A fresh batch of Minnesota commits got their first real Friday-night run of the season last weekend, and several of them made it count right away.
Brooks Bakko wasted no time putting his stamp on Kindred’s 35-0 win over Devils Lake. The four-star tight end caught two touchdowns, finished with 70 receiving yards, and hauled in scores of 16 and 34 yards in the first half. He also chipped in with several strong kick returns before sitting most of the fourth quarter.
Another four-star tight end, Drew Mikkelsen, turned in a big night even in defeat. Lennox fell 38-20 to Sioux Falls Christian, but Mikkelsen still found the end zone twice and finished with 71 receiving yards.
The first half was also the headline for Kason Clayborne. In a blowout win, he scored two touchdowns, blocked a punt and piled up eight tackles before calling it a night after halftime.
Taylor Daniels was busy on the defensive side as well, finishing in on 10 tackles for his team in a 28-21 loss to Mount St. Joseph.
Daniels had three solo stops and was credited on seven more.
Roy Price put together one of the most complete stat lines of the week. The Gopher Edge rusher commit totaled 12 tackles, including eight solo stops, added a tackle for loss, forced a fumble and also chipped in a solo and assist on special teams.
There were plenty of other commits contributing in different ways. Greg Hargrow, the 5-foot-8 future Gopher running back, did a little bit of everything in his team’s 36-0 win: he threw two passes at quarterback, ran 11 times for 26 yards, caught one pass for 24 yards and handled return duties. His teammate Christian Alexander, a four-star running back and Mississippi State commit, also had nearly 200 rushing yards.
Furian Inferrea handled both the passing and running game in his matchup, completing 12 of 19 passes for 201 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also scored three times on the ground, finishing with 10 carries for 38 yards.
On the line, Dylan Mota and his fellow offensive linemen helped push their team to more than 200 rushing yards in a 56-14 win over Saint Vaitor. Will Clausen helped Cedar Rapids Prairie edge out a 23-21 victory while playing both offensive line and defensive line. His brother TJ is also one of the top players for Cedar Rapids Prairie.
Carlos Ferguson’s McDonogh team beat Riverside Baptist 22-14, though no stats or video were available. Kevin Ferrygood’s Cy-Fair squad opened with a 36-0 win, but no individual numbers were listed.
Jyden German’s Bishop Verot did not appear to play last week, and the school is set for its second game of the season this Friday. German had a tackle in the opener.
Lemani Fehoko and Junipero Serra fell 35-25 to DeLaSalle, but he helped the offense produce 400 total yards and was listed only on that side of the ball. Cameron Saunders and Valley Christian started the year with a 42-13 win over Wilcox, though no defensive stats were listed for the defensive lineman.
Maxwell Miles’ Centennial team rolled to a 74-41 win over Burbank, with the defensive numbers still not posted yet. Last week, Miles had six solo tackles and two assists in a week two victory.
Wyatt Liebentritt’s Skutt Catholic team lost 24-10 to Gretna, and both safeties in the game came off bad snaps. No individual stats were available for Liebentritt in that one.
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