Published Nov 21, 2022
Recruit Roundup: Four commits continue their state title hunts
Matthew Shelton  •  WildcatReport
Managing Editor

With everyone in the playoffs now, Northwestern's Class of 2023 will either be experiencing incredible highs or incredible lows as their seasons continue or end.

Last weekend, two commits had their seasons end with one-point losses, a commit advanced to their state semifinal and another will be playing for the Missouri Class 6 state title.

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


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Christian Brothers advances to state title game

St. Louis (Mo.) Christian Brothers beat Liberty North, 46-21, in an almost exact replica of their 2021 state title win.

Last season, Tyler Gant and the Cadets beat Liberty North, 48-21, in the state final. This season, they refused to let Liberty North's familiarity become a threat to their quest for a fourth state title in six years.

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Christian Brothers (12-1) will play Lee's Summit North for the state title this week.


St. Edward shuts out Mentor for regional championship

Lakewood (Ohio) St. Edward beat Mentor, 27-0, to win the OSHAA Division I, Region 1 championship.

Michael Kilbane and the Eagles defense have been on another level so far in the playoffs. They have held their opponents to seven or fewer points in all four of their playoff games.

Mentor rushed for just 21 yards on 14 attempts and reached the red zone twice, only to came away empty handed. One drive ended with a Cy Colvin interception, another one came to a close on a missed 25-yard field goal after Kilbane and Co.'s pressure on Mentor's quarterback stymied the drive.

St. Edward (13-1) plays Gahanna Lincoln in the state semifinal this week.


Northwestern crushes another playoff opponent

Rock Hill (S.C.) Northwestern and Jordan Knox demolished Westside, 59-21, in the third round of the SCHSL AAAA playoffs. It sounds impossible, but this was actually the closest playoff game for the Trojans so far.

The Trojans were outscored 14-3 in the second half, but that is a champagne problem after they opened a 56-7 lead at the break.

They have scored 50 or more points in all three of their postseason games, with an average margin of victory of 48 points. Knox and the Trojans have been dominant all season and have now advanced to the AAAA semifinals.

It was the last game for Knox and the Trojans at home this season, and they finished their time in Rock Hill this season with a flourish.

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Northwestern (12-1) plays at Greenville this week in the AAAA semifinal.


Edgewater wins tight second-round matchup

Orlando (Fla.) Edgewater kept their undefeated season alive with a 28-24 win over Tampa Bay Tech.

Camp Magee hauled in a touchdown pass early in the game, the defense picked off Tech five times, and the Eagles picked up their 12th win in 12 games.

Even in an undefeated season, Edgewater knows how to win the close ones. They have had their share of blowouts, but have also won six games by 10 or fewer points.

Edgewater (12-0) will host Orlando Jones in the FHSAA Class 3 M semifinal. This will be a rematch from Week 4, when Edgewater went on the road to Jones and captured a 14-13 win.


Lakota West's program-best season ends in regional final

West Chester (Ohio) Lakota West lost to Archbishop Moeller, 38-20, in the OSHAA Division I, Region 4 final. Joshua Fussell and the Firebird defense had been stalwart all season, but a team finally cracked their code.

Moeller ended Lakota West's season for the second year running by grinding out points on the ground: they ran the ball 52 times for 343 yards to advance to the state semifinal.

It was a phenomenal year for the Firebirds, even though they ended with the same result as 2021: a regional final loss to Archbishop Moeller. Their defense, featuring Fussell, held opponents to 14 or fewer points in 12 of their 14 games.

Lakota West finished 13-1, the best record in the school's published history.


Leuzinger loses semifinal by a point

Lawndale (Calif.) Leuzinger's incredible late-season run came to an end with a one-point loss to Etiwanda, 22-21.

Jacob Lewis and the Olympians came up short despite Lewis' excellent defensive performance and special teams prowess. Swipe through his postgame Twitter post to see some of his highlights and returns:

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Leuzinger started 0-5, but finished their season out by winning six of their last eight games. Lewis and the defense were phenomenal over that stretch, allowing an average of 22.5 points per game.

Luezinger finished their season at 6-7.


Mountain Ridge loses to Mountain Pointe by a point

Glendale (Ariz.) Mountain Ridge's season went down to the wire, but they lost their playoff opener to Mountain Pointe by one. Alex Doost and the Mountain Lions offense lit up the scoreboard one more time, but it wasn't enough.

Pointe led Ridge, 42-35, with less than a minute remaining when Ridge connected on a 32-yard strike for the potential game-tying touchdown. But Ridge had the momentum, and were looking for more than a tie and a play for overtime.

They pushed all their chips to the middle of the table and went for two, but Pointe held strong. Pointe recovered the ensuing onside kick as well, and Mountain Ridge's season ended on a one-point loss.

The Mountain Lions started their season off strong at 4-2, but lost four of their last five games. Doost and the offense remained formidable, as they averaged more than 30 points per game.

Mountain Ridge finished their season at 5-6.


Off this week

Cole Shivers and Dylan Roberts were off this week. The Arizona Open Division playoffs give teams a bye week before they start play.

Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro and Shivers will play Hamilton this week.

Peoria (Ariz.) Centennial and Roberts will play Chandler.


Completed seasons

C Dylan Senda and Dearborn (Mich.) Divine Child finished their season at 9-2.

ILB Justin Cryer and Pattison (Tex.) Royal finished their season at 9-2.

ATH Frank Covey IV and Prospect (Ill.) finished their season at 9-2.

OG Anthony Birsa and Joliet (Ill.) Catholic Academy finished their season at 8-3.

QB Aidan Gray and Naperville North (Ill.) finished their season at 7-3.

DB Damon Walters and Bolingbrook (Ill.) finished their season at 6-4.

OLB Nigel Glover and Clayton (Ohio) Northmont finished their season at 5-6.

WR Ricky Ahumaraeze and Liberty (Mo.) finished their season at 4-6.

TE Chico Holt and Houston (Tex.) Strake Jesuit finished their season at 4-6.

DE Mason Robinson and Owing Mills (Md.) McDonogh finished their season at 4-7.