Friday Night Lights Recap: Fairfield versus Wayne

It was a beautiful night for the first Friday Night Lights of the 2025 football season. The Warriors would look to make it 3 wins in a row over Fairfield and that they did. After a back and forth second half Wayne took home a 31-24 win. There were a number of players from each team that I was really impressed with. So let's take a look at some of the players who impressed.    Graham was a player that I was looking forward to seeing going into the season. He got some chances to play as a freshman last year and flashed. Graham had a slow start in the first half, but in the second half you could see things slow down for him. He's very comfortable making plays out of structure and has the arm strength to throw across his body and put it on a rope. As Graham gets more reps he'll get more comfortable winning from the pocket. Graham finished the day completing 14 of 26 passes for 239 yards and 2 touchdowns.     Semarion had the biggest day among all of the pass catchers on the evening as he hauled in 6 passes for 111 yards and a touchdown. His biggest play was a wide receiver screen that he took 76 yards for a touchdown. The senior receiver is a twitchy receiver who has great long speed. He's definitely a player who has the chance to be a playmaker at the next level.     Dajon had a really nice night for the Warriors. He led the defense in tackles with 9 including a sack and 3 tackles for loss and was playing behind the line of scrimmage all night long. Nalls-Oliver is a twitchy linebacker who's explosive and downhill. He's fearless in how he throws his body around. Along with his physical tools what I was really impressed with was his instincts for the game. His read and react was really good. Oliver is definitely a player people need to keep a watch out for.     Steele is a nice young edge player who I thought really flashed on the evening. He finished with a sack and a TFL. Dayauan has great length and plays downhill. He has an explosive get off and bends well. He changes direction well to as his target moves. Right now Steele is winning solely on his athletic ability. If he can start to add more tools to his bag, add good weight, and get stronger he has a chance to start popping up on D1 recruiting radars. I'm excited to see what the future holds for this young pass rusher.     Heisle finished the night with 7 tackles. He's comfortable in space and shows good range in the secondary. Even when he's playing single high, he's consistent an effective in his pursuit of the underneath throws and the run game.     Thompson is a big and bruising back. He runs with good vision but doesn't dance. He's a true north-south runner who's more than willing to put his shoulder down and run over you. When he gets into the open field, he's not a plodder though. He has the speed to make chunk plays. He also has a nice jump cut that can make guys miss. Thompson finished with 100 yards on 15 carries with a touchdown.     The Ohio State commit finished with 3 catches for 46 yards. Though it wasn't a huge day on offense it didn't mean that he didn't find his way to make his mark on the game. Jamier had 125 yards on 2 kickoff returns which included a 97-yard return for a touchdown. His elite speed was on full display on the kickoff return. The way he can flip his hips and be explosive in his route running is also different. It's very easy to see why Brown is one of the top wide receivers in the country.     While Lewis's night didn't manifest itself in big numbers. He made his presence felt all over the field. I saw him line up in centerfield, the edge, and even on the line of scrimmage in a press man situation. He's a twitchy player who is very versatile. He's strong enough to be a physical presence in the run game, but he's also athletic and explosive enough to cover in man or space. I like him as a hybrid linebacker at the next level that's a great chess piece for whatever defensive coordinator he ends up playing for.     Rogers was a fun watch at the middle linebacker position. I loved the intensity and the aggressiveness he played with. He's more your new age Mike linebacker who can play all 3 downs. He has a great frame and build with room to add more weight. He was comfortable dropping and playing zone, but where I really loved him was his ability to shoot the gap and make plays behind the line of scrimmage. He's twitchy and with more physical development I think he could become a versatile mike that can cover and be a thumper in the run game.

It was a beautiful night for the first Friday Night Lights of the 2025 football season. The Warriors would look to make it 3 wins in a row over Fairfield and that they did. After a back and forth second half Wayne took home a 31-24 win. There were a number of players from each team that I was really impressed with. So let's take a look at some of the players who impressed.