By: Cole Mantell (@lightningdragon)
We are so close to regular season action. After what seems like eons, we again have CFSL football to report on. Welcome to Season 21. Wednesday evening, we had two preseason games as is tradition in the CFSL. First, we had the North and South Freshmen compete against each other. After that, we finished the evening with the East and West Senior Game featuring the best seniors graduating from Season 20. Both games provided a lot of fun and some early indications of how Season 21 could play out. Let’s review.
Newcomer All-American Game
The first game of the evening featured the best from a smaller recruiting class this season. The South Newcomers entered this game having won the past two editions, with the North Newcomers looking for their first win in the series since Season 18.
The South Newcomers were coached by USC Assistant Head Coach Kaki, playing under a spread offense, with a 3-3-5 defensive formation. Headliners on offense included QB Himoteo Del Este (Oklahoma), WR Stacey Smith (Florida), and WR Jimbo Hawk (Michigan State). On defense, the stars included AJ Lussier (Oregon), CB Jordan Little (Notre Dame), and CB/SS Robert Henry Wetzel (Clemson). This team felt very similar to the USC team that won the championship a few short weeks ago for USC, and that felt intentional given who was coaching. This team would try to win with an efficient passing game and opportunistic defense, at least on paper.
The North Newcomers were coached by Michigan Assistant Head Coach Norman Bates, playing under an air raid offense, with a 4-3 defensive formation. On offense, QB Tavon Moss (Clemson), HB Maxwell Orndorff (Virginia Tech), and WR Charlie Jo (Texas) led the way. On defense, big talents included DE Jay Holt (USC), DE Emerson Speraw (Texas A&M), and FS Rara Banks (Colorado). At least personally, the choice of an Air Raid with maybe the best HB in the class and less depth at WR compared to the South Newcomers was a curious choice. However, considering the popularity of the Air Raid in the CFSL and Orndorff’s pass-catching ability, it was also obvious that the North Newcomers wanted to break their losing streak in fashion, outpassing the opposition to victory.
This game was a close one throughout. Two evenly matched squads provided a great show for old and new fans. Starting with the South Newcomers, Del Este threw for 196 passing yards and a passing touchdown. He ran for a touchdown as well. HB Joey Duncan (Texas) was the star of the offense, rushing for 100 yards and adding a rushing touchdown to boot.
For the North Newcomers, even in defeat, the Air Raid was as fun to watch as advertised. QB Tavon Moss threw for 392 passing yards, and 4 passing touchdowns, and looked composed. New Clemson AD Logan Wetzel has a great player here. The two interceptions were not as great, but there is still time to grow for the freshman. WR Charlie Jo was the main recipient from Moss, catching 6 for 75 receiving yards and a touchdown. WR Isaiah Love Jr, a 4-star recruit committed to Oregon, led the team with 7 receptions as well. He had 74 receiving yards. In maybe the story of the night on offense, 3-star recruit and fellow Clemson commit to his QB, Paul Gavin had 4 receptions and nearly averaged 25 yards per catch to finish the game with 98 receiving yards.
On defense, for the victorious South Newcomers, it was all Jordan Little, the Generational Talent we talked about earlier. He had 5 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT, and 2 PDs on defense. He added 4 kick returns for 90 yards as well on special teams. He was an all-around star for the team. Rashaud Watson, the 5-star SS committed to Auburn, added 6 tackles and an interception of his own. The safety group as a whole was strong for the South Newcomers, as along with Watson both FS Brock Powers (Michigan) and SS Bubba Sharpless (Miami) had 5 tackles as well. Both Powers and Sharpless were only 4-star recruits as well.
For the North Newcomers, on defense OLB Emerson Speraw led the way. He had 6 tackles, an incredible 5 for a loss, with 3 sacks and a forced fumble too. If Speraw had been playing for Texas A&M instead of the new Newcomers, he would have the third most tackles for a loss and sacks in a game in school history. Two 4 star recruits led the way for the North. Mark Sala (Florida State) and Jordan Haack (USC). I’ll add that CB Oskar Kelogg (Penn State) was great as well. He had 6 tackles, plus 6 kick returns for 128 yards. But most of all on defense, Rara Banks, as discussed, was a monster. While he didn’t register and pass defense stats, his 12 tackles led the team and made him a force all night. What a game for him, and congratulations to all our new freshmen who shined in their first official CFSL action.
Senior All-Star Game
Once again, we had a true office rivalry as two administrators from the league office stepped out of the office chair and into the coach’s chair for some preseason action. Commissioner Mike Peters coached the East Seniors team, while Auston Krogh (Frosty) coached the West Seniors.
For the East Seniors team, Mike Peters had a strong cast of players, starting with former Florida/LSU QB and Season 20 Most Outstanding Senior Beau Dale. The offense included All-American HB Tyrone Blake (Miami/Alabama), Former Fan of the Year WR Cait Graziano (West Virginia), and WR Logan Wetzel (Bowling Green/Texas/Auburn). On defense, the East was represented by players including Season 20 All-American DL Brayden Freeman (Michigan), CB Craig Smith (North Carolina), and FS Tatum Quirk (Alabama).
Over on the West Seniors team, Austin Krogh had to graduate Ohio State/Pittsburgh/Notre Dame QB Andrei Belov as the headliner for his offense. The offense also includes names such as HB Chef Wyatt (Eastern Michigan/Boise State/Texas), WR Shaud Sanders (Pittsburgh/Michigan/Kentucky), and WR JJ Lang (Kentucky/LSU). On defense, the team had players such as DE Bethany Moreland (Oklahoma State/LSU), Season 20 All-American CB Jordan Holt (West Virginia/USC), and FS Carlos De Leon (Notre Dame/Boise State/LSU).
I’ll start with the obvious. This game was a shootout. The final score? East wins 70-31. Talk about a game where it seemed no one could be stopped. For the East Seniors, QB Beau Dale was magnificent, with 6 total touchdowns including 5 through the air. HB Tyrone Blake, WR Logan Wetzel, WR Cait Graziano, and WR Cooper Wiersema all had over 100 receiving yards. On defense, MLB Danny Ringer (Michigan) had 13 tackles, leading the team. FS Tatum Quirk had the only interception for the defense, with SS Daniel Bingham (Ohio State) adding in 7 tackles as well. I want to add that K Skip Harris (Bowling Green/Tennessee) was a perfect 10/10 on extra points, adding in a tackle too. For reference, Harris made 29 extra points total in his senior season at Tennessee. It was easily the busiest game of his career. And what a win it was for the East Seniors.
The West Seniors played awesome as well. QB Andrei Belov didn’t have the same counting stats as his counterpart Beau Dale, but he was composed and did the best he could under the circumstances. WRs JJ Lang and Thompson Thunder (Illinois) both played well, going over 50 receiving yards. WR Gavin Lussier (Toledo/Oklahoma/Oregon) was a two-way madman, catching a touchdown on offense, returning 6 kicks for 136 yards, and then adding 3 punt returns for another 21 yards as well. On defense, the West Seniors’ biggest contributor was probably either OLB Zeus Banks (Florida State/Washington/Colorado) or Carlos De Leon. Both had 9 tackles, with De Leon adding 2 PDs too. Shout out to MLB Ajani Abu (Oregon/Cincinnati), who added 8 tackles and just his 4th career interception in the game. While the East was dominant, both teams showcased some great talents for one last time. Congratulations to all of the players who got one last chance to shine in the Senior All-Star Game. Up next, Week 1!
