Notre Dame commit recap: QB Phil Jurkovec continues to dazzle
With their seasons on the line, 13 Notre Dame commits recorded victories last week. ND Insider recaps the week for all 17 Irish pledges in action.
• QB Phil Jurkovec | Gibsonia (Pa.) Pine-Richland 49, North Allegheny 25: Only six quarterbacks in WPIAL history had passed for 7,000 career yards before last week. Jurkovec became the seventh with another monster performance. He completed 18 of his 20 passes (90 percent) for 432 yards and five touchdowns and rushed 12 times for 108 yards and one touchdown in the Pine-Richland victory.
The Rams (12-0) will play against Pittsburgh Central Catholic (10-2) on Saturday in the WPIAL Class 6A championship.
• RB Jahmir Smith | Sanford (N.C.) Lee County 40, Ben L. Smith 0: Smith turned 23 carries into 105 yards and four touchdowns to help carry Lee County to victory. The Yellow Jackets (12-0) will play against Cape Fair (9-3) on Friday in the second round of the NCHSAA Class 3AA playoffs.
• QB Cade McNamara | Reno (Nev.) Damonte Ranch 52, McQueen 13: McNamara completed 15 of his 23 passes (65 percent) for 241 yards and four touchdowns with one interception in the Damonte Ranch victory. His longest completion of the day went to his younger brother Kyle for a 73-yard touchdown.
The Mustangs (11-0) will play against Reed (9-2) on Friday in the NIAA Class 4A Northern Region semifinals.
• ROV Shayne Simon, DT Jayson Ademilola and DE Justin Ademilola | Jersey City (N.J.) St. Peter’s Prep 41, Don Bosco Prep 18: Simon caught the ball on both offense and defense, and the Ademilola twins got their hands on the football too in the St. Peter’s Prep win. Simon caught seven passes for 79 yards and threw a 17-yard touchdown pass on a trick play. He added four tackles and an interception on defense. Jayson Ademilola and Justin Ademilola each recorded five tackles with Justin adding a sack and a forced fumble that was recovered by Jayson.
St. Peter’s Prep (8-2) will play against Paramus Catholic (5-5) on Friday in an NJSIAA Non-Public Group 4 semifinal.
• WR Joe Wilkins Jr. | North Fort Myers (Fla.) High 37, Clearwater 13: Wilkins caught six passes for 66 yards and forced a fumble on defense in his first game as a Notre Dame commit. North Fort Myers (9-0) will play against Fort Myers (7-3) on Friday in a FHSAA Class 6A regional semifinal.
• RB Markese Stepp | Indianapolis Cathedral 35, Bloomington South 21: Stepp’s playing time was limited as he continues to fight off nagging hamstring issues. That didn’t prevent him from scoring a game-tying touchdown on a one-yard run in the third quarter. Stepp finished with six carries for 30 yards. One of Stepp’s backups, Alec Hobson, scored the final two touchdowns to give Cathedral a victory.
The Fighting Irish (7-5) will play against Columbus East (12-1) on Friday in an IHSAA Class 5A state semifinal.
• OL John Dirksen | Maria Stein (Ohio) Marion Local 35, Spencerville 0: Dirksen and the Marion Local offensive line cleared the way for a balanced attack that included 104 rushing yards for running back Brandon Fleck and 158 passing yards for quarterback Nathan Bruns. The Marion Local defense, which also features Dirksen on the defensive line at times, hasn’t been scored in on the last 15 quarters.
The Flyers (12-0) will play against Coldwater (9-3) on Friday in an OHSAA Division VI regional final.
• LB Bo Bauer | Erie (Pa.) Cathedral Prep 56, University Prep 0: Bauer and the Cathedral Prep defense completed their third shutout of the season for a playoff victory. The Ramblers (11-0) will have an off week before playing against the WPIAL Class 4A champion in the PIAA Class 4A quarterfinals.
• LB Ovie Oghoufo | Farmington Hills (Mich.) Harrison 34, Linden 21: Oghoufo caught a 24-yard touchdown pass in the Harrison victory. He also made five tackles. Harrison (10-3) will play against Riverview (11-1) on Saturday in the MHSAA Division 3 state semifinals.
• S Paul Moala | Mishawaka (Ind.) Penn 33, Crown Point 3: Moala and the Penn defense allowed an opposing team to score for the first time in three weeks, but it was only a field goal. The Kingsmen have only surrendered three points in three playoff games and haven’t allowed more than a touchdown in a game since Sept. 22. Penn (12-1) will play against Carmel (8-4) on Friday in an IHSAA Class 6A state semifinal.
• DT Jacob Lacey | Bowling Green (Ky.) South Warren 24, Christian County 6: Lacey notched five tackles, three tackles for a loss, one sack and two pass deflections in the South Warren win. The Spartans (10-2) will play against Bowling Green (10-2) on Friday in the KHSAA Class 6A quarterfinals.
• DT Ja’mion Franklin | Ridgely (Md.) North Caroline 29, Kent Island 33: Franklin played left tackle in addition to defensive line, but his extra effort wasn’t enough to lift North Caroline to victory. He tallied three tackles, including two tackles for a loss, and pass deflection. Franklin’s senior season has ended with the loss for North Caroline (10-1) in the MPSSAA Class 2A regional semifinals.
• LB Jack Lamb | Temecula (Calif.) Great Oak 23, Valencia 54: Lamb played on both sides of the ball, but Great Oak couldn’t keep up with Valencia. Lamb totaled 10 tackles on defense and caught two passes for 26 yards at wide receiver including a 19-yard touchdown. Valencia’s offense burnt Great Oak for 548 yards. Lamb’s senior season has ended with the loss for the Wolfpack (5-6) in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 2 playoffs.
• WR Geordon Porter | Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) Etiwanda 14, Downey 47: The Downey offense dominated with its running attack for 368 yards and five touchdowns to defeat Porter’s Etiwanda team. Porter caught four passes for 70 yards. Porter’s senior season has ended with the loss for the Eagles (3-8) in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 4 playoffs.
• OL Cole Mabry | Brentwood (Tenn.) High 13, Cane Ridge 28: Mabry and the Brentwood offense couldn’t keep up with Cane Ridge. The Bruins put up their lowest scoring performance of the season and quarterback Carson Shacklett only managed 93 passing yards. Mabry’s senior season has ended with the loss for Brentwood (10-2) in the second round of the TSSAA Division I Class 6A playoffs.
Season finished: WR Kevin Austin, WR Micah Jones, TE George Takacs, S Derrik Allen.
*Stats reported were provided by players, coaches or the following news organizations: MaxPreps, Indianapolis Star, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Lima News, NJ.com, Sanford Herald, The Tennesseean.
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