Arizona football recruiting: Strong quarterback performances by Burmeister, Joiner, and Rodriguez

Playoffs are in full swing for the Arizona Wildcats commits. There have been some strong performances from these prospects as they work their way to the state championship game.

Unfortunately, there weren’t very many statistics available for all of the recruits, so this is mostly a run down of who is advancing in the playoffs.

Rhett Rodriguez overcomes double-digit deficit

Rhett Rodriguez engineered another comeback drive to lead his Catalina Foothills Falcons to the semifinals of the 4A State Playoffs. Winner will advance to play in the state championship vs. the winner of Saguaro and Salpointe Catholic.

Bryce Gilbert’s Higley Knights advance

CatFoot’s next opponent will be Higley High, home of Arizona commit Bryce Gilbert, who is out for the season with an ankle injury. It’s really a travesty that Gilbert is out for the season, with the high-powered offense that Higley operates this season. His stock would have gone through the roof.

Greg Johnson returns 95-yard interception

A lot of people are concerned about his commitment, especially considering the horrendous season Arizona is enduring. I can assure everyone that he is firm on his commitment.

He’ll likely be starting at corner as a true freshman, likely in a rotation with Dane Cruikshank and Jace Whittaker.

On Thursday night, he returned this 95-yard interception for a score. They defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers (Reseda, CA) by a final score of 32-3. The defense came up with six interceptions on the night.

Jamarye Joiner still perfect

The Cienega Bobcats are 12-0 now. What he is doing for that team is unbelievable. Obviously not the same skill level, but what Lamar Jackson is to Louisville is what Joiner is to Cienega.

He’s already a 4-star quarterback prospect for the 2018 recruiting class and that was based on about eight or nine games this season. Through the remainder of the playoffs, and his senior season, expect Joiner to rise.

Rhedi Short and Cathedral now 11-0

This is one of the most talented teams in the nation and they’re still undefeated. Appears as if Rhedi played with a flu too. They’ll be playing Rancho Verde this upcoming weekend for a chance at the semifinals.

Brian Casteel rushing touchdown

Seems as if Casteel had a quiet night, only getting to the end zone once compared to his usual three or four touchdowns. Charter Oak advanced and will play at Downey for a chance at the semifinals.

Bryce Wolma’s season comes to an end

The Saline Hornets took their second loss of the season, ending their playoff run in Michigan.

Troy Young picks up rushing touchdown

Last week, an Alabama radio broadcaster said that Troy Young is going to be a legitimate starting safety in the Pac-12. The defense has not allowed a point in two playoff games so far.

Young also doubles as a running back and he helped lead Mobile Christian to a win with a touchdown. They’re one win away from the semifinals.

Drew Dixon dominates in playoff win

The 6-foot-4, 200 pound athlete has been doing it all for Sabino this season. He’s truly the heart and soul of the team. They took down Winslow 48-0 and will now play one-seed Show Low in the 3A semifinals.

His stat line looked like this.

Bryce Brand and Clayton Valley advance

After a big win, Clayton Valley now matches up against the storied De La Salle Spartans for a chance to get into the state championship game. Brand finished with nine tackles (one for loss) and a quarterback hurry.

Mater Dei proving to be the No. 1 team in the nation

Mater Dei shut out Tesoro this weekend by a final score of 69-0. Seems as if Xavier Bell and Austin Faoliu are holding it down on defense. Tesoro was the school of former Arizona commit Devon Modster, in case that sounds familiar.

Mater Dei will take on Vista Murrieta, which has been a target school for Arizona as of late, which includes freshman tight end Jamie Nunley.

Helix High secures No. 2 seed for playoffs

Helix High took down Valhalla in the final game of the season and will be matched up with them again for the opening round of the playoffs. Scott Young did not record any statistics, which is something I’ll try to look into.

Desert Pines playing for Nevada 3A championship

Edgar Burrola has been out with a shoulder injury, but Tony Fields has been all over on defense for Desert Pines, and they’ll be playing for the state championship.

Nathan Tilford leads Colony to next round

With the given running back situation, it seems unlikely that Tilford would redshirt next season. He finished the day with 25 carries for 176 yards and a touchdown in a win over Palm Springs.

Now they’ll play Corona del Mar for a shot at the semifinals.

Braxton Burmeister back to the winning ways

La Jolla Country Day stumbled a bit down the stretch of the regular season, but they picked it back up in the opening round of the playoffs in a 60-14 win over Kearny High (San Diego, CA).

Burmeister went 17-for-25 for 209 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. He also had six rushes for 89 yards and three touchdowns.

Josh Brown, Long Beach Poly end their season after dominant stretch

Long Beach Poly had one of the most dominating defenses this season, shutting out four of their last six opponents, allowing only 12 total points in the two games their opponents scored in.

Well, things just seemed to go wrong against Chaminade, as they lost 50-14. There was a cool piece on Josh Brown that ran earlier this week.