Friday Night Recruiting Report: Cardinal Gibbons at Buchholz

There was an almost tangible energy in the air as I entered Citizens Field in Gainesville last Friday, and I was immediately greeted by the familiar smell of grandstand hot dogs and welcoming soundtrack of a pumped up high school brass section setting an exciting beat for what was sure to be an unforgettable night of prep football in the Sunshine State for those in attendance. As a newly-settled resident of Gainesville and the state of Florida and a new contributor to PrepRedzoneFL I was thrilled to cover my second high school football game in person, and I was in for a doozy as two Top-25 Florida squads were set to face off in a North Florida/South Florida showdown as Fort Lauderdale’s Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs traveled the 6 hours north up 95 to Gainesville to take on the Buchholz Bobcats. Although I’ve been scouting high school football in the Midwest for a while I had never seen this much P5 talent on one field at one time, and all of the pieces were in place for this to be close, competitive, hard-fought football game between two undefeated heavyweights. Well, I am here to report that this game was intense and had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish, and below I have included a short recap of the game, some superlatives, and more importantly broke down and detailed some the top performers on offense and defense from both sides. These top performers include SEC recruits all the way to athletes without offers, and I came away very impressed with a few potential sleeper recruits in particular. Check out my Friday Night Recruiting Report below, and I hope you enjoy!

Game Recap

It looked like things were set to be a high-scoring affair early into the first quarter as the Chiefs 2022 DB Robert Green intercepted a tipped pass off an intended Bobcats WR screen deep in Buchholz’s territory and set up the Cardinal Gibbons offense almost in their opponent’s redzone. It was a gift that literally fell into the lap of Green, and the Chiefs offense took advantage a couple of plays later as 2023 QB  Dylan Rizk Dylan Rizk 6'2" | 205 lbs | QB Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons | 2023 State FL  worked some magic in the magic, stepped up, rolled right, and found 2022 speedster  Davon Kiser Davon Kiser WR Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons | 2022 FL  (10.65 100M) in the corner of the endzone for the first points of the ball game. Unfortunately, they missed the extra point, so with 4:43 left in the first we had ourselves a 6-0 ball game in favor of Cardinal Gibbons. The momentum stayed with the Ft. Lauderdale powerhouse, as Buchholz’s 2023 QB and P5 prospect  Creed Whittemore Creed Whittemore 5'11" | 175 lbs | QB Gainesville Buchholz | 2023 State FL  aired out an errant deep ball that fell right into the bread basket of Chiefs 2023 safety  Adonis Allen Adonis Allen 5'10" | 180 lbs | DB Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons | 2023 FL . The Dylan Rizk Dylan Rizk 6'2" | 205 lbs | QB Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons | 2023 State FL led Cardinal Gibbons offense kept humming, as the junior scampered for third down conversions and eventually finished the drive off himself, running the ball in from just outside the Bobcats 10-yard line, and Cardinal Gibbons found themselves up 13-0 with less than a minute left in the opening quarter.

And two plays later @dylanrizk11 he finishes it off himself! Chiefs up 13-0 after the PAT with less than a minute left in the first. @PrepRedzoneFL pic.x.com/Oo5oXyG3sw

— PrepRedzone Oliver (@OJW_Scouting) September 17, 2021

I thought the quarter was going to tick away with nothing else eventful happening, but boy was I was wrong as Whittemore launched a rocket down his opponent’s sideline that found 2023 speedster Ja’Carree Kelly in-stride and allowed him to make a powerful cut inside to avoid the pursuing safety and run into the endzone for Buchholz’s first points of the game. It was a much needed response to the growing momentum of Cardinal Gibbons, and as the second quarter got underway we had ourselves a ball game at 13-6.

LET’S GO!!!!!!! Take it to the crib 🏡 @dagreatkelly!!! What a play by 2023s @c_whit115 as he finds WR Ja’Carree Kelly streaking down the sideline for a much needed Bobcat TD. With 9ish minutes left in the second quarter: @FootballGibbons 13@BuchholzFB 7@PrepRedzoneFL pic.x.com/gZBUPuduJG

— PrepRedzone Oliver (@OJW_Scouting) September 17, 2021

Both sides really began to battle as the sun set on Citizens Field and the first half of our ball game, but neither team found pay dirt again before halftime. Cardinal Gibbons made a strong effort to score right before half, but Buchholz’s 6’4, 215 lb senior DE Daryus Boyd put a lid on things and recorded a big sack to halt the Chiefs progress and enthusiasm for a second quarter touchdown. At the end of the half: Cardinal Gibbons 13, Buchholz 6.

The second half was a mix of deep offensive drives, big plays, and a ton of referee flags. The Bobcats front-7 made big plays when it mattered, and found Rizk multiple times on third down to hold off the Chiefs and force punts or turnovers on downs. Offensively, Buchholz began relying on recent UCF commit and super athlete  Quan Lee Quan Lee 5'11" | 170 lbs | WR Gainesville Buchholz | 2022 State FL , who was a must watch when he had the pigskin in hand, but couldn’t put together a complete drive and were unable to find the endzone despite some quality attempts. For Cardinal Gibbons offense, 2023 Rb Kamari “Hulk” Moulton began lowering his shoulder and gaining tough yards after contact, but couldn’t power it in for points. The end of the fourth got really exciting, however, as the impressive Bobcats 2022 safety Tavares Williams Jr. picked off a Rizk pass right outside of his own endzone to give Buchholz one last shot to tie the game/take the lead with 3:20 left in the game, but the first play of their following offensive possession Cardinal Gibbons OLB Jeremiah Makins picked off an out-route and sealed the game for the South Florida heavyweight. The Chiefs added a FG before time expired, but the damage had already been done. Final: Cardinal Gibbons 16, Buchholz 7. What a game!

Top Performers

Cardinal Gibbons

Offense:  Dylan Rizk Dylan Rizk 6'2" | 205 lbs | QB Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons | 2023 State FL  – QB. 2023. Offers from Troy, UCF, Appalachian State, Indiana, Kentucky

With a wealth of talent on the field offensively for the Chiefs, things really happened through 2023 6’2, 200 lb, QB  Dylan Rizk Dylan Rizk 6'2" | 205 lbs | QB Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons | 2023 State FL . He flashed with solid throws downfield at points, but really did his best work when he was forced to scramble, improvise, and make plays happen when things broke down. He had great pocket awareness, could throw on the run, and was a tough ball carrier when he tucked the ball and took off with a strong lower body.

Also Impressed: 2023 WR  Jesse Anderson Jesse Anderson 6'1" | 170 lbs | WR Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons | 2023 FL  & 2022 RB/WR  Davon Kiser Davon Kiser WR Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons | 2022 FL  

Defense:  Tray Brown Tray Brown 6'0" | 200 lbs | LB Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons | 2022 State FL  – LB. 2022. Coastal Carolina commit

The captain of the defense was the well-built, physical senior Coastal Carolina commit  Tray Brown Tray Brown 6'0" | 200 lbs | LB Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons | 2022 State FL kept catching my eye throughout the night for how quick he closed on ball carriers and how effective a tackler he was. For a big kid he triggered on the ball well and was able to make plays out on the edge and in space. Played with a lot of energy as well.

Also Impressed: 2022 DE  Mason Thomas Mason Thomas DL Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons | 2022 FL  & 2023 DB  Adonis Allen Adonis Allen 5'10" | 180 lbs | DB Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons | 2023 FL  

Special Teams: Christian Silverstein – P. 2023.

Booted a punt from around his own 20 all the way to the 17 of Buchholz, so basically flipped the field and really helped out his defense. Great special teams play there.

Buchholz 

Offense: Ja’Carree Kelly – WR/CB. 2023.

Was the most consistent player on the Buchholz offense as well as their spark plug. His 73-yard TD catch was the biggest play of the game and came at a time when Buchholz just went down two scores and desperately needed points. Not only that, he had a couple of other impressive catches in traffic. He’s got very quick feet and a powerful frame that works perfectly out of the slot. Very underrated 2023 SB that doesn’t hold any offers as of right now.

Also Impressed:  Quan Lee Quan Lee 5'11" | 170 lbs | WR Gainesville Buchholz | 2022 State FL  – WR. 2022 & Adam Sermons – WR. 2022.

Defense: Tavares Williams Jr. – S. 2022. Offers from Westminster College. Visited Valdosta State

Another huge sleeper on the Buchholz team came from their safety Tavares Williams – who was all over the field in the Bobcats loss and had himself a heckuva night in run support as well as pass coverage. He recorded the ultra-clutch interception at the end of the fourth that gave his offense a chance to win the game, and prior to that was one of the hardest hitters on the field and ran the alley extremely well. Every tackle he made echoed through the stadium and he was the physical presence you need from the safety position. Definitely a scholarship talent that I hope Valdosta State pulls the trigger on.

Also Impressed: Nay’Ron Jenkins – OLB. 2022 & Daryus Boyd – DE. 2022

Special Teams: Aden De Hoyos – 2024. LB.

Playing and blocking on kickoff return is one of the harder jobs in football, and De Hoyos was laying some big time hits from the back line and showed no hesitation to lay a block at full steam.

Superlatives 

Best on the Field:  Quan Lee Quan Lee 5'11" | 170 lbs | WR Gainesville Buchholz | 2022 State FL  (Buchholz) WR. Time slowed down and the stadium held its breath when Lee touched the ball. His athleticism stood out among a bunch of very talented athletes last Friday.

Biggest on the Field:  Ahmad Moten Ahmad Moten DL Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons | 2022 FL  (Cardinal Gibbons) DT. Looked like a refrigerator out on the field and played like it too. Ate up double teams for lunch and made some impressive run stops from the iDL.

Young Buck to Watch: Kendall Jackson (Buchholz) 2024. DE. Great size at 6’4, 235 and shows all of the traits to play DL at a P5 school in the future. Good first step who can cross face of the tackle and uses his long arms to his advantage.

Sleeper of the Night: Ja’Carree Kelly (Buchholz) WR. The SB was the Bobcats best offensive weapon who had game-breaking speed and great elusiveness with the ball in his hands. Needs an offer!

Block Defeater: Nay’ron Jenkins (Buchholz) OLB. One of the best games in terms of getting off blocks from an individual athlete that I had ever seen. He put a bunch of Chiefs on their butts throughout the night and got better as the game went on.

Fastest on the Field:  Davon Kiser Davon Kiser WR Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons | 2022 FL  (Cardinal Gibbons) RB/WR. His 10.65 100 M time showed on in pads, as he was lightning in a bottle and dangerous if allowed out to the edge. Holds offers from Western Carolina, Austin Peay, Charleston Southern, Air Force, and Navy