thomas Aquinas defense held a team scoreless for the sixth time this season. St. Thomas Aquinas (9-2) will take on Mater Academy Charter (11-1) in the FHSAA Class 7A regional finals.

LB David Adams and DT Kurt Hinish | Pittsburgh (Pa.) Central Catholic 42, Seneca Valley 7: Adams, Hinish and the Central Catholic defense proved to be stingy in the WPIAL Class 6A championship. The Vikings allowed only 154 total yards of offense. Central Catholic (12-1) will play against Williamsport (12-1) on Saturday in the PIAA Class 6A quarterfinals.

OL Robert Hainsey | Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy 16, Bishop Sullivan Catholic 6: Hainsey and the IMG Academy offense were held scoreless for three quarters, but they mounted a rally in the fourth quarter to cap a perfect season. The Ascenders (11-0) went ahead on a 91-yard touchdown reception by Oregon tight end commit Tre McKitty.

DT Darnell Ewell | Norfolk (Va.) Lake Taylor 42, Heritage 19: Ewell and Lake Taylor found their revenge in the playoffs. After losing to Heritage early in the season opener, Lake Taylor ended Heritage’s season. Lake Taylor (11-1) will take on Lafayette (11-0) Friday in the VHSL Group 4 quarterfinals.

DE Jonathon MacCollister | Orlando (Fla.) Bishop Moore 21, Palm Bay 14: Three touchdowns in the first quarter provided a big enough cushion for MacCollister and the Bishop Moore defense to secure the win. Bishop Moore (11-1) will face off with American Heritage (11-0) on Friday in the Class 5A regional finals.

LB Bo Bauer | Erie (Pa.) Cathedral Prep 58, University Prep 12: Following two bye weeks, Cathedral Prep picked up where it left off. Bauer recorded a sack on a safety as the Ramblers rolled. Cathedral Prep (11-0) will play Thomas Jefferson (12-0) on Friday in the PIAA Class 4A quarterfinals.

OL Dillan Gibbons | Clearwater (Fla.) Central Catholic 62, Melbourne Central Catholic 69 (9OT): Melbourne Central Catholic needed nine overtimes to vanquish Gibbons and Clearwater Central Catholic (9-2). The two teams traded touchdowns in six of the nine overtime sessions. The Marauders came up one yard short when Tennessee running back commit C.J. Cotman was stopped on fourth down to end the game.

Season finished: TE Brock Wright, OL Josh Lugg, LB Pete Werner, RB Markese Stepp, TE Cole Kmet, LB Ovie Oghoufo, S Isaiah Robertson, QB Phil Jurkovec.

*Stats reported were provided by players, coaches or the following news organizations: MaxPreps, The Virginian-Pilot, Orlando Sentinel, NJ Advance Media, Florida Today, The Times-Picayune, The Record-Journal, Dallas Morning News, Whittier Daily News.

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