Published Oct 3, 2022
Recruit Roundup: Cryer continues to lead program turnaround
Matthew Shelton  •  WildcatReport
Managing Editor

The Class of 2023 is one of the best in recent memory, and will be the first class to play in the rebuilt Ryan Field when it opens in 2026.

Check out how all 20 commitments did on the field last weekend:


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5-0 "feels great" for Royal and Juice Cryer

Pattison (Tex.) Royal and Justin Cryer continued their incredible season with a 13-10 win over their rival, Sealy.

Every win this year has been a statement for Royal, who is 5-0 after finishing 4-6 in 2021, but maybe none more so than this one.

In a close fought rivalry game like this, every inch and every play counts. Cryer made impacts all over the place. He recovered a fumble, made a crucial reception to set up a field goal and led the defense in one of their best games all year.

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After giving up 28 points in back-to-back games, Cryer and the defense came out of their bye week and put the clamps down on Sealy. The Tigers trimmed Royal's lead to three late in the fourth, and even got the ball back on a late Falcon fumble, but the Royal defense held again and again to earn their fifth win of the year.

Check out Cryer's postgame interview, where he talks about what the game meant to him and his commitment to playing both sides of the ball:

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Royal (5-0) will have their undefeated season put to the test when they travel this week to play Belleville (6-0).


Covey puts up video game numbers in win over Elk Grove

Prospect responded to their first loss of the season by handing Elk Grove their first loss of the season in a 35-21 win.

Frank Covey IV had 10 catches for 189 yards, a receiving touchdown and a rushing touchdown. His partnership with quarterback Brad Vierneisel continues to be the engine that propels an electric Knights offense that is averaging nearly 40 points per game.

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Prospect (5-1) hosts Buffalo Grove this week.


Win over rival St. Ignatius "feels amazing" for Kilbane

Lakewood (Ohio) St. Edward has been on a warpath since their loss two weeks ago. The Eagles claimed their second straight victim when they demolished St. Ignatius, ranked No. 7 to St. Edward's No. 2 by Cleveland.com, 48-6.

Michael Kilbane and the defense have been lights out during that stretch, allowing just six points for the second straight game.

Kilbane, No. 47, opens up Cleveland.com's recap with a sack and a quote about how much winning the rivalry meant to him.

"I've been a [St. Edward's] fan since I was like three, I have so much family that went to this school," Kilbane said. "To beat our rival St. Ignatius, which is such a deep-rooted rivalry, it just feels amazing."

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St. Edward (6-1) hosts Clarkson North this week, the road warrior Canadian high school football program.


Cypress Ranch handles Cypress Springs for fourth straight win

Four-star DE commit Ashton Porter made news both on and off the field last week.

Off the field, the news broke that Porter will take an official visit to Michigan State this weekend. However, he told WildcatReport that he was still committed to the Wildcats. So we will keep a close eye on that situation.

On the field, Porter and Cypress (Texas) Ranch made it back-to-back district demolitions when they beat Cypress Springs, 55-29.

That makes it a pair of district wins by three scores or more, and the Mustangs are hitting their stride. Porter was a force in the backfield again, pressuring the quarterback and dominating the line of scrimmage.

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Cypress Ranch (4-1) will need to ride that momentum next week against Cypress Parks. They have a quick turnaround from their fourth straight win, and will face the Tigers under Thursday night lights.


Northwestern's offense gets back to their old self in win over Lancaster

Rock Hill (S.C.) Northwestern started their offense back up in a dominant 58-16 win over Lancaster.

The Trojans had a bye week to stew on their seven-point performance against Gaffney, and came out with a vengeance for their fourth game of 58 points or more this season. Jordan Knox and the Trojans won big, and when they win, they dance.

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Northwestern (5-1) plays at Indian Land this week.


Centennial scrapes by Williams Field

Peoria (Ariz.) Centennial and Dylan Roberts squeaked past Williams Field with a 24-22 win.

The Coyotes have been on a roll, and this extends their winning streak to four and surpasses their 2021 win total of three. Roberts is one of several players in NU's Class of 2023 who leading dramatic year-to-year turnaround from their junior to senior years.

Read Richard Smith's profile on Roberts and his push for Centennial's return to glory this season for more:

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Centennial (4-1) plays at O'Connor this week.


Leuzinger stays patient, dominates Centennial

It was a long start to the year for Jacob Lewis and Lawndale (Calif.) Leuzinger.

The Olympians lost their first five games, all against some of the toughest teams California can offer, but they stayed bought in and stayed patient. They let loose all that pent up frustration from their winless start in their first divisional game against Centennial and crushed the Apaches, 53-0.

Leuzinger (1-5) faces their second divisional opponent of the season when they travel to play at Beverly Hills this week.


Divine Child's winning streak snapped by U-D Jesuit

Dearborn (Mich.) Divine Child's four-game winning streak was snapped by U-D Jesuit in a 30-22 loss last week.

Dylan Senda and the Falcons got out to a 7-6 lead, but were trying to play catchup after that. U-D Jesuit went up 20-7, and the Falcons bungee corded the rest of the game. They trimmed the lead to 20-14, and then to 30-22 on a fourth quarter hook-and-ladder, but were unable to tie or take the lead after the first half surge from the Cubs.

This was one of Divine Child's two Catholic - AA games this season, and a tough loss for a team that had built up so much steam the past four weeks.

The Falcons (4-2) will look to reset and regather this week when they play their second Catholic - AA game at Loyola.


McDonogh gets back on track with win over Loyola Blakefield

Mason Robinson earned some bragging rights over Northwestern defensive end Anto Saka once he gets to Evanston. Robinson and Owing Mills (Md.) McDonogh beat Saka's alma mater, Loyola Blakefield, 21-10 last week.

The Eagles started off their six-game stretch of Region play with a win, despite their rocky 1-3 record heading into the game against the Dons.

This was a big game for the McDonogh offense, who showed signs of life for the first time since Week 1. Twenty-one points isn't typically something to write home about, but it exceeded McDonogh's point total (20) from their three games prior to their matchup with Loyola.

McDonogh (2-3) hosts Palotti this week.


Strake Jesuit wins shootout by a point

Houston (Tex.) Strake Jesuit matched up with Alvin last week, and neither team left their offense at home. The Crusaders and the Hornets combined for 85 points, but it was Chico Holt and Strake Jesuit that got the 43-42 win.

This was a big win for the Crusaders who have responded to an 0-2 start with three straight wins. After a Week 1 blowout at the hands of Fulshear, the Crusaders played three one-score games and won two of them. Their matchup with Alvin last week was like looking in a mirror, both teams entered 2-2, and the scoreboard reflected that.

Strake Jesuit (3-2) will look to stretch their winning streak to four this week when they host Pearland Dawson.


Christian Brothers takes trip to Indianapolis, returns with win over Bishop Chatard

St. Louis (Mo.) Christian Brothers' trek to Indianapolis proved to be worth after they brought a 55-24 win over Bishop Chatard back to Missouri.

The Cadets are continuing to build momentum and find their groove as they enter the heart of their 2022 campaign.

Tyler Gant and the CBC defense have been crucial to their team's success, living in the backfield and swarming opponents. They completely stifled Bishop Chatard's ground game, holding them to 38 yards on 22 carries.

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Christian Brothers (5-1) has another road trip, albeit a much shorter one, to play Vianney this week.


Bolingbrook wins barnburner without their head coach

Bolingbrook was without their head coach due to a medical issue, per Friday Night Drive, but they were still able to beat Homewood-Flossmoor, 43-36, last week.

It was a clash between the 3-2 Pirates and the 4-1 Vikings for bragging rights and inroads towards second place in the Southwest Suburban Conference.

Quarterback Jonas Williams, who has starred this season as just a sophomore, only threw for two touchdowns. Instead, it was running back Joshua Robinson leading Bolingbrook to the win with four TDs.

Damon Walters and the Pirate defense have kept Bolingbrook in games against some of the state's best teams, and put them in a position to win this week.

Bolingbrook (4-2) travels to Lockport this week.


Naperville North loses cross-town rivalry in overtime

Naperville North came up short in a dramatic and low scoring affair with rival Naperville Central, losing 10-7 in overtime.

In a brutal parallel to Ryan Hilinski's sneak against Penn State, Aidan Gray was stopped short on third and fourth down in overtime to give the ball back to the Redhawks. Naperville Central made a field goal, and escaped with a 10-7 win.

Gray and the offense were held scoreless by the Redhawks. Naperville North's touchdown came on a pick-six in the third quarter, and the Huskies also missed a 20-yard field goal to keep it tied 7-7 headed into the fourth and eventually to overtime.

Naperville North (4-2) falls to 1-2 in DuPage Valley play, they will look to get back to .500 when they travel to Metea Valley this week.


JCA bounces back from first loss with conference win

After having their state-best 24-game winning streak snapped by Crete-Monee last week, Joliet (Ill.) Catholic Academy and Anthony Birsa got to work building their next one.

The Hilltoppers handled St. Laurence in a 49-28 win, and picked up their second victory in their CCL/ESCC Orange division, their third win in the CCL/ESCC at large.

JCA (5-1) will look to guarantee their playoff spot with their sixth win when they host Brother Rice this week.


Northmont struggles in their third straight loss

The spell of Clayton (Ohio) Northmont's defense appears to be broken, as they lost 49-14 last week to Wayne.

Nigel Glover and his crew were phenomenal to start the season, allowing 13 points in their first four games. Since that stretch, the Thunderbolt defense has been been under siege.

After those dominant first four weeks, all wins, Northmont has allowed 128 in their last three, all losses.

Northmont (4-3) plays at Springboro this week to try and get back on track.


Liberty narrowly loses to Staley

Liberty and Ricky Ahumaraeze lost a close game to Staley, 26-24. The Blue Jays got out to a 24-14 lead, but couldn't respond to a 12-point Staley fourth quarter.

Staley punched in the final touchdown on a run from just inside the Liberty 20 with under four minutes remaining. This was the second time that Liberty lost a late-game heartbreaker, they lost to Ray-Pec by three earlier this season.

Ahumaraeze and the offense are a pretty good litmus test for the Blue Jays this season. If they score 30 or more, they are 3-1. If they don't, they are 0-2.

Liberty (3-3) will host Lee's Summit North this week.


Saguaro drops second game in a row

It has been a turbulent start to the year for defending champion Cole Shivers and Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro. The Sabercats fell to 2-3 last week with a 26-19 loss to Peoria Liberty.

It's always tough to find positives when the scoreboard tells a different story, but even in a loss, Shivers and the Sabercats put the brakes on the Liberty offense. In their first three games, Liberty scored 49 or 50 points. Shivers and Co. did not get the win, but they almost cut those numbers in half last week.

It's the second straight loss for the Sabercats, who have an astonishing strength of schedule so far. Being below .500 is no one's plan five games into the year, but their losses have come to national powerhouse Bergen Catholic from New Jersey, rival and national powerhouse Chandler and now undefeated Peoria Liberty.

Saguaro (2-3) will look to get on a roll and start building a record to match their skill this week against Desert Edge.


Lakota West crushes Mason for seventh straight win

West Chester (Ohio) Lakota West is playing this season like a video game. And I'd recommend they raise the difficulty setting.

The Firebirds faced off against Mason last week, who also entered the game 5-0 in GMC play. They left no doubt about who the team to beat in the GMC is, beating Mason 31-7 to stay undefeated in conference and on the season.

The Firebirds defense has been their rock all season, featuring defensive back Joshua Fussell. They have allowed just 40 points through seven games this season, and delivered another monster performance last week. They picked off Mason twice, recovered a fumble and also blocked a punt.

Superstitious fans of the Firebirds might need to offer up a prayer because Lakota West has a trio of streaks that are currently at six. They have won six straight conference games, they have won six straight by 24 or more points, and have won six straight where they hold their opponents to seven or fewer points.

Lakota West (7-0) will hit the road to play their next challenger, Fairfield.


Off this week

OT Alex Doost and Glendale (Ariz.) Mountain Ridge (2-2) were on bye last week. They will host Phoenix North this week.

TE Camp Magee and Orlando (Fla.) Edgewater (5-0) were on bye last week. They will host Timber Creek this week.