Another week meant another stellar showing on the gridiron for Nebraska’s 2017 recruiting class. As we get closer to state championship games, the true contenders are beginning to emerge. In fact, several Husker targets had their best performances this week when the stakes were higher than ever.
Standouts for this week include Tristan Gebbia becoming the CIF all-time leader in passing yards, Broc Bando and his teammates continuing their dominant run through Florida high school football and Robert Porcher showing that his new 4-star rating is no accident, tallying a sack and a defensive touchdown in Dr. Phillip’s first round victory.
In addition to recapping all of the highlights from week 12 of high school football, we also spoke exclusively with offensive tackle recruit Matt Sichterman about his senior season and what it was like to go through the recruiting process with his twin brother.
Willie Hampton
American Heritage (Fla.) defeated Westwood (Fla.) 55-12
Hampton and company put together another dominant performance Friday, steamrolling Westwood 55-12. While no individual stats were returned, Hampton was a part of a defense that held Westwood to less than 200 yards of total offense and forced two turnovers.
Season Stats: 43 tackles, 12 TFLs, 2 FF, 1 INT
Next: Heritage (10-0) will have a rematch with Cardinal Gibbons (9-1) in the second round of the Florida Class 5A playoffs.
Jaevon McQuitty
Columbia Battle (Mo.) defeated Carthage (Mo.) 37-20
Jaevon McQuitty did not play, as he is out for the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury.
Season Stats: 39 receptions, 854 receiving yards (21.9 yards per catch), 12 TDs
Next: Battle (12-0) will face Fort Zumwalt North (11-1) in the Missouri Class 5 state playoffs.
Keyshawn Johnson Jr.
Calabasas (Calif.) defeated Harvard Westlake (Calif.) 56-28
Keyshawn Johnson Jr. did not participate in the Coyotes first round victory over Harvard Westlake due to illness. He is hoping to make it back for Calabasas next Friday.
Season Stats: 38 receptions, 692 receiving yards (18.2 yards per reception), 8 TDs
Next: Calabasas (11-0) will face St. Joseph (7-4) in the CIF class 5 quarterfinals.
Tristan Gebbia
Calabasas (Calif.) defeated Harvard Westlake (Calif.) 56-28
Tristan Gebbia was fantastic in the Coyotes 56-28 victory, completing 20-of-25 passes for 355 yards and four touchdowns in the victory. Gebbia is now the CIF’s all-time leader in career passing yards after the victory.
Season Stats: 221/307 (72 percent completion), 3,516 passing yards, 40 TDs, 6 INTs
Next: Calabasas (11-0) will face St. Joseph (7-4) in the CIF class 5 quarterfinals.
Austin Allen
Aurora’s season is complete. The Huskies compiled an 8-3 record.
Season Stats: 11 receptions, 122 receiving yards (only played two games due to injury)
Brenden Jaimes
Lake Travis (Texas) defeated Madison (Texas) 56-7
Brenden Jaimes and his teammates got their playoff run started off right, crushing Madison 56-7. While no offensive line stats were reported, Jaimes and his line mates helped pave the way for the Cavaliers to gain 569 yards of total offense in the rout.
Next: Lake Travis (10-1) will face Smithson Valley (8-2) in the second round of the Texas class 6A playoffs.
Broc Bando
IMG Academy (Fla.) defeated St. Frances Academy (Md.) 38-0
Broc Bando and his teammates cruised to a 38-0 victory—their fifth shutout in six games—to push their record to 10-0. No individual stats were returned, but Bando and his line mates paved the way for the Ascenders to gain over 350 yards of offense.
Next: IMG (10-0) will face Bishop Sullivan Catholic (7-2) on Friday.
Avery Roberts
Wilmington Concord (Del.) lost to Middletown (Del.) 20-3
No individual stats were returned for the game. You can check out some highlights of Avery Robert’s senior season below.
http://www.hudl.com/video/3/3012571/581f45b811fa7f40b8868757
Season stats: 84 tackles, 6 sacks, 3 TFL, 3 FF (Stats current through eight games)
Next: Concord’s (7-3) season is complete.
Robert Porcher IV
Dr. Phillips (Fla.) defeated Manateee (Fla.) 39-7
Robert Porcher IV came up big in the Panther’s first round playoff game, tallying a sack and returning an interception for a touchdown in Dr. Phillip’s 39-7 victory. Porcher has now pushed his career sack total to 29 entering this week’s ball game.
Season stats: 70 tackles, 26 TFL, 11 sacks, 5 PBU, 2 INTs
Next: Dr. Phillips (9-2) faces Riverview (9-1) in the next round of playoffs.
Guy Thomas
Booker T. Washington (Fla.) defeated Glades Central (Fla.) 47-30
No defensive stats have been returned.
Next: Booker T. Washington (8-3) will face Edison (8-2) in the quarterfinals of the Florida class 4A playoffs.
Deontre Thomas
Mustang (Okla.) defeated Edmond Santa Fe (Okla.) 21-7
Deontre Thomas and his teammates had their most complete performance to date, shutting down Edmond Santa Fe in a 21-7 victory. The win gives Thomas and company a chance to meet perennial power Jenks High School—the home of fellow Husker commit Reese Leitao—in the state finals.
Season stats: 47 tackles, 5 sacks (Stats current through nine games)
Next: Mustang (7-3) will face Norman North (10-0) in the Oklahoma Class 6A Semifinals.
Reese Leitao
Jenks (Okla.) defeated Southmoore (Okla.) 56-42
Jenks overcame a sluggish first half to pull away from Southmoore 56-42 last Friday. While Reese Leitao did not have much impact in the passing game, he was a major factor in helping the Trojans roll up 367 rushing yards and average almost 10 yards per carry. The victory pushes Jenks’ win streak to 16 games.
Season Stats: 25 receptions, 307 receiving yards, 3 TDs
Next: Jenks (10-0) will have a rematch with Union (9-2) in the Oklahoma Class 6A semifinals.
Ben Miles
Catholic-BR (La.) had a BYE last week
Next: Catholic-BR (10-0) will face Brother Martin (8-3) in the Quarterfinals of the Louisiana Division I state playoffs.
Deiontae Watts
Plano East (Texas) lost to Hebron (Texas) 40-35
Plano East saw its season come to an end in the first round of the Texas Class 6A playoffs, falling to Hebron 40-35. No individual stats have been returned for this game.
Season stats: 21 tackles, 10 QB hurries, 6 TFL, 2 Sacks, 1 PBU
Recruit of the Week: Matt Sichterman
The recruit of the week for this edition is Matt Sichterman, a prospect out of Kings Mills, Ohio that coach Cavanaugh has recruited to help rebuild the Nebraska pipeline. Matt and his twin brother Dan, an Iowa State commit, were instrumental in helping Kings achieve an 8-3 record and reach the first round of the Ohio Division I state playoffs.
HV: What are your thoughts on your senior season at Kings? What area of your game do you feel you improved the most?
MS: I thought we had a pretty solid season. Didn’t execute when we needed to in our losses. I feel I improved my pass blocking more than anything.
HV: What are your plans for the winter sports period? And are you on track to graduate early and enroll at Nebraska in January? Or are you planning to wait until next fall?
MS: I am playing basketball for my high school this winter and lifting to get bigger. I will be enrolling after graduation in June.
HV: How often do you speak with Coach Cavanaugh? How would you describe your relationship with him?
MS: I talk to Coach Cav often. We talk on the phone once a week and sometimes exchange messages. I have a great relationship with Coach Cav and I know my family does too. He’s always telling me how excited he is to get to coach me.
HV: What was it like having your twin brother going through the recruiting process with you? Did it make the process easier or more difficult?
MS: Having my brother go through the process with me made it easier. We could go on visits together and talk about what we liked and noticed about schools, but our recruiting kind of hit at different times so he stayed out of the way while I got some of my visits in and I stayed out of the way when he wanted to take his visits. Overall, I think we helped each other.
HV: What position is Nebraska planning to have you play next fall?
MS: They are recruiting me as an offensive tackle.
HV: Wave any schools kept recruiting you since you committed to Nebraska? Or have schools backed off?
MS: Most of the schools have backed off since I committed.