Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Taking a look at how Auburn football commitments did this past weekend in high school football.
Auburn may have not had a game last week, but several Auburn commits had games, here’s how they performed.
Scoring four touchdowns in one game is impressive. But to score them the way Tar’varish Dawson did Thursday night, is remarkable.
Scoring four touchdowns in one game is impressive. But to score them the way Tar’varish Dawson did is remarkable.
The 4-star athlete powered Lehigh Acres to a 35-7 win over Cypress Lake Thursday night. The 5-feet-10, 175-pound Dawson had two receiving touchdowns, one rushing touchdown and two interceptions, with one being a pick six.
He now has 17 carries for 155 yards and two scores on the season to go with 15 receptions for 216 yards and three touchdowns and two interceptions while at corner.
He wasn’t the only future Tiger making plays on both sides of the ball either, as Lee Hunter had a monster night of his own.
Hunter, a 4-star defensive tackle and Auburn’s highest ranked commit, totaled 12 tackles, four tackles for loss and two scores.
While both came on the offensive one it was the second that stole the show.
The 6-5, 292-pound Blount caught a 20-yard touchdown reception to seal the 38-20 victory over Robertsdale.
Dematrius Davis may not have may plays on defense but had another impressive game. The 4-star prospect connected on 14 of his 21 attempts for 212 yards and a score as well as 86 yards and three more touchdowns on the ground.
Armoni Goodwin, 4-star running back commit, had another big game for Hewitt-Trussville, rushing for 163 yards and a touchdown as they fell to Hoover 29-28.
Ahmari Harvey, 4-star safety commit, had an interception for Florida State University School.
Other Notes
After planning to announce his college decision this Saturday, 4-star defensive end Jeremiah Williams has decided to push back his decision.
Despite this postponement, Auburn could still get some huge news this weekend, just in basketball.
Jabari Smith, the No. 5 overall prospect in the 247Sports Composite and the top power forward, will announce his college decision on Friday at 3:00 pm EST. Auburn is competing with Georgia, Georgia Tech, LSU, North Carolina and Tennessee for his commitment.
Five-star defensive back Ga’Quincy “Koolaid” McKinstry announced that he will be committing on Oct. 25. Auburn, Alabama and LSU are the final schools.
Auburn is currently the favorite to land all three players in the 247Sports Crystal Ball.
Several Auburn commits had big games Friday night, but none had bigger than future Tiger quarterback Dematrius Davis.
[jwplayer tDekBTFB]
Several Auburn commits had big games Friday night, but none had bigger than future Tiger quarterback Dematrius Davis.
Davis, a 4-star recruit and the No. 8 dual-threat quarterback nationally in the 247Sports Composite, completed 14 of 20 passes for 197 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also had 78 rushing yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.
The rushing touchdown, a spectacular 20-yard run, put the game away and is the reason he went viral and drew the praise of NFL star Lamar Jackson.
💥TOUCHDOWN MUSTANGS💥@Dematrius09 takes it himself shaking a few defenders on the way, and puts North Shore up 38-21 with 5:27 left in the game. @TheOldCoach | #TXHSFB pic.twitter.com/6dW2PuMpfN
— Tommy Yarrish (@tommy_yarrish) September 26, 2020
The Mustangs have won two Class 6A Division I state titles under Davis who is now 38-2 as a starter in high school.
Other notes
Ahmari Harvey, 4-star safety, had another big game for Florida State University School, scoring his second and third touchdowns of the season. He returned his second kickoff for a touchdown and recorded a pick-six, both of which can be watched here, in his team’s 30-14 victory.
Armoni Goodwin didn’t find the endzone this week but had another big day for Hewitt-Trussville. Goodwin, the Tigers highest rated offensive player and fourth best player in Alabama and the No. 93 player in the country, had 12 carries for 126 yards, including a 70-yard carry that set up the deciding field goal in the fourth quarter.
Tar’varish Dawson had a 77-yard touchdown reception in Lehigh Acres 21-16 loss.
Auburn continues to be the favorite to land 4-star defensive end Jeremiah Williams and recently picked up another prediction in their favor, the fourth that favors them. Williams is scheduled to announce his decision on Oct. 10 and has reportedly already made his decision.
Which performance was the best this past week from a player on a Super 25 ranked team? Vote for the Super 25 Top Star!
[jwplayer a1b3y8zW-BmKM743H]
Here are the candidates for this week’s Super 25 Top Star. All nominees play on a team ranked in the top 25 or from a regionally ranked team. Vote now in the poll below.
SUPER 25: TOP 25 | REGIONAL | How the Super 25 Fared
NOTE: Players can only win once per season | Voting ends Friday at 2 p.m. ET
Mobile users click here to vote >>
*Weekly winners will receive a t-shirt
North Shore and uber-recruit Zach Evans were too much for Katy, avenging a season-opening loss with a second half spurt.
It was coming.
After an enormous letdown of a loss in the season opener, North Shore (Houston, Texas) has put together an increasingly impressive season as it attempts to defend its Texas Class 6A Div. I state title. It was only a matter of time before they faced a rematch with their season-opening conquerors in the regional playoffs.
That time came Friday. This time, the Mustangs were ready.
North Shore scored 21 unanswered points from the late third quarter to the final horn to dump Katy out of the playoffs for a second consecutive season. This time the final score was 56-35, belying a game that was tight at halftime and got away from the previously undefeated Tigers in the fourth.
Here’s what we learned from one of the most highly anticipated non-title playoff games in ages.
The North Shore junior quarterback was an unstoppable dual threat monster, racking up six total touchdowns (5-star running back Zack Evans had the other two) to pace North Shore throughout. The Virginia Tech commit had 124 yards rushing (with one touchdown) and 123 yards passing (with two scores) at the half and built from there. Hokies fans should be very, very excited with his ability to completely change the game … provided he doesn’t decommit before he can sign on the dotted line in a little more than a year.
Dematrius Davis is a BAD MAN😤
He’s up to 284 rushing yards and 6 total touchdowns as this score puts North Shore back up by three scores@NSNationFB 56 | Katy 35
7:02 left#TXHSFB | @Dematrius09 pic.twitter.com/1QORB60391— Nick Harris (@NickHarris247) November 30, 2019
There’s really no two ways to slice it: This time around, North Shore showed it was far more talented than its higher-ranked opponent. That’s not to take away from the Tigers’ season-opening win. Quite the contrary. It’s just that North Shore had playmakers to deploy in every facet of the game … with more ready to come on as reinforcements. Case in point: At one point in the second half, North Shore deployed superstar recruit Evans on the defensive line. It was the kind of move intended to shake up Katy. It worked, with Evans getting pressure around the left end and forcing Katy to adjust its play.
Zach Evans on the defensive line is a scary sight👀
Something to keep an eye on if North Shore-Duncanville were to meet up: Ja’Quinden Jackson v. Zach Evans 1on1#TXHSFB pic.twitter.com/HkmGKJxibc
— Nick Harris (@NickHarris247) November 30, 2019
There might be only a half dozen teams in the country with more talent available on the sidelines than Katy. Unfortunately, one of thsoe was on the opposite sideline Friday.
It would be natural for North Shore to take a deep breath and savor such a monumental victory. That’s not an option for the Mustangs. Just a week after knocking off the team that topped them in the season opener (their only loss in two seasons), North Shore will face off against Super 25 No. 3 Duncanville (Dallas, Texas) in a state quarterfinal. Yes, that means that the Mustangs path to a second-straight state title will run through both the one team that beat them and the team they topped with a Hail Mary on the final play of last year’s state championship … in back-to-back weeks.
Don’t let anyone tell you differently: The Texas Class 6A state football tournament is completely insane. Whichever team survives it deserves some kind of a medal for endurance alongside the trophy.
Which performance was the best this past week from a player on a Super 25 ranked team? Vote for the Super 25 Top Star!
Here are the candidates for this week’s Super 25 Top Star. All nominees play on a team ranked in the top 25 or from a regionally ranked team. Vote now in the poll below.
SUPER 25: TOP 25 | REGIONAL | How the Super 25 Fared
NOTE: Players can only win once per season | Voting ends Friday at 2 p.m. ET
Mobile users click here to vote >>
*Weekly winners will receive a t-shirt
Dematrius Davis, the athletic and influential dual-threat quarterback for defending Texas state champion North Shore, committed to Virginia Tech’s Class of 2021 ahead of numerous other scholarship offers from power programs.
Virginia Tech has lured one of the statement recruits of Justin Fuente’s tenure, but he won’t arrive on campus for more than a year.
Dematrius Davis, the four-star quarterback of 2018 USA TODAY Super 25 national runners-up North Shore (Houston, Texas), committed to Virginia Tech ahead of 21 other scholarship offers from elite programs. Davis is the third member of Virginia Tech’s Class of 2021 and the highest-rated quarterback commit under Fuente’s tenure, per 247Sports.
Chosen 25: 2020 Football Recruiting Rankings
The 5-foot-11, 190-pound signal caller is already one of the most explosive offensive football players in the Lone Star State, and could compete for playing time soon after arriving on campus. He’s a top-five rated dual-threat quarterback in his graduating class and a top-25 overall prospect from Texas in the Class of 2021.
Davis announced his decision in a video posted to Twitter that showcased a personal workout, followed by a brief track sprint and zippered sweatshirt reveal of a Virginia Tech shirt.
COMMITTED! pic.twitter.com/qHRzlivxFO
— Dee (@Dematrius09) November 14, 2019
The influence of Davis’ commitment could go far beyond his ability on the field. By joining Virginia Tech’s class now, he could prove an influential draw for other elite players, and particularly other Texas prospects who might be looking for other options outside the crowded Texas programs in the Big XII and Texas A&M, which plays in the ACC.
That’s for the future. For now, Davis has plenty of work at hand in the Texas state playoffs. North Shore is scheduled to face Dobie (Houston, Texas) in a home playoff game Friday, Nov. 15 as their title defense gets started.
