Notre Dame commit recap: OL John Dirksen wins another state title
One Notre Dame commit won the first state championship of the year for the Irish recruiting classes. Two more advanced to state final matchups. ND Insider recaps how all six Notre Dame pledges in action fared last week.
• OL John Dirksen | Maria Stein (Ohio) Marion Local 34, Kirtland 11: Dirksen helped pave the way for a balanced offensive attack as Marion Local won its second straight OHSAA Division VI state title. The Flyers (15-0) finished a perfect season with 153 rushing yards and 178 passing yards. In addition to blocking on the offensive line, Dirksen recorded a tackle on the defensive line.
After trailing 3-0 in the first quarter, Marion Local scored 34 consecutive points. The victory offered sweet revenge for the Flyers. Kirtland beat Marion Local in the 2015 state championship.
“Playing against a team that beat you and kind of embarrassed your program, it’s a great motivator,” Dirksen told the Dayton Daily News.
Dirksen finished his career at Marion Local with wins in his last 27 games.
• LB Bo Bauer | Erie (Pa.) Cathedral Prep 42, Berks Catholic 24: At halftime Cathedral Prep and Berks Catholic were tied at 21. That didn’t sit well with Bauer. In the previous 12 games, the Cathedral Prep defense had only allowed two teams to score at least 21 points in an entire game.
“It was embarrassing to give up 21 points in a half,” Bauer told the Erie Times-News. “I poured myself out at halftime and told the guys we can’t have this on a championship team. We played with emotion in the second half. I was just being real, because this could have been our last game.”
Bauer’s fellow defenders responded by not letting Berks Catholic in the end zone for the rest of the game. Bauer led the Ramblers with 14 tackles. He also rushed once for a 16-yard gain.
Junior running back Billy Lucas did most of the rushing for Cathedral Prep. He finished with 14 carries for 268 yards and five touchdowns.
Cathedral Prep (13-0) will play Thursday against Imhotep Charter (13-1) in the PIAA Class 4A state championship. The Ramblers and Panthers will meet in the state final for the third-straight season. The two teams split the previous matchups with Cathedral Prep winning last year.
• QB Phil Jurkovec | Gibsonia (Pa.) Pine-Richland 28, Manheim Township 7: Jurkovec has been so sick, that he didn’t ride with his team to the PIAA Class 6A state semifinals. But that didn’t stop him from playing and playing well. Jurkovec completed 20 of his 33 passes (61 percent) for 243 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. He also rushed 13 times for 85 yards including a 31-yard touchdown.
“I haven’t been able to eat much at all the past five days,” Jurkovec told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “That’s why I feel drained and tired.”
Jurkovec also said he is awaiting test results from a doctor with mononucleosis or Lyme disease being considered as possibilities.
Pine-Richland (15-0) will play Saturday against St. Joseph’s Prep (13-0) in the PIAA Class 6A state championship. Jurkovec’s status for the game remains unclear.
— WPAFootball (@WPAFootball) December 2, 2017
jurkovec to Falcone td. No pat. 6-0 @PRRamsFootball 9:36 pic.twitter.com/ieXBK6Nygi
— WPAFootball (@WPAFootball) December 2, 2017
Phil Jurkovec 2-point conversion. 21-7. #PineRichland#PIAApic.twitter.com/rxVrgDGL6K
— OuterLimitsTraining (@outerlim) December 2, 2017
Rams force a fumble and recovered at the 31. @pjurkovec goes in from that spot. 28-7 Rams 3:13 3rd pic.twitter.com/VUvBcqvpj1
— WPAFootball (@WPAFootball) December 2, 2017
• ROV Shayne Simon, DT Jayson Ademilola and DE Justin Ademilola | Jersey City (N.J.) St. Peter’s Prep 7, Bergen Catholic 44: Nothing went according to plan for St. Peter’s Prep in the NJSIAA Non-Public Group 4 championship. Bergen Catholic rolled to a 31-0 halftime lead in a runaway victory.
The final result was similar to the 41-14 win for Bergen Catholic when the two teams met in October. The St. Peter’s Prep defense couldn’t prevent Bergen Catholic from totaling 385 yards in the state championship.
Simon caught six passes for 55 yards in his final game for St. Peter’s Prep (9-3).
Season finished: LB Ovie Oghoufo, DT Jacob Lacey, S Paul Moala,CB Joe Wilkins Jr., RB Jahmir Smith, RB Markese Stepp, QB Cade McNamara, DT Ja’mion Franklin, LB Jack Lamb, WR Geordon Porter, OL Cole Mabry, 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, Dayton Daily News, Erie Times-News and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
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