Recruit Roundup: 15 Cat commits post wins as regular season winds down

Northwestern had a bye last weekend, but 18 of the 19 Class of 2023 commits were in action.

A wide receiver had three touchdowns in just four catches, one commit's team played three games in nine nights, and a defensive end's team scored just six points and won.

Read about all of that and more in this week's recruit roundup.

Prospect's high-octane offense has had to show up big several times this season, but last week they were on cruise control, beating Wheeling 44-12.

Frank Covey IV got the most out for his four catches for 43 yards, as three of them went for touchdowns in a performance evocative of Travis Kelce's Monday Night Football showing against the Raiders last week.

Prospect (7-1) will play at Rolling Meadows this week.

Orlando (Fla.) Edgewater should change its mascot from the Eagles to the Ironmen. They played three games in nine nights, beating Timber Creek on Oct. 6, Wekiva on Oct. 10 and then Ocoee on Oct. 14.

The 40-0 Timber Creek blowout was covered in last week's roundup, but the Eagles squeaked by Wekiva, 14-6, and Ocoee, 23-13, in understandably tight games, in the last seven days.

Tight end Camp Magee and Edgewater had to come from behind to beat Ocoee after star running back Cedric Baxter was injured against Wekiva. With that inhuman 3-0 stretch, Edgewater took the top spot in the FSHAA's Class 3M rankings.

Edgewater (8-0) is back on a standard schedule, and will host Horizon this week.

Lakewood (Ohio) St. Edward scored just six points last week, but when they have a defense starring Michael Kilbane, six was enough.

The Eagles went on the road to Archbishop Moeller and won 6-0 because of an elite game from Kilbane and the St. Edward defense. He finished with nine tackles and a tackle for loss, and the unit held the Crusaders to just 215 yards of total offense.

The defense has allowed the Eagles to pull off a lot of close wins against great opponents this season. They beat Moeller by six, Colorado power Cherry Creek by four, Toledo Central Catholic by three and Cincinnati Elder by three. This team knows how to win and win close, plain and simple.

This week, St. Edward (8-1) hosts undefeated Archbishop Hoban, the alma mater of former NU star Tyrell Sutton, in what feels like their fifth clash of the titans this season.

West Chester (Ohio) Lakota West trounced Middletown, 33-7, to take one step closer to an undefeated season.

This has been a banner year for Joshua Fussell and the Firebird defense. A garbage-time touchdown from Middletown ended the shutout, but this was still the seventh time in nine games that they held their opponents to seven or fewer points.

Lakota West (9-0) hosts Colerain this week.

Dylan Senda and Dearborn (Mich.) Divine Child picked up their sixth win in seven games when they beat Notre Dame Prep, 35-14.

Notre Dame pushed the Falcons early, and the game was tied at 14-14 at the half. But Senda's squad ran away with the game in the second half.

Both teams entered the game with two losses, but only Divine Child left that way. The Falcons have been on a roll recently, responding to their last August loss to U-D Jesuit with two double-digit wins.

Divine Child (6-2) hosts East Village this week.

Owing Mills (Md.) McDonogh lost, 23-7, to Mount St. Joseph last week.

Mason Robinson and the defense have been exemplary this year, allowing just 15 points per game so far. The McDonogh offense just hasn't been able to provide them the support to be competitive. In five of their seven games, they've scored seven or fewer points.

McDonogh (3-4) still has four games left to try and get their offense up to their defense's standards, they play at Archbishop Spalding this week.

Houston (Tex.) Strake Jesuit lost to Alief Taylor, 24-17.

The Crusaders' season has been balanced on a knife's edge recently; their last three games have been decided by 16 total points. Chico Holt and the Strake Jesuit offense had been lighting up the scoreboard, scoring 40 or more in their three games before being held to just 17.

District play has been a mixed bag for the Crusaders. They opened 2-0 but back-to-back losses have dropped them to .500 in district and 3-4 on the season.

Strake Jesuit (3-4) hosts Alief Hastings this week.

St. Louis (Mo.) Christian Brothers put up a palindrome to beat Warren Central, 52-25.

With this 27-point home win, the Cadets have their sixth straight win and look like a runaway train. Since their Week 2 loss to East St. Louis, they haven't won by a game by fewer than two scores.

Tyler Gant and the defense are one of the key reasons for Christian Brothers' dominance, allowing less than 21 points per game during the six-game streak. That may not seem like a dominant number, but when the offense is averaging 55, that's an almost unbeatable formula.

Christian Brothers (7-1) hosts Edwardsville (Ill.) this week.

Bolingbrook secured playoff eligibility and their fifth win when they beat Lincoln-Way Central, 44-7.

After a regular-season schedule that featured state powers like Lockport, Simeon and Lincoln-Way East, this was a good opportunity for Damon Walters and the Pirates to flex their muscles and prove they are better than their record suggests.

Bolingbrook (5-3) hosts Palos Hills Stagg this week.

Naperville (Ill.) North's offense showed off its arsenal for the second straight week, beating Waubonsie Valley 41-0.

After a brutal 10-7 overtime loss to Naperville Central, Aidan Gray and the Huskies have responded with two wins by a combined score of 100-14 to secure a spot in the IHSA playoffs.

The two teams traded turnovers on their opening drives, Waubonsie throwing a pick and Naperville responding with a fumble. But the Huskies found a rhythm, rushed for five first-half touchdowns, and the win was swiftly secured.

Naperville North (6-2) has a chance at revenge when they play crosstown rival Naperville Central, the alma mater of Reggie Fleurima, this week.

Joliet (Ill.) Catholic Academy shut out Benet Academy, 41-0.

Anthony Birsa and the Crusader offense have been formidable this season, scoring 40 or more points in six of their eight games.

With their sixth win, JCA secured their spot in the playoffs. There was never much doubt that the reigning IHSA Class 4A champs would be making their return, but it is still a milestone in every season.

JCA (6-2) will look to lock up a CCL/ESCC Orange title this week when they host Montini Catholic, the alma mater of Joe Spivak.

Clayton (Ohio) Northmont righted the ship last week with a 42-0 win over Beavercreek.

The Thunderbolts had a dominant 4-0 start to the season, then the script flipped with four straight losses. Nigel Glover and the defense put Northmont back on track, though, demolishing Beavercreek on the road.

This team goes as Glover and the defense do, four of their five wins have been shutouts this season.

Northmont (5-4) looks to cap a tumultuous season when they host Springfield this week.

Rock Hill (S.C.) Northwestern and Jordan Knox drubbed York, 45-17.

It sounds almost impossible, but that is the second lowest point total for the Trojans in a win this season. This prolific offense is averaging 51 points per game, and 57 points per win.

This is Northwestern's third straight win after a midseason loss to Gaffney, and per usual, when they win, they dance.

Northwestern (7-1) plays at South Pointe this week.

Pattison (Tex.) Royal responded to their first loss of the season by beating Wharton, 52-12.

Justin Cryer and the Falcon defense were stingy once again, as this was their fourth game allowing 12 or fewer points this season.

Royal (6-1) plays at Sweeny this week.

Liberty (Mo.) and Ricky Ahumaraeze followed the pattern of their season so far, and responded to a pair of losses with a big 48-28 win over Lee's Summit.

The game was tight early, as Liberty carried a narrow 24-21 lead into halftime. But Lee's Summit couldn't match Liberty's second-half push.

The Blue Jays doubled their points, while the Tigers only mustered one more touchdown and Liberty was back to .500 on the year.

Liberty (4-4) is gunning for a winning season when they host Blue Springs South in their final regular-season game of the year.

Lawndale (Calif.) Leuzinger lost to Inglewood, 41-6.

It's a broken record at this point, but Jacob Lewis's team is better than their record. Inglewood is 8-0 after beating the Olympians, and the cumulative record of the six teams that Leuzinger has lost to is now 40-8.

Leuzinger (2-6) hosts Morningside this week.

Peoria (Ariz.) Centennial and Dylan Roberts have something cooking. They beat O'Connor, 20-15, for their fifth straight win.

Roberts and the Coyotes came out of their bye week firing on all cylinders and handed O'Connor their second loss of the season. The Coyotes are definitely in a groove, but they're still grinding out wins. Their past two victories came by a total of seven points.

Centennial (5-1) will look to continue to build their momentum when they host Boulder Creek this week.

Glendale (Ariz.) Mountain Ridge beat Boulder Creek for the first time in 10 years, 23-21.

Every game for the Mountain Lions before this one was decided by 10 or more points, but they proved they can win the close ones too. With this win, their first in section play, Alex Doost and Mountain Ridge have now won three straight.

Mountain Ridge (4-2) will look to continue to pick up steam this week when they host Peoria Liberty.

DB Cole Shivers and Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro (3-3) were on bye last weekend. They play at Highland this week.