Friday Night Lights: Arizona commits shine as high school football season begins

It is here. Football season is back! The Arizona Wildcats go into their season with 19 public commitments in the 2023 recruiting class, with more on the way.

And with that, there are plenty of updates on the future Wildcats.

Let’s dive into how they performed for their respective teams in this season’s first Friday Night Lights.

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4-star QB Brayden Dorman, Vista Ridge (Colorado Springs, Colo.)

• Game Result: Lost 47-43 to Legend
• Team Record: 0-1
• Game Stats: 32-for-39, 476 yds, 5 TD, 3 INT; 3 car, 25 yds
• Season Stats: 32-for-39, 476 yds, 5 TD, 3 INT; 3 car, 25 yds
• Notes: Dorman, overall, had a great game. He would most likely state otherwise due to the loss and the 3 interceptions. I would agree on the interceptions, but I wouldn’t worry too much about that as of yet. It’s the first game of the season and he has plenty of time to cut those down.

What’s impressive is his completion percentage and yardage. He also had a couple of beautiful passes that can be seen in the below highlights.

3-star OL Elijha Payne, Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.)

• Game Result: Lost 38-21 to Oaks Christian
• Team Record: 1-1
• Game Stats: N/A
• Season Stats: N/A
• Notes: I haven’t been able to find any highlights or videos of Payne so far this season. Though the biggest note is he moved from Desert Pines in Las Vegas to Sierra Canyon in Los Angeles. The Trailblazers lost to the JSerra Catholic Lions 17-31 on August 19.

3-star WR Jackson Holman, Mission Viejo (Calif.)

• Game Result: Won 42-23 over Servite Friars
• Team Record: 2-0
• Game Stats: 5 rec, 106 yds, 2 TD
• Season Stats: 10 rec, 182, 3 TD
• Notes: Holman had a very strong second game of the season against Orange County opponent Servite. He had a beautiful 50-yard touchdown where he beat his man downfield and caught the ball in-stride. His route running seems to have really improved and he has also showcased good concentration and hands. Mission Viejo defeated future UA teammate Gavin Hunter’s Mililani squad 34-21 on August 12.
• Servite Highlights

• Mililani Highlights

3-star OL Rhino Tapaatoutai, Bishop Alemany (Mission Hills, Calif.)

• Game Result: Won 14-7 over Lincoln
• Team Record: 1-1
• Game Stats: 5 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack
• Season Stats: 6 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack, 1 PBU
• Notes: Rhino had a very good game against the hornets, making plays on both sides of the ball. He is coming to Arizona as an OL commit, but he is also very good on the defensive side of the ball as well. There are no highlights for him on Hudl, however, Matt Moreno of Rivals was out in Los Angeles to see him in person. You can see those clips below.

Alemany lost to Lone Peak 49-20 on August 19.

3-star RB Brandon Johnson, Highland (Palmdale, Calif.)

• Game Result: Lost 28-16 to Oak Hills
• Team Record: 1-1
• Game Stats: 25 car, 165 yds; 3 rec, 30 yds
• Season Stats: 34 car, 220 yds, 2 TD; 3 rec, 30 yds
• Notes: There are no highlights for Johnson’s excellent game against Oak Hills. However, there is a clip of one of his TD runs in Highland’s 20-7 victory over the Paraclete Spirits. Needless to say, the run is impressive. Check it out below.

2-star OL Tylen Gonzalez, Carlsbad (N.M.)

• Game Result: Won 35-28 over Goddard Rockets
• Team Record: 1-1
• Game Stats: 1 tackle (appears stats are incomplete)
• Season Stats: 1 tackle (appears stats are incomplete)
• Notes: Unfortunately, I was unable to find any highlights of Gonzalez. Carlsbad lost their first game of the season 27-30 to the Artesia Bulldogs on August 19.

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3-star ATH Solomon Davis, Charter Oak (Covina, Calif.)

• Game Result: Won 38-24 over Northview
• Team Record: 1-0
• Game Stats: 5 rec, 73 yds, 1 TD; 2 tackles
• Season Stats: 5 rec, 73 yds, 1 TD; 2 tackles
• Notes: Davis had a very good game overall. Offensively, he not only ran good routes but showed very good hands, field awareness, and playmaking ability after the catch. Defensively, Davis showcased solid speed to chase down a ball carrier down the field and ability to to identify a play as it develops. What was not expected was his ability to play up on the line and be effective.

3-star CB Carter Stoutmire, Prestonwood Christian (Plano, Tex.)

• Game Result: Lost 28-7 to Liberty Christian
• Team Record: 0-1
• Game Stats: 2 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PBU
• Season Stats: 2 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PBU
• Notes: It wasn’t a great game for the Lions and Stoutmire didn’t have an eye-popping stat line. I didn’t find any highlights of Stoutmire in action, however, this story has some photos of the game. Stoutmire is wearing #2 in dark blue.

3-star CB Canyon Moses, Midland (Tex.) Legacy

• Game Result: Won 47-21 over Amarillo
• Team Record: 1-0
• Game Stats: 2 tackles, 1 INT, 3 PBU
• Season Stats: 2 tackles, 1 INT, 3 PBU
• Notes: Moses had an electric game. He had an amazing kickoff return that saw him hurdle an opposing player while flying down the sideline and losing no speed. Couple that with his excellent coverage and multiple plays against the ball, and you have a recipe for what should be a very successful season for Moses.

3-star S Arian Parish, Katy (Tex.)

• Game Result: Won 49-16 over Clear Springs
• Team Record: 1-0
• Game Stats: Unknown
• Season Stats: Unknown
• Notes: I was unable to find any stats or highlights for Parish.

3-star ATH Gavin Hunter, Mililani (Hawaii)

• Game Result: Won 35-34 over Campbell
• Team Record: 2-1
• Game Stats: 4 rec, 52 yds, 1 TD; 5 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 INT, 2 PBU
• Season Stats: 6 rec, 89 yds, 3 TD; 16 tackles, 1 TFL, 3 INT, 3 PBU
• Notes: Bottom line up front: Hunter is a dynamic playmaker. Very good in coverage. Very good as a receiver. I’m just going to drop his highlights so far from this season. Enjoy.
• Campbell Highlights

• Mission Viejo Highlights

• St. Louis Highlights

3-star CB Sean Brown, Simi Valley (Calif.)

• Game Result: Won 51-0 over Knight
• Team Record: 2-0
• Game Stats: Unknown
• Season Stats: 3 rec, 29 yds (stats are incomplete)
• Notes: I was unable to find any highlights or stats for Brown against Knight. Simi Valley did win their first game of the season 49-3 over the Ventura Cougars.

3-star S Justin Johnson, Inglewood (Calif.)

• Game Result: Won 39-0 over Foothill
• Team Record: 2-0
• Game Stats: Unknown
• Season Stats: 5 tackles (incomplete, based on highlights)
• Notes: There were no stats or highlights of Johnson against Foothill. However, in Inglewood’s opening win against St. Bonaventure on August 19, Johnson showcased good tackling and aggressiveness.
• St. Bonaventure Highlights

3-star S Genesis Smith, Chandler (Ariz.) Hamilton

Did not play.

3-star EDGE Tristan Davis, Lakeridge (Lake Oswego, Ore.)

Did not play.

3-star DL Lucas Conti, Centennial (Corona, Calif.)

• Game Result: Won 42-7 over Cathedral Catholic
• Team Record: 2-0
• Game Stats: 7 tackles
• Season Stats: 8 tackles, 1 TFL
• Notes: I was unable to find any highlights of Conti during this past weekend. He did have a productive game though.

3-star DL Domonic Lolesio, Long Beach (Calif.) Poly

• Game Result: Won 17-3 over Serra
• Team Record: 2-0
• Game Stats: 2 tackles (incomplete, based on highlights)
• Season Stats: 9 tackles, 3 TFL, 1 PBU (stats are incomplete)
• Notes: Lolesio showed a nastiness and aggressiveness against Serra. In the short highlights below, he was able disrupt a play before it could develop and aggressively shed a double team to stop a play for a short gain. Flipping on his Clovis highlights from August 19 shows a lot of the same. Lolesio was an absolute menace in LBP’s 56-7 win over the Cougars, securing 3 TFLs and a 5 QB hurries.
• Serra Highlights

• Clovis Highlights

3-star LB Kamuela Kaaihue, Roosevelt (Honolulu)

• Game Result: Lost 57-7 to ‘Aiea Na Alii
• Team Record: 1-1
• Game Stats: Unknown
• Season Stats: Unknown
• Notes: I was unable to find any stats or highlights for Kaaihue.

3-star EDGE Julian Savaiinaea, St. Louis (Honolulu)

• Game Result: Won 49-6 over Kapa’a Warriors
• Team Record: 1-1
• Game Stats: Unkonwn
• Season Stats: 3 tackles, 3 TFL, 2 sacks (incomplete)
• Notes: The younger Savaiinaea is just as aggressive and athletic as his older brother. He plays with a high motor, which can also be seen in the Crusaders’ 7-28 loss to Mililani to start the season. Enjoy his highlights below.
• Kapa’a Highlights

• Mililani Highlights