Prep Tracker: Garrett Wilson Returns To Lake Travis' Offense With A Vengeance, Marcus Crowley Runs Rampant Again And Jaxon Smith-Njigba Has Another Big Night In Passing Game

By Derrick Webb on November 18, 2018 at 11:30 am
Jaxon Smith-Njigba
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Every weekend in the fall, thousands of high school football teams line up and take their shot at prep glory. The morning Prep Tracker is your final stop for the names, numbers and scores that mattered to Ohio State's recruiting efforts.

SURVIVE AND ADVANCE

With playoff football among the nation's high school football scene, 12 Ohio State commits participated in postseason games this past weekend — 10 of which enjoyed wins.

In Texas, 2019 commit Garrett Wilson returned to Lake Travis' offense and instantly made his impact felt. The five-star receiver caught six passes for 147 yards and a touchdown, leading the Cavaliers to a 45-14 win over Smithson Valley.

From the San Antonio Express:

Hudson Card threw four touchdown passes and Garrett Wilson returned from a back injury to lead Lake Travis (9-1) to a 45-14 win over Smithson Valley (5-5) in 6A, Division I Bi-District playoff game.

Lake Travis advances to the 6A Division I Area playoffs against Madison. The Cavaliers and Mavericks play Friday at 2 p.m. at New Braunfels Canyon High 

Wilson started slowly before making his mark in the second quarter, taking a short pass from Card and running 75 yards to set up a Hays McCannon field goal that gave the Cavaliers a 10-0 lead. Wilson caught a 5-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter to push Lake Travis’ lead to 24-7.

Wilson’s score all but put the game out of reach, said Smithson Valley coach Larry Hill.

“We knew if we were going to have a chance we needed to get a stop on the first drive after halftime and then score,” Hill said. “To their credit, they came out and scored two or three touchdowns. They have a fine ball club and we weren’t able to keep pace.”

In the Sunshine State, Marcus Crowley ran wild ... again ... in a 28-12 victory over Wakulla. The three-star 2019 running back took 18 carries for 203 yards and a score. His season statistics now stand at 173 carries for 1,878 yards and 23 touchdowns.

Crowley, of course, committed to Ohio State on Nov. 4, flipping from Miami (FL). His commitment was shortly followed by 2020 receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who also played well this weekend. The Rockwall (Texas) wideout caught seven passes for 182 yards and three touchdowns in a 50-14 victory over Belton.

The only other 2020 commit to play this weekend — all others have already ended their seasons — was St. Joseph Regional (Montvale, N.J.) offensive guard Luke Wypler. SJR beat St. Peter's Prep by a 24-14 final, advancing to the state's Non-Public 4 state final.

Back in the 2019 class, Blessed Trinity Catholic (Roswell, Ga.) running back Steele Chambers continued to find the end zone. In a 35-10 win over North Oconee, Chambers scored two touchdowns; including a 30-yard score. Cardinal Ritter Prep (St. Louis, Mo.) receiver Jameson Williams also found the end zone in a 42-9 playoff victory over Kennett. Williams only needed three catches to gain 105 yards and score a 90-yard strike.

Tight end commit Cormontae Hamilton also advances as Whitehaven (Tenn.) blanked Germantown, 14-0. The victory ended Germantown's 12-game win streak and allowed Whitehaven to advance to a fifth straight semifinal appearance.

Up front, Buford (Ga.) center Harry Miller helped his team to a 44-11 win over Kell. The victory marks the 19th consecutive year where Buford has reached a state quarterfinal. Spring Valley (W. Va.) guard Doug Nester also enjoyed a win, beating Huntington, 36-0. In the win, Spring Valley outgained Huntington 400-54 and limited the Highlanders to two first downs.

From the Charleston Gazette:

Spring Valley kept Huntington (8-4) off balance in the first half, running 16 times and throwing 15 passes. The balance resulted in 243 yards, 170 via the air.

The Highlanders meanwhile gained little in the first two quarters as Spring Valley’s defensive front dominated, stuffing the Huntington ground game and spoiling the return of senior running back Ty Wilcoxon, who missed most of the season with a fractured ankle. Defensive linemen Doug Nester, Wyatt Milum, Cody Sharp and Cody Stanley, among others, clogged running lanes and pressured the quarterback throughout.

Two other 2019 commits were also in action, falling in a regional final contest. 

Mentor's in-state duo of Ryan Jacoby and Noah Potter saw their senior seasons end at the hands of Lakewood St. Edward by a 24-14 final. In the loss, the Cardinals allowed 249 rushing yards while gaining a season-low 65. Mentor ends its season at 11-2.

2019 OHIO STATE FOOTBALL COMMITMENTS
NAME POS HIGH SCHOOL OPPONENT SCORE  stats/news
GARRETT WILSON WR LAKE TRAVIS (AUSTIN, TX) SMITHSON VALLEY (SPRING BRANCH, TX) Won 45-14. 6 catches, 147 yards, TD
STEELE CHAMBERS RB BLESSED TRINITY CATHOLIC (ROSWELL, GA) NORTH OCONEE (BOGART, GA) Won 35-10. 2 rushing TD, 30-yard TD run
HARRY MILLER OL BUFORD (BUFORD, GA) KELL (MARIETTA, GA) Won 44-11. Win marks 19th straight year where Buford has reached state quarterfinals.
DOUG NESTER OL SPRING VALLEY (HUNTINGTON, WV) HUNTINGTON (HUNTINGTON, WV) Won 36-0. Helped Spring Valley outgain Huntington 400-54 while limiting Highlanders to two first downs.
JORDAN BATTLE S ST. THOMAS AQUINAS (FORT LAUDERDALE, FL) FORT LAUDERDALE (FORT LAUDERDALE, FL) Won 51-0. Helped defense give up just 40 first half yards while allowing Fort Lauderdale to cross midfield once.
RONNIE HICKMAN ATH DEPAUL CATHOLIC (WAYNE, NJ) SEASON HAS ENDED N/A N/A
CADE STOVER OLB LEXINGTON (MANSFIELD, OH) SEASON HAS ENDED N/A N/A
DWAN MATHIS QB OAK PARK (OAK PARK, MI) SEASON HAS ENDED. N/A N/A
RYAN JACOBY OT MENTOR (MENTOR, OH) ST. EDWARD (LAKEWOOD, OH) Lost 24-14. Mentor is limited to season-low 65 rushing yards.
NOAH POTTER DE MENTOR (MENTOR, OH) ST. EDWARD (LAKEWOOD, OH) Lost 24-14. Cardinals allow 249 yards on the ground.
CRAIG YOUNG ATH WAYNE (FORT WAYNE, IN) SEASON HAS ENDED. N/A N/A
CORMONTAE HAMILTON TE WHITEHAVEN (MEMPHIS, TN) GERMANTOWN (GERMANTOWN, TN) Won 14-0. Win ends Germantown's 12-game winning streak.
BRYSON SHAW S THE BULLIS SCHOOL (POTOMAC, MD) SEASON HAS ENDED. N/A N/A
JAMESON WILLIAMS WR CARDINAL RITTER PREP (ST. LOUIS, MO) KENNETT (KENNETT, MO) Won 42-9. 3 catches, 105 yards, TD; 90-yard TD catch
MARCUS CROWLEY RB TRINITY CHRISTIAN ACADEMY (JACKSONVILLE, FL) WAKULLA (CRAWFORDVILLE, FL) Won 28-12. 18 carries, 203 yards, TD
2020 OHIO STATE FOOTBALL COMMITMENTS
NAME POS HIGH SCHOOL OPPONENT SCORE STATS/NEWS
JACK MILLER QB CHAPARRAL (SCOTTSDALE, AZ SEASON HAS ENDED. N/A N/A
DARVON HUBBARD RB CHAPARRAL (SCOTTSDALE, AZ) SEASON HAS ENDED. N/A N/A
PARIS JOHNSON JR. OL ST. XAVIER (CINCINNATI, OH) SEASON HAS ENDED. N/A N/A
LUKE WYPLER OL ST. JOSEPH REGIONAL (MONTVALE, NJ) ST. PETER'S PREP (JERSEY CITY, NJ) Won 24-14. SJR will now play for non-public 4 state title.
JAKE WRAY OL MARIETTA (MARIETTA, GA) SEASON HAS ENDED N/A N/A
LEJOND CAVAZOS S IMG ACADEMY (BRADENTON, FL) SEASON HAS ENDED. N/A N/A
JAXON SMITH-NJIGBA WR ROCKWALL (ROCKWALL, TX) BELTON (BELTON, TX) Won 50-14. 7 catches, 182 yards, 3 TD
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