Young, Uiagalelei showdown lives up to hype
BELLFLOWER, Calif. - The Game of the Year in high school football took place Friday night when Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei defeated Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco, 38-24. Here are some thoughts from the matchup:
BRYCE YOUNG IS THE REAL DEAL
After seeing Bryce Young rush for four touchdowns in Mater Dei’s win over powerhouse Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances earlier this season, I thought I saw the best performance I was going to see from a player this season. And then Young topped it in the win over Bosco.
The four-star Alabama commit reignited five-star discussion talk by throwing for 256 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for two more scores. The top-ranked dual-threat quarterback almost never makes a bad decision, he’s incredibly cool keeping his eyes downfield and looking for open receivers and he’s a tremendous leader. There will be a serious discussion as to not only whether Young is a five-star but if he’s the top overall quarterback in the class.
UIAGALELEI IS SPECIAL, TOO
Young owned the night, but five-star quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei, the No. 1 prospect in the 2020 class, was special as well and continues to prove he has a unique blend of size, arm talent and surprising athleticism. The five-star threw for 312 yards and two touchdowns. On one score the pocket was collapsing on him and Uiagalelei stepped through it and found Oregon commit Kris Hutson for a 48-yard score.
Uiagalelei is a quiet leader on the field, not one to ever get too high or too low and that’s perfectly fine but sometimes when the offense is struggling or things aren’t going the right way, I’d like to see him take more control and get guys in gear. His ability is so rare, though, and his size is something that Clemson is going to be able to use from Day 1 when he’s on campus. The five-star also threw a late pick at the goal line to 2021 four-star Jaylin Davies that would have cut Mater Dei’s lead to a touchdown and would’ve made the finish interesting.
EPPS IS VASTLY UNDER-RECRUITED
Bosco’s secondary is incredibly talented. And three-star receiver Kody Epps did whatever he wanted to do and could not be slowed down.
Epps finished with 11 catches for 175 yards and three touchdowns. He used his speed to go deep, he showed off phenomenal hands and playmaking ability and there was no defensive back who could keep up with him. So far this season, Epps has 68 receptions for 1,155 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Only Wyoming and UNLV have pursued him, but Boise State coach Bryan Harsin was at the game along with coaches from Washington and BYU among others and they had to notice Epps’ abilities.
OREGON GETTING A GOOD ONE IN KRIS HUTSON
Kris Hutson looks like he should be a perfect fit in Oregon’s offense - and maybe on the defense as well. The four-star receiver had an impressive game, he has terrific speed, he’s great in space and I love his competitive drive. And then Hutson flipped over and played cornerback really well and made an impact on that side of the ball as well.
As a slot receiver for the Ducks, Hutson should be really good. He catches everything and then he has an extra speed to make people miss in the open field. There could be justification for moving him up in the rankings because he’s so valuable all over the place.
WE MAY HAVE A REMATCH
After Mater Dei’s victory, there was a subdued feeling on their sideline. Sure, there was happiness about soundly beating the archrival but unless something completely unexpected happens, Bosco and Mater Dei will meet again in the playoffs.
Young vs. Uiagalelei Part 2 should deliver again. The Alabama commit bested the Clemson pledge on Friday night and his game looked nearly flawless, but Uiagalelei is an incredibly talented prospect, too, and so a rematch could be even better.