Zachary-Woodlawn football game to air on ESPNU as part of 2022 GEICO ESPN High School Football Showcase

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GEICO ESPN High School Football Showcase Returns, Highlighting Top Talent & Teams in the Country

The 2022 GEICO ESPN High School Football Showcase will feature matchups between some of the best high school football talent and teams from across the country.

The 11-game schedule begins Friday, Sept. 2, and will continue through Thursday, Nov. 3. This year’s showcase will feature 59 ranked players from ESPN 300 (Class of 2023) and ESPN Junior 300 (Class of 2024), including ranked athletes who have committed to top college programs such as, Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, Tennessee and USC.

Teams from eleven states are represented in this season’s showcase: Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Nevada, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah.

Combined with the previously announced 2022 GEICO ESPN High School Football Kickoff, ESPN will feature 18 high school football games across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and the ESPN App.

2022 GEICO ESPN High School Football Showcase Schedule
Notes: All times are ET.
*Player rankings from ESPN 300 (Seniors in the Class of 2022) and ESPN Junior 300 (Class of 2023)
*Colleges listed in parenthesis after player names include a listing of recruits’ top schools/offers

Week 1

Friday, Sept. 2
Junipero Serra (Calif.) vs. De La Salle (Calif.)
11 p.m. on ESPNU from De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif.

Serra advanced to the finals of the CIF Open Div. State Championship last season and the Padres will try to get back to the finals behind senior OL Ryan Silver (San Diego St. commit) and junior QB Maealiuaki Smith (Arizona, FSU, Kentucky, Nebraska).
De La Salle is a perennial California power that went 10-3 last season. The Spartans will look to improve on that mark with a strong senior class that includes: TE Cooper Flanigan (Notre Dame commit), OL Cooper Powers (TCU commit), OL Derek Thompson (Harvard commit), ATH Journey McCoy (Nevada commit) and WR Charles Greer (Fresno State commit), as well as junior ATH Carson Su’esu’e (Arizona St, Pitt, Tennessee, Utah).

Week 2

Friday Sept. 9
Lake Gibson (Fla), vs. Lehigh (Fla.)
8 p.m. on ESPNU from Lehigh High School in Lehigh Acres, Fla.

Lake Gibson advanced to the FHSAA 7A state semifinals last season. Junior RB Jacobe Fowler (Coastal Carolina, UConn, FAU) will carry the load as the Braves will look to make another playoff run.
Lehigh features the No. 14 player in the country and No. 1 ranked QB Richard Young (committed to Alabama), and fellow senior No. 146 (committed to South Carolina).

Week 3

Thursday, Sept. 15
St. Frances (Md.) vs. Venice (Fla.)
8 p.m. on ESPN2 from Venice High School in Venice, Fla.

Frances continues to be a national contender with key wins last season against De La Salle and IMG. No. 47 senior Da’Shawn Womack – DE is committed to LSU, while the junior class is stacked with five ranked players: No, 52 Michael Van Buren – QB, No. 138 Ify Obidegwu – CB, No. 193 Cam’Ron Warren – OT, No. 212 DeJuan Williams – RB and No. 235 Gabriel Williams – OLB.
Venice is coming off a FHSAA 8A State Championship last season. The Indians defense will be tough with No. 46 Elliot Washington – S (Penn State commit) in the secondary and No. 57 Damon Wilson – DE on the edge.

Friday, Sept. 16
Brookwood (Ga.) vs. Bishop Gorman (Nev.)
10:30 p.m. on ESPNU from Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nev.

Brookwood is coming off an impressive 10-3 season, reaching the GHSA 7A third round. The Broncos will lean on the No. 23 player in the nation QB Dylan Lonergan (Alabama commit) to make another deep Georgia playoff run.
Bishop Gorman remains one of the predominant programs in the country and their senior class will try to prove that with three ESPN 300 ranked players including: No. 6 Zachariah Branch (the No. 1 ranked WR is committed to USC), No. 163 Justyn Rhett – CB (Georgia commit), No. 205 Kodi Decambra – CB (Oregon commit), while OT Xander Ruggeroli is the No. 130 ranked player in the junior class.

Week 4

Friday, Sept. 23
IMG Academy (Fla.) vs. Central (Ala.)
6 p.m. on ESPNU from Central High School in Phenix City, Ala.

IMG suffered only one loss last season and they will try to make it a perfect season this year with nine ESPN 300 seniors and ten players ranked in the ESPN Junior 300 – nine of which fall within the top 100 ranked players in the junior class.
Central was 13-1 last season, losing only to Thompson in the state championship. The Red Devils will look to get over the hump this season behind a talented senior class that includes No. 28 A.J. Harris – CB (Georgia commit), No. 71 Karmello English – WR (Auburn commit ) and No. 178 Tomarrion Parker – DE(Penn State commit).

Week 5

Friday, Sept. 30
Collins Hill (Ga.) vs. Buford (Ga.)
7 p.m. on ESPN2 from Buford High School in Buford, Ga.

Collins Hill captured the GHSA 7A state title last season, earning a trip to the GEICO State Champions Bowl Series where they suffered their only loss of the season to Graham-Kapowsin (Wash.). No. 119 Ethan Davis – TE returns and is committed to Tennessee.
Buford was the GHSA 6A State Champion last season and they show no signs of slowing down. Senior RB Justice Haynes is the No. 18 ranked player in the country (committed to Alabama), while the Wolves 2024 class is loaded with four ESPN Junior 300 ranked players: No. 6 K.J. Bolden – the No. 1 ranked junior ATH, No. 16 King Joseph Edwards – DE, No. 17 Eddrick Houston – DE and No. 282 Tyshun White – S

Week 6

Thursday, Oct. 6
Zachary (La.) vs. Woodlawn (La.)
8 p.m. on ESPNU from Woodlawn High School in Baton Rouge, La.

Zachary went 15-0 last season on their way to a Louisiana 5A state title and the Broncos will be tough to stop again this season with QB No. 13 senior Eli Holstein returning (committed to Alabama), while No. 250 Kylin Jackson – S leads the defense.
Woodlawn came up just one score short in this match up last year and the Panthers have a power duo of their own with ESPN 300 ranked seniors on both sides of the ball – No. 192 Rickie Collins at QB and No. 200 Jordan Matthews – CB.

Friday, Oct. 7
Corner Canyon (Utah) vs. Lone Peak (Utah)
10 p.m. on ESPNU from Lone Peak High School in Highland, Utah.

Corner Canyon suffered only two losses last season both to Lone Peak, including a 49-42 loss in the state championship game. No. 252 Isaac Wilson (brother of NY Jets Zach Wilson) returns at QB for the Chargers.
Lone Peak claimed their second UHSAA 6A state title in four seasons, beating Corner Canyon twice along the way, including a shootout win in the state championship game. The Knights top offensive target Crew McChesney (Nevada offer) is committed to play baseball at BYU.

Week 7 – Bye Week

Week 8

Thursday, Oct. 20
Allen (Texas) vs. Guyer (Texas)
7 p.m. on ESPN2 from C.H Collins Stadium in Denton, Texas.

Allen was 11-3 last season, beating Guyer by one score before making a deep playoff run. The Eagles feature two ESPN Junior 300 ranked players: No. 30 Zina Umeozulu – DE and No. 190 Michael Hawkins – QB.
Guyer was 14-2 last season with their only losses coming to Allen by seven and to Westlake in the UIL 6A State Championship. After semifinal and finals appearances the past two season, the Wildcats will try to take the next step behind senior QB Jackson Arnold (OU commit) – the No. 15 player overall is the No. 1 ranked DT-QB, while No. 30 Peyton Bowen – S (Notre Dame commit) and No. 142 Ryan Yaites (LSU commit) lead the defense along with No. 288 junior Eli Bowen – CB.

Week 9, Friday, Oct. 28
Basha (Ariz.) vs. Chandler (Ariz.)
10 p.m. on ESPNU from Chandler High School in Chandler, Ariz.

Basha went 10-1 last season and will attempt a longer run in the AIA Open Division playoffs this year. No. 186 senior Cole Martin – CB is committed to Oregon, while No. 170 junior Demond Williams Jr. – QB leads the offense.
Chandler will look to get back on top in Arizona after winning five straight AIA state titles from 2016-2020. The difference maker this year will be junior QB Dylan Raiola – the No. 1 ranked player in the 2024 class is committed to Ohio State. No. 85 senior A’Mauri Washington – DT leads up front for the Wolves on defense.

Week 10, Thursday, Nov. 3
Jenks (Okla.) vs. Bixby (Okla.)
8 p.m. on ESPN2 from Bixby High School in Bixby, Okla.

Jenks was 13-1 last season on the way to their second consecutive 6A-I Championship (their one loss came to Bixby). RB Jalyn Stanford is committed to Houston and OL Landon Zaldivar is committed to Memphis.
Bixby was undefeated last season on the way to their fourth straight 6A-II Championship and have not lost a game since 2018. No. 70 Luke Hasz – TE and Dylan Hasz – S are both committed to Arkansas.


ESPN 300 Participants (Class of 2023)

Rank Player Pos. High School College Commitment*
5 Francis Mauigoa OT IMG Academy (FL) Miami
6 Zachariah Branch WR Bishop Gorman (NV) USC
13 Eli Holstein QB-PP Zachary (LA) Alabama
14 Richard Young RB Lehigh (FL) Alabama
15 Jackson Arnold QB-DT Guyer (TX) Oklahoma
18 Justice Haynes RB Buford (GA) Alabama
23 Dylan Lonergan QB-PP Brookwood (GA) Alabama
28 A.J Harris CB Central (AL) Georgia
30 Peyton Bowen S Guyer (TX) Notre Dame
33 Samuel M’Pemba ATH IMG Academy (FL)
46 Elliot Washington S Venice (FL) Penn St.
47 Da’Shawn Womack DE St. Frances (MD) LSU
57 Damon Wilson DE Venice (FL)
68 Riley Williams TE IMG Academy (FL) Miami
70 Luke Hasz TE Bixby (OK) Arkansas
71 Karmello English WR Central (AL) Auburn
80 Jayden Wayne DE IMG Academy (FL) Miami
85 A’Mauri Washington DT Chandler (AZ)
118 Will Norman DT IMG Academy (FL)
119 Ethan Davis TE Collins Hill (GA) Tennessee
123 Cameron Lenhardt DE IMG Academy (FL)
142 Ryan Yaites CB Guyer (TX) LSU
146 Kelton Henderson ATH Lehigh (FL)
154 Knijeah Harris C IMG Academy (FL) Florida
163 Justyn Rhett CB Bishop Gorman (NV) Georgia
166 Jordan Hall ILB IMG Academy (FL) Michigan St.
178 Tomarrion Parker DE Central (AL) Penn St.
186 Cole Martin CB Basha (AZ) Oregon
192 Rickie Collins QB-PP Woodlawn (LA) Purdue
200 Jordan Matthews CB Woodlawn (LA)
205 Kodi Decambra CB Bishop Gorman (NV) Oregon
231 Carnell Tate WR IMG Academy (FL) Ohio St.
250 Kylin Jackson S Zachary (LA)

ESPN Junior 300 Participants (Class of 2024)

Rank Player Position High School College Commitment*
1 Dylan Raiola QB-PP Chandler (AZ) Ohio St.
2 Desmond Ricks CB IMG Academy (FL)
4 Jerrick Gibson RB IMG Academy (FL)
6 K.J. Bolden ATH Buford (GA)
7 Ellis Robinson IV CB IMG Academy (FL)
8 Jonathan Echols ATH IMG Academy (FL) Tennessee
14 David Stone DT IMG Academy (FL)
16 King Joseph Edwards DE Buford (GA)
17 Eddrick Houston DE Buford (GA)
30 Zina Umeozulu DE Allen (TX)
41 Jayden Bradford QB-DT IMG Academy (FL)
52 Michael Van Buren QB-PP St. Frances (MD)
59 Jordon Johnson-Rubell CB IMG Academy (FL)
65 Ernest Willor DE IMG Academy (FL)
72 Jordan Pride S IMG Academy (FL) Florida St.
121 Jaydan Hardy S IMG Academy (FL)
130 Xander Ruggeroli OT Bishop Gorman (NV)
138 Ify Obidegwu CB St. Frances (MD)
170 Demond Williams Jr. QB-PP Basha (AZ)
190 Michael Hawkins QB-DT Allen (TX)
193 Cam’Ron Warren OT St. Frances (MD)
212 DeJuan Williams RB St. Frances (MD)
235 Gabriel Williams OLB St. Frances (MD)
252 Isaac Wilson QB-PP Corner Canyon (UT)
282 Tyshun White S Buford (GA)
288 Eli Bowen CB Guyer (TX)

SportsCenter Next:
For in-depth coverage of the GEICO ESPN High School Football Showcase, including highlights and exclusive content, follow @sportscenternext on Instagram and @SCNext on Twitter.

About Paragon Marketing Group
Paragon Marketing Group is a corporate consulting agency specializing in sports, entertainment and cause related sponsorships. Paragon manages the GEICO ESPN High School Football Showcase and has collaborated with ESPN over the past 19 years to deliver over 800 live high school sports telecasts featuring many of the top teams and players in the nation. Paragon collaborates with ESPN on the following live properties:

GEICO ESPN High School Football Kickoff & Showcase
GEICO Girls Volleyball Invitational
GEICO Top Flight Invite
GEICO ESPN High School Basketball Showcase
GEICO State Champions Bowl Series
ESPN Girls Basketball Invitational
GEICO High School Basketball Nationals
GEICO High School Lacrosse Showcase
GEICO High School Lacrosse Nationals

About GEICO
GEICO (Government Employees Insurance Company), the second-largest auto insurer in the U.S., was founded in 1936 and insures more than 28 million vehicles. For over 85 years, the company has worked to make people’s lives better by protecting policyholders against unexpected events. As GEICO has grown, it has delivered money-saving coverage and outstanding customer service to policyholders through its investment in human resources and technology. GEICO is a member of the Berkshire Hathaway family of companies.

Homeowners, renters, condo, flood, identity theft and term life coverage are written through non-affiliated insurance companies and are secured through the GEICO Insurance Agency, LLC. Commercial auto and personal umbrella coverages are also available. Subject to terms, conditions, and availability.

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Visit www.geico.com for a quote or to learn more.

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