Friday Night Lights: Thunder and lightning strike in Tucson, the Williams commits shine, Buxton on ESPN2

High school football is in full swing, and that can mean only one thing...FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS!

Yes, we are back this week to check in on Arizona’s 2024 and 2025 commits as they progress through their seasons.

This past weekend, 18 of the Wildcats’ 20 commitments in the 2024 class were in action, and UA’s lone 2025 commit was back in action for his second game of the season.

With that, let’s dive into this week’s edition of FNL.

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4-star QB Demond Williams Jr., Basha (Chandler, Ariz.)

• Game Result: Won 66-7 over Westwood
• Team Record: 1-0
• Game Stats: 12-for-13, 340 yds, 4 TD; 4 car, 92 yds, 2 TD
• Season Stats: 12-for-13, 340 yds, 4 TD; 4 car, 92 yds, 2 TD
• Notes: Williams went off against Westwood to start the season. He did a fantastic job of making throws at every level. He is very good at getting the ball out quickly on short throws and shows nice touch and arm strength on his deep and intermediate throws. He even had a few good throws while on the move. Williams’ other weapons, his legs, are just as impressive. Besides keeping plays alive, he is a legitimate threat to run. On Friday, he had numerous plays where he explodes through a running lane for a big gain. His most impressive play was when the rolled out to his left, started getting pressure, changed course easily, and ran to his right down the sideline while outrunning everyone on the field, sideline, and stands.

4-star RB Jordan Washington, Jordan (Long Beach, Calif.)

• Game Result: Won 7-6 over Peninsula
• Team Record: 2-0
• Game Stats: 6 car, 42 yds; 1 rec, 11 yds
• Season Stats: 18 car, 166 yds, 3 TD; 9 rec, 93 yds
• Notes: It was an interesting game for the Jordan Panthers on Friday, and even more interesting for Jordan Washington. He left the game early after injuring his hamstring. Hopefully it’s not too serious and he’ll be able to recover quickly to finish out his last high school season strong.

3-star Adam Mohammed, Apollo (Glendale, Ariz.)

• Game Result: Won 28-3 over Sunnyside
• Team Record: 1-0
• Game Stats: 13 car, 194 yds, 3 TD
• Season Stats: 13 car, 194 yds, 3 TD
• Notes: I can say this with confidence, Mohammed has gotten better from last year...and he was good then as well. He is big and twitchy and it showed against Sunnyside. He did a great job of finding running lanes and being decisive with where he wanted to run. He runs very hard, keeping his legs moving and making it difficult to bring him down. One thing Mohammed really improved on is his explosiveness. Once he commits, he blasts through the lane and starts picking his way through the defense. Really fun to watch.

3-star WR Brandon Phelps, American Leadership Academy - Gilbert North (Gilbert, Ariz.)

• Game Result: Won 49-13 over North
• Team Record: 1-0
• Game Stats: 6 rec, 119 yds, 1 TD
• Season Stats: 6 rec, 119 yds, 1 TD
• Notes: The first commit of Arizona’s 2024 class picked up right where he left off last season. After exploding on to the scene last season, his productivity went through the roof, and it looks to continue this season. During this past Friday’s game, Phelps averaged just under 20 yards a catch. That shows big play ability and new tool in his belt. I was unable to find any film on Phelps, but I’m interested to see how his game has evolved.

3-star WR Audric Harris, Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.)

• Game Result: Won 60-15 over Long Beach Poly
• Team Record: 2-0
• Game Stats: 5 rec, 63 yds, 1 TD
• Season Stats: 14 rec, 248 yds, 3 TD
• Notes: Harris is poised for a really big season. He has really stepped up into the starter role and has become one of BG’s biggest weapons early in the season. There wasn’t much film on him from this weekend, but below is his TD catch in the red zone.

3-star ATH Landon Bell, Newbury Park (Newbury Park, Calif.)

• Game Result: Won 25-0 over Centennial
• Team Record: 2-0
• Game Stats: 5 rec, 70 yds, 1 TD; 5 tackles
• Season Stats: 11 rec, 111 yds, 1 TD; 10 tackles
• Notes: Bell had a better game this past weekend, snagging his first touchdown of the season. During the play he did a great job of recognizing his QB extending the play and moving to his side of the field. Bell adjusted, getting behind the defender and making a great catch with the defender in his face.

3-star OL Matthew Lado, Apollo (Glendale, Ariz.)

• Game Result: Won 28-3 over Sunnyside
• Team Record: 1-0
• Game Stats: N/A
• Season Stats: N/A
• Notes: Lado is a little raw but has grown from last season. He is a powerful road-grader who blasted his defender far away from the line of scrimmage. You can see that clearly in almost every play against Sunnyside. Not to mention, he showed that he is a sticky blocker. Any Sunnyside defender that engaged was locked in until he crashed into the ground. So far so good for Lado.

3-star OL Justin Hylkema, Wilcox (Santa Clara, Calif.)

• Game Result: Lost 16-15 to Valley Christian
• Team Record: 0-1
• Game Stats: N/A
• Season Stats: N/A
• Notes: I wish Hylkema’s highlights were longer because he is fun to watch. He is a gigantic human who loves contact. You can see him in the two plays below just level his opponent. It’s clear his is a very strong player who has surprising quickness to him especially for how big he is. I’m eager to see more of him this season.

3-star OL Michael Watkins, Apollo (Glendale, Ariz.)

• Game Result: Won 28-3 over Sunnyside
• Team Record: 1-0
• Game Stats: N/A
• Season Stats: N/A
• Notes: Watkins is another violent, aggressive lineman in this class. He plays with a very high motor and, much like Lado and Hylkema, loves to drive his opponent into the dirt. He has quick feet and packs a punch once he engages his block. This is another player I’m eager to see develop as the season progresses.

5-star Edge Elijah Rushing, Salpointe Catholic (Tucson)

• Game Result: Won 35-14 over Marana
• Team Record: 1-0
• Game Stats: 6 tackles, 2 TFL, 2 sacks
• Season Stats: 6 tackles, 2 TFL, 2 sacks
• Notes: Rushing lived in the backfield against the Tigers. He had 10 QB hurries. Rushing is a violent pass rusher. His initial contact with the offensive tackle was quick and powerful. He then quickly moved past his man to cause havoc. It’s clear that even though he didn’t always get a sack, his mere presence coming off the edge impacted the timing of Marana’s offense.

3-star Edge Eduwa Okundaye, Tompkins (Katy, Tex.)

• Game Result: Won 31-0 over Cypress Ranch
• Team Record: 1-0
• Game Stats: 5 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 sack
• Season Stats: 5 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 sack
• Notes: I was unable to find any film on Okundaye but he had a pretty successful game to go along with the overall team’s success.

3-star DL Keona Wilhite, Salpointe Catholic (Tucson)

• Game Stats: Won 35-14 over Marana
• Team Record: 1-0
• Game Stats: 5 tackles, 3 TFL, 3 sacks, 2 PBUs
• Season Stats: 5 tackles, 3 TFL, 3 sacks, 2 PBUs
• Notes: Wilhite was another Lancer who lived in Marana’s backfield. Wilhite not only got to the QB a few times, he also did a fantastic job of disengaging from blocks to get his hands up and smack a couple of passes down. Wilhite was quick, powerful, and aggressive in his pass rush and clearly made the QB uneasy all night.

3-star DL Kaho Tuihalamaka, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)

• Game Result: Won 48-14 over Bingham
• Team Record: 2-0
• Game Stats: Unavailable
• Season Stats: Unavailable
• Notes: I was unable to find any highlights for Tuihalamaka.

Unranked DL Jaedon Langley, Boswell (Fort Worth, Tex.)

• Game Result: Won 55-30 over Saginaw
• Team Record: 1-0
• Game Stats: 8 tackles, 1 TFL
• Season Stats: 8 tackles, 1 TFL
• Notes: I was unable to find any highlights of Langley.

3-star CB Isaiah Buxton, Mater Dei Catholic (Chula Vista, Calif.)

• Game Result: Lost 48-14 to Carlsbad
• Team Record: 0-2
• Game Stats: Unavailable
• Season Stats: Unavailable
• Notes: I watched Buxton and MDC play Carlsbad on ESPN2. Needless to say the game didn’t go MDC’s way, but Buxton had a couple of really nice plays. He started off the game with a nice run after the catch for 16 yards. Defensively, Carlsbad stayed away from Buxton for the most part. He did make a few nice stops and it is very clear he is good in the box. There was one play in the first half where he was in perfect position to make the TFL against the ball carrier but he was tackled by the offensive lineman instead. It goes without saying that opposing offenses respect Buxton and what he brings to the field.

3-star ATH Chance Harrison, Rio Mesa (Oxnard, Calif.)

• Game Result: Won 48-35 over Camarillo
• Team Record: 2-0
• Game Stats: 7 tackles, 1 PBU; 4 rec, 97 yds, 1 TD
• Season Stats: 17 tackles, 1 INT, 3 PBU; 8 rec, 134 yds, 1 TD
• Notes: I was unable to find full highlights of Harrison, but it does look like he had another solid game for Rio Mesa. I did, however, find the below montage from a local videographer named Angel Serrano.

3-star S Turran Williams, Muir (Pasadena, Calif.)

• Game Result: Won 22-15 over St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy
• Team Record: 1-1
• Game Stats: Unavailable
• Season Stats: Unavailable
• Notes: Williams had himself a game. Not only did he nab 3 interceptions, but he ran all the way down the field to cause a strip fumble in the red zone to help seal the game for Muir. I can’t wait to see actual video of his game, but it seems I’ll have to wait. In the meantime, take a listen at what Williams had to say after the game last Friday.

3-star K Michael Salgado-Medina, Mission Viejo (Mission Viejo, Calif.)

• Game Result: Won 38-14 over Citrus Valley
• Team Record: 2-0
• Game Stats: FG: 1-for-1, 100%, Long of 37; Punts: 1 punt for 50 yds
• Season Stats: FG: 2-for-2, 100%, Long of 37; Punts: 4 punts for 196 yds, 49.0 YPP, Long of 51
• Notes: MSM had another solid game for the Diablos. He had one punt that was a 50-yarder and was perfect on his lone field goal and all PATs. MSM also handled kickoff duties again and knocked 6 out of 7 kicks for touchbacks. He has a ridiculous leg and doesn’t seem to let kicking and punting duties effect one anther. It’ll be interesting to see if he can do both in Tucson.

Unranked ATH Bryce Lewis, Blessed Trinity (Roswell, GA)

• Game Result: Won 46-0 over Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy
• Team Record: 2-0
• Game Stats: 5 rec, 57 yds, 1 TD
• Season Stats: 7 rec, 74 yds, 1 TD
• Notes: I wasn’t able to find any highlights of Arizona’s lone 2025 commit Lewis during Trinity’s win over ELCA. He did have a bump in the stat line, and that is always nice to see. It’ll be interesting to watch him grow as the season progresses. I did find some clips of Lewis in action in BT’s first game against Calhoun.