Cal football recruiting commits, Friday night lights: Max Gilliam, Logan Gamble, Zion Echols tear it up

Offense was the order of the day again this week as the Golden Bears' offensive commits put forth some fantastic performances under the Friday night lights.

Zion Echols (RB) rebounded from a scoreless game last week with an outstanding performance this week. The Covina (Ca.) Charter Oak ball carrier toted the rock 21 times for 205 yards and three touchdowns. Echols added two receptions for 40 yards and another touchdown. Charter Oak defeated La Verne (Ca.) Damien 52-27 to improve to 2-1 this season.

Jordan Duncan (WR) and his Hattiesburg (Ms.) Oak Grove teammates suffered their first defeat of the season (2-1) against D'Iberville (Ms.) by a score of 44-21. Duncan caught seven passes for 76 yards, but failed to score a touchdown for the first time this season.

Derrick Clark (RB) led San Diego (Ca.) Mission Bay to a 26-13 victory against National City (Ca.) Sweetwater Friday night. Clark had one rushing touchdown and demonstrated solid pass protection in this highlight video of the win.

Max Gilliam (QB) had perhaps the easiest game of his career during a 48-21 defeat of Palmdale (Ca.) Highland. Gilliam completed each of his four pass attempts for a total of 111 yards and two touchdowns. Gilliam added 52 yards rushing with two touchdowns on four carries. Gilliam played one drive in the second half, resulting in a touchdown. The highlights can be seen here.

Here's an excerpt from the Los Angeles Daily News:

Max Gilliam threw touchdown passes of 23 yards to Daniel Cervantes and 56 yards to Kevin Howell and scored on keepers of 6 and 15 yards as the Lancers built a 48-0 lead early in the third quarter on their way to a 48-21 nonleague rout of Highland.

"That’s usually our plan -- to run it until they stop it," said Gilliam, who left the game after his second touchdown run capped the Lancers’ first drive of the second half. "One of the touchdown passes was a fake run play. We’d run the ball eight times in a row, so we went with a play-action pass and they bit on it."

Armani Rogers' (QB) Los Angeles (Ca.) Hamilton team continues to struggle as they were obliterated 48-7 by Los Angeles (Ca.) Crenshaw. The Hamilton Yankees are 1-2 this season.

Gentle Williams (OL) saw his Florence (Ms.) team pick up win number three this season as they defeated Forest (Ms.) Scott Central 21-20. Williams showed good burst off the line of scrimmage and a knack for getting to the second level to help his running back gain more yards. The highlights can be seen here. Florence is 3-1 on the season.

Drew Kobayashi (WR) caught only two passes during Honolulu (Hi.) St. Louis' 31-27 defeat of Honolulu (Hi.) Kamehameha, but totaled 68 receiving yards. The highlights can be found here.

Jake Curhan (OL) and Larkspur (Ca.) Redwood tasted defeat for the second time in as many games this season. The offensive struggles continue as Redwood scored just seven points in a 35-7 loss to Walnut Creek (Ca.) Northgate.

Logan Gamble (WR) had a huge game for Long Beach (Ca.) St. Anthony, but it was not enough to pull off a comeback victory against Long Beach (Ca.) Wilson. Gamble caught nine passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns as he tried his best to dig St. Anthony out of a 21-0 hole before eventually losing 54-39. St. Anthony is 1-1 this season.

This was a wild game, here's a snippet from Gazettes Sports:

Despite falling behind 21-0, the Saints came all the way back, 41-39, to almost tie Long Beach Wilson. However, Bruins senior running back Josh Wise’s fifth touchdown of the night was a 70-yard kickoff return for a touchdown on the next play. Wilson led 47-39 when the fourth quarter started.

Wilson led 21-0 when quarterback Jack Kulos found Les Hampton Jr. for an 11-yard touchdown. The next two St. Anthony possessions ended in Graham touchdown passes to Darnell Harris and Gamble.

It was a one-score game for the entire fourth quarter and St. Anthony got the ball down to the Wilson 20-yard line after a huge fourth down conversion, but Bruins defensive back Kuron Nelson came up with his third interception of the night to stop the drive and secure the victory.

"I'm so proud of these guys," St. Anthony head coach Mario Morales said. "It's a pride thing and this team never gave up."

Rusty Becker (DE) contributed five tackles with two for a loss as Fergus Falls (Mn.) lost 28-7 versus Itasca (Mn.) Community College.  Fergus Falls is 0-2 this season.

Cameron Goode (LB) did a short interview with scout.com after Houston (Tx.) Klein Collins defeated Bellaire (Tx.) 48-22. Goode talks about his expectations for Klein Collins this season and his commitment to Cal.

Camryn Bymum (CB) and Corona (Ca.) Centennial continue to pulverize teams this season as they defeated Orange (Ca.) Lutheran 35-14. This win was due in large part to the solidity of the Centennial defense since the offense committed four turnovers during the first half. Centennial is 3-0.

The game story is available at The Press Enterprise.

Josh Drayden (CB) made a few great tackles in the redzone to keep Bellaire (Tx.) Episcopal from getting into the endzone on this highlight video. Drayden's Dallas (Tx.) Bishop Dunne team defeated Episcopal 44-38. Bishop Dunne is 2-0.

Evan Weaver (DE) led Spokane (Wa.) Gonzaga Prep to a comeback 34-28 overtime victory versus Tacoma (Wa.) Bellarmine Prep. Weaver contributed a sack, several tackles, a blocked field goal and three rushing touchdowns. The highlights of Weaver's do-it-all performance can be seen here. Gonzaga Prep are now 2-0.

Here's a bit more on the game from The News Tribune:

Gonzaga Prep’s Evan Weaver, a 6-foot-4, 245-pound defensive lineman committed to Cal, burst through the middle of Bellarmine Prep’s line and got his outstretched arm on what would have been a 29-yard go-ahead field goal with 4 minutes, 20 seconds to play.

"It was huge. Nothing bigger than being able to come big in the fourth quarter," Weaver said. "I was just thinking, ‘Great players make big plays.’ I just wanted to come through for my team."

That was after he blocked a field goal when Bellarmine Prep visited Spokane last year — only that time he also returned it for a touchdown.

Weaver compensated by scoring three rushing touchdowns Friday, including the first two to get Gonzaga Prep back in the game.

But that 21-0 first-quarter deficit? It had to look especially daunting considering the Bullpups defense scored all but three of the team’s points last week … right?

"I mean, honestly, we were laughing," Weaver said. "We thought it was kind of funny. We were like, all right, it’s just more of a competition. Let’s just go out there and kick some (butt)."

That's all for week three of Friday night lights. Check back next week to see how the Cal football commits follow up on this week's fantastic performances.