Published Sep 23, 2018
Catching up with NU's 2019 commits: Part 1
Louie Vaccher  •  WildcatReport
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Northwestern had a bye this weekend, but most of the program's 2019 commits did not. So we used this rare weekend off from Wildcat football to see how NU's commits are faring in the 2018 season.

Most of the players are about halfway through their senior seasons at this point. We summarized how their seasons are going and the action from their latest games.

We divided the class into two parts, alphabetically. Here are the updates for the first eight commits.


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Adetomiwa Adebawore

Defensive end Adetomiwa Adebawore and North Kansas City (Mo.) are 5-0 on the season with a high-power offensive attack that has put up 30 or more points four times. The Hornets are ranked No. 7 in their class in Missouri, according to MaxPreps.

In their latest victory, the Hornets outscored winless Belton 63-42 in a shootout that featured 1,170 yards of offense.

North Kansas City running back C.J. Price had himself a day, running for 380 yards and seven of the team's nine touchdowns on just 23 carries. His seven touchdown runs were 97, 69, 49, 45, 28, 4 and 1 yards.

“By now everyone knows what he is but there’s still so much more to him,” North Kansas City coach Leon Douglas told PrepsKC. “He responded and made plays. The kid is a warrior. The sky is the limit for that kid.”

North Kansas City also picked up touchdowns from Brandon Hall, who finished the game with 125 yards rushing, and Daniel Joiner, Jr. who caught a 54-yard touchdown pass.


Corien Azema

The season hasn't gone as planned for safety commit Corien Azema and Langham Creek. The Lobos are 0-4 (0-2 District) and let a golden opportunity for their first win slip through their fingers in a 41-39 loss to Cypress Woods last Thursday night.

Langham Creek was down 35-14 when Azema scored on 50-yard punt return to cut the lead to 14. The Lobos finally took the lead, 39-38, on a run by quarterback Chris Herron with 1:13 left.

But Cy Woods' Gustavo Olmedo hit a 47-yard field goal on the last play of the game to clinch the victory.

Herron was the star for Langham Creek with 248 yards rushing on 27 carries and four touchdowns to go along with 136 passing yards and four INTs.

Cy Woods’ QB Carson Danner was 14 for 23 with 183 passing yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT. He also rushed for 169 yards on 37 attempts and 3 TDs. Jacob Tesch rushed for 121 yards on 12 carries.

After three games, Azema had one interception and a 33-yard return on defense according to MaxPreps statistics. He also had four carries for just 10 yards but two TDs as a running back. But he's been a weapon as a kick returner with 146 yards in returns.


Dominick D'Antonio

Guard Dominick D'Antonio and Woodstock (Ga.) Etowah opened the 2018 season with a 28-0 win over crosstown rival River Ridge. But since then it's been tough sledding for the Eagles, who have lost three of their last four to produce a 2-3 record.

The Eagles were off this weekend, but their last time out was their worst loss of the season, 35-3 to Powder Springs Hillgrove.

Etowah will be back in action on Friday night, when they take on Cherokee, which sports an identical 2-3 record.


Wayne Dennis

Wide receiver Wayne Dennis and Tampa (Fla.) Armwood lost their opener to Tampa Bay Tech. Since then, however, the Hawks haven't lost, winning their last three straight to lift their record to 3-1 and 1-0 in conference.

But it hasn't been easy. Armwood's three wins were by a combined 16 points and that includes last Friday's 24-14 win over Jefferson is a defensive struggle marred by penalties.

Dennis didn't have much of an impact on the game, with just one catch for 13 yards. Quarterback Cam'ron Ransom threw for 108 yards, while running back Eric Wilson ran for 99 yards and two TDs for the Hawks.

For the season, Dennis is second on the team with six catches for 110 yards and one touchdown, according to MaxPreps. He is averaging 18.3 yards per catch.


Connor Foster

Tackle commit Connor Foster and Milford (Ohio) are off and rolling in 2018.

The Eagles are 4-1 on the season and their high-octane offense has averaged 48.3 points per game in their four wins. In their lone loss, they managed just 21 in a seven-point loss to Kettering Fairmount.

Last Friday night, the Eagles exploded for 10 touchdowns in a 71-21 blowout over Loveland (the alma mater of Northwestern defensive tackle Jake Saunders).

Milford quarterback Hunter Johnson (no relation to the Wildcat QB of the same name) was the star of the show, He connected on 18 of 26 passes for 327 and a whopping six touchdowns as the Eagles dominated from whistle to whistle.

One of those TD passes was a 19-yarder to Foster in the second quarter. The 6-foot-7 Foster will play tackle for Northwestern but lines up as a tight end for Milford.

After four games, Foster had eight catches for 136 yards, including a 65-yard TD.


Zachary Franks

It's been a long season already for tackle Zachary Franks and Baltimore (Md.) Gilman.

The Greyounds are still looking for their first win after dropping their first five games of the 2018 schedule. Gilman has only been competitive in one game, a 21-17 loss to Episcopal in Week 4, and they've been beaten by more than 40 points twice.

The latest setback came Saturday, a 49-6 drubbing at the hands of Mount St. Joseph. The No. 6 Gaels built a 42-0 lead by halftime and then coasted to the win behind 146 yards from running back Marlowe Wax.


Bryce Gallagher

Linebacker Bryce Gallagher and St. Sebastian's Country Day are off to a fast start to the 2018 season. The Arrows posted a 63-7 win in Week 1 and blanked Milton Academy 21-0 on Saturday for a point differential of +77 after two weeks.

Gallagher was a two-way star for St. Sebastian's against Milton. He scored on a one-yard run after a direct snap to him in a Wildcat formation for the second score of the day. He then added a 10-yard TD catch from Billy Seidl on a fourth-and-goal at the end of the third quarter to give the Arrows the 21-0 lead that would hold up for the rest of the game.

Gallagher also had a sack in the game.


Jason Gold

Things haven't gone as planned for defensive tackle Jason Gold and League City (Texas) Clear Springs.

The Chargers are just 1-3 on the season and coming off of a 59-7 beatdown from Katy, the state powerhouse that produced current Wildcats Paddy Fisher and Travis Whillock.

Katy ran for 260 yards and seven TDs in the lopsided contest. The passing game missed just one pass all night, connecting on 10 of 11 aerials for 204 yards and one more score.

Through the first three games of the season, Gold was credited with 12 tackles and one quarterback hurry.