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Holmes, Mond, Moses among stars that shined in Calif.

Darnay Holmes

There were two marquee high school matchups in California this weekend, and Rivals was on hand for both. Calabasas (Calif.) defeated Los Angeles Salseian and Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy nipped Corona (Calif.) Centennial 50-49. Here are some observations from the games that featured some of the top players in the country.

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HOLMES IS ELITE

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Five-star Darnay Holmes is being recruited mainly to play cornerback, but the Calabasas prospect is special at wide receiver and if coaches experiment with him on offense, he could be a huge bonus in certain situations.

Holmes is a fantastic route runner, has dynamic speed to stretch the field and is a playmaker with the ball in his hands. As for a comparison, Holmes is probably a step slower than USC’s Adoree’ Jackson but maybe an all-around better football player, which is saying something.

UCLA, Michigan, Ohio State, Nebraska Arizona, Miami, USC, Notre Dame and others are all involved with Holmes, who will make a tremendous corner in college because of his cover ability and his athleticism to break back to the ball to make a play. But if given the chance on offense or special teams, Holmes could make something happen there, too.

ANTHONY, MOSES SPECIAL

Dylan Moses

Four-star linebackers Jordan Anthony and Dylan Moses both looked awesome for IMG Academy on Saturday night and that's not easy to do against Corona Centennial, which has such wide spreads on its offensive line and runs its offense incredibly fast up and down the field.

Both Anthony and Moses filled holes so quickly, lowered the boom time and again, got pressure in the backfield and did an excellent job all over the field for four quarters.

Anthony especially was productive time and time again slowing down running backs, timing his blitzes perfectly and being involved in so many plays I lost count. Moses played downhill, covered space so well and anything run to the outside, he had the speed and power to stop it immediately.

MOND COULD BE TOPS

In the first half, IMG quarterback Kellen Mond did not look great as he overthrew receivers and it seemed that his timing was off. During those first two quarters, the Texas A&M quarterback commit showed off a terrific arm, but his accuracy was lacking.

However, after halftime, Mond proved he is one of the best quarterbacks in this class and could push into the argument as the top-rated dual-threat QB. He was that good, that special and that dynamic.

Sure, Mond is throwing to some excellent receivers in Emmanuel Green, Jhamon Ausbon, 2018 four-star Brian Hightower and others, but he showed off excellent leadership and great game management to go off with stellar accuracy.

Maybe no quarterback in the entire class throws a nicer deep ball and Mond also showed he can escape pressure, get out of the pocket and pick up yards on the ground.

If it was not for Mond’s outstanding performance in the second half, IMG could have easily lost that game. He finished with more than 400 passing yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 100 yards and another score in the 50-49 thriller.

Brendan Radley-Hiles, better known as Bookie by everyone on Calabasas team, is listed at 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds, but there might not be a more physical corner in the West in the 2018 recruiting class.

Put simply, Radley-Hiles loves to hit whether he’s on offense or defense. At cornerback, Radley-Hiles is tough at the line and then anything in the open field, he does not hesitate to lower his shoulder and provide that highlight-reel play. He almost searches for people to hit.

When he was returning a kick in Friday’s game, a Salesian defender was riding him out of bounds and Radley-Hiles took it upon himself to stiff arm the player hard to make his presence known.

Not only is he super physical for being a smaller cornerback, but he’s outstanding in coverage, too. Radley-Hiles has that mentality that he wants to be the best on every play, make something big happen on every down and with his skill and physical play, it usually goes that way.

Oh, and he scored on an 82-yard kickoff return for a TD as well.

DUCKS GETTING STAR IN LENOIR

Oregon is getting a big-time player in Deommodore Lenoir.

The four-star athlete had special moments on offense, defense and special teams for Los Angeles Salesian this past weekend, highlighted by a 92-yard punt return for a touchdown. Lenoir can get to top-end speed in the open field, and he’s super, surprisingly fast and a big-time playmaker.

On defense, Lenoir is physical at the line, doesn’t bite on double moves and is super aggressive once the ball is in the air. He’s a hitter, too. Lenoir loves to come in and pop the ball away from receivers or lower his shoulder to knock somebody down.

The four-star had a really impressive performance on Friday night and it could translate to a big career for the Ducks.

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