Friday Night Lights: Defensive line commits make noise; skill players earn PotG honors

The Arizona Wildcats have 19 known commitments for the 2023 recruiting class, all of whom are competing in their senior years of high school football.

Follow along with our Friday Night Lights, Week 2 edition, to see how they’re faring:

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

• Game Result: Won 43-28 against Far Northeast
• Team Record: 1-1
• Game Stats: 14-for-21, 260 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT; 3 car, 55 yds, 1 TD
• Season Stats: 46-for-60, 736 yds, 7 TD, 5 INT; 6 car, 80 yds, 1 TD
• Notes: Dorman, had another solid game. As you can see in the clip below, he makes an impressive, on-target throw while on the run. The play resulted in a touchdown. Dorman also had a successful day on the ground, racking up 80 yards and a score. And again, he will need to clean up the interceptions as the year goes on. It is worth noting that through two games, Dorman is sitting at a 77% completion rate. To put that lightly....that’s good.

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

• Game Result: Won 35-16 over Green Valley
• Team Record: 1-2
• 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.

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

• Game Result: Lost 35-30 to Long Beach Poly
• Team Record: 2-1
• Game Stats: 2 rec, 43 yds
• Season Stats: 12 rec, 225 yds, 3 TD
• Notes: Holman didn’t have a mind-boggling statline against the Jackrabbits. He did, however, showcase his good route-running and strong hands. Holman also showed that he is able to make plays after the catch, racking up the YAC on a 27-yd play.
• Servite Highlights

• First Three Highlights

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

• Game Result: Bye Week
• Team Record: 1-1
• Game Stats: N/A
• Season Stats: 6 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack, 1 PBU
• Notes: Rhino and his Bishop Alemany squad had a bye week this past weekend.

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

• Game Result: Won 36-16 against Mission Hills
• Team Record: 2-1
• Game Stats: 24 car, 205 yds, 2 TD; 3 rec, 36 yds
• Season Stats: 58 car, 425 yds, 4 TD; 6 rec, 66 yds
• Notes: Johnson continues to post ridiculous statlines as his senior season grinds on. This past weekend, he averaged 8.5 yards per carry as he eclipsed the 200-yard mark and found the end zone twice. That was good enough for Johnson to be named MaxPreps’ Player of the Game for the third straight week. You can see one of his scores, a 19-yd touchdown run, below.

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

• Game Result: Lost 32-19 to Volcano Vista
• Team Record: 1-2
• Game Stats: 2 tackles, 1 TFL
• Season Stats: 3 tackles, 1 TFL (stats appear to be incomplete)
• Notes: Unfortunately, I was unable to find any highlights of Gonzalez. He did have 2 tackles, including one for a loss, in the Cavemen’s loss to Volcano Vista.

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

• Game Result: Won 37-7 over Glendora
• Team Record: 2-0
• Game Stats: 1 rec, 11 yds, 1 TD; 3 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PBU
• Season Stats: 6 rec, 84 yds, 2 TD; 5 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PBU
• Notes: Davis is a playmaker. He did a nice job scoring a touchdown on his lone catch of the night. Defensively, he is just as good. He is so good at disengaging his man and pursuing the ball carrier. He also showcased his solid tackling multiple times.

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

• Game Result: Won 31-27 over Second Baptist
• Team Record: 1-1
• Game Stats: Unknown
• Season Stats: 2 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PBU (stats incomplete)
• Notes: I wasn’t able to find any stats or highlights of Stoutmire.

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

• Game Result: Lost 48-27 to Tascosa
• Team Record: 1-1
• Game Stats: 6 tackles, 1 forced fumble
• Season Stats: 8 tackles, 1 INT, 3 PBU, 1 forced fumble
• Notes: Moses had another strong game for the Rebels. He caused havoc once again with his forced fumble and continues to show his knack for making plays. I was unable to find any highlights for him.

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

• Game Result: Won 35-28 over Atascocita
• Team Record: 2-0
• Game Stats: Unknown
• Season Stats: Unknown
• Notes: I was unable to find any stats or highlights for Parish. However, see below for some praise he received for his game against Atascocita.

3-star ATH Gavin Hunter, Mililani (Honolulu)

• Game Result: Won 56-0 over Moanalua
• Team Record: 3-1
• Game Stats: Unkonwn
• Season Stats: 6 rec, 89 yds, 3 TD; 16 tackles, 1 TFL, 3 INT, 3 PBU (stats incomplete)
• Notes: I, surprisingly, couldn’t find any stats or highlights for Hunter this past weekend.

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

• Game Result: Won 49-12 over Royal
• Team Record: 3-0
• Game Stats: 1 rec, 45 yds, 1 TD; 2 tackles
• Season Stats: 4 rec, 74 yds, 1 TD; 2 tackles (stats incomplete)
• Notes: Brown appeared to play to play predominately man coverage....and was very good. He was physical at the line of scrimmage and even shed his man’s block to stop the play quickly. Offensively, he had a 45-yd touchdown grab that was impressive. He was able to get behind the coverage, turn around and adjust to the throw, catch it, and scoot into the end zone without really losing any speed. Brown made the catch look effortless. You can see his score at the end of the video in the tweet below. He is wearing #4.

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

• Game Result: Won 35-18 over Carlsbad
• Team Record: 3-0
• Game Stats: Unknown
• Season Stats: 8 tackles (incomplete, based on highlights)
• Notes: There were no stats or highlights of Johnson against Carlsbad. Below are his highlights Foothill. One thing is certain, Johnson is very active and does a good job playing in the box. He is very comparable to Christian Young, who is also very good against the run.
• Foothill Highlights

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

• Game Result: Won 38-14 over Centennial
• Team Record: 1-0
• Game Stats: Pick 6 (stats incomplete)
• Season Stats: Pick 6 (stats incomplete)
• Notes: It is a shame that Smith’s highlights aren’t up yet. He ended up earning MaxPreps’ Defensive Player of the Game for Hamilton and on key reason is a Pick 6 he had to score the Huskies’ first touchdown of the season. You can see part of that play in the tweet below.

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

• Game Result: Won 47-0 over McNary
• Team Record: 1-0
• Game Stats: 5 tackles, 1 TFL, 0.5 sack
• Season Stats: 5 tackles, 1 TFL, 0.5 sack
• Notes: I haven’t been able to find any highlights of Davis, but he had a heck of a first game with his new team. He created some havoc off the edge and racked up five tackles in the process. It’ll be interesting to see how he has progressed from his junior year as the season continues.

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

• Game Result: Lost 43-20 to Mater Dei
• Team Record: 2-1
• Game Stats: 8 tackles, 3 TFL, 1 sack (based off highlights
• Season Stats: 16 tackles, 4 TFL, 1 sack (stats incomplete)
• Notes: Conti looked like he had a really solid game against national, and SoCal, powerhouse Mater Dei. He was very active and played with a high motor. Conti was extremely disruptive. He made multiple plays behind the line and plenty of tackles at the line to stop the play before it got started. He appears to have taken a step forward in his game from last season.

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

• Game Result: Won 35-30 over Mission Viejo
• Team Record: 3-0
• Game Stats: 15 tackles, 4 TFL, 1 sack
• Season Stats: 27 tackles, 9 TFL, 2 sacks, 1 PBU, 1 forced fumble
• Notes: It’s easy to see, Lolesio has really stepped into his own for the Jackrabbits. In three games, he is only two tackles shy of his entire junior season. He is very active and is so quick off the edge. He has really shown that he can shed blocks with ease, and that’s against a powerhouse in Mission Viejo. If these first three games are any indication, Lolesio is in for a really good senior campaign.

3-star LB Kamuela Kaaihue, Roosevelt (Honolulu)

• Game Result: Bye Week
• Team Record: 1-1
• Game Stats: Unknown
• Season Stats: Unknown
• Notes: Kaaihue and his Roosevelt team were on a bye week.

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

• Game Result: Lost 56-14 to Bishop Gorman
• Team Record: 1-2
• Game Stats: 2 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack
• Season Stats: 5 tackles, 4 TFL, 3 sacks (incomplete)
• Notes: Savaiinaea had another solid game. He was able to make a couple of plays in the backfield, though it’s based solely off his statline. I was unable to find any highlights of him.