Northwestern's Class of 2025 and 2026 are wrapping up their regular seasons, with many players just a game or two away from their postseasons.
Last week saw defensive tackle Tanner Jumpp win two games in five days as Florida high schools made up games delayed by Hurricane Milton. Running back Ronny Johnson rushed for four scores, tight end Noah LaPorte won his head coach his 100th game and linebacker Josh Veldman secured a playoff berth in double overtime.
Read about all of that and more in this week's recruit roundup.
CLASS OF 2025
Jumpp and Lake Mary pick up second win in same week
After Hurricane Milton put Florida high school football on pause, Lake Mary (Fla.) and defensive tackle Tanner Jumpp had two games last week, against undefeated Seminole on Monday and two-loss Evans on Friday. They won both.
First was Seminole, where Jumpp and the Rams secured the Class 7A-3 district title with a 29-14 win.
Next was Evans, where Lake Mary won 31-6 on just four days of rest.
After falling to 2-2, the Rams have rattled off four straight wins, never allowing more than 14 points in any of the four games. They are now ranked No. 3 in Class 7A by the Orlando Sentinel.
Lake Mary (6-2) hosts Lake Brantley this week.
Defensive end Jonah Hayes helps Moeller break through vs. St. Edward
Defensive end Jonah Hayes picked up some key bragging rights when Cincinnati (Ohio) Archbishop Moeller beat St. Edward, 35-30, last week.
St. Edward is an Ohio powerhouse and frequent stop for Northwestern's recruiters, bringing in four-star defensive end Michael Kilbane in the Class of 2023 and three-star defensive end Troy Regovich in the Class of 2024.
The Eagles are in the midst of a down year, standing at 5-4, but they still gave Moeller one of their best games of the season. St. Edward leapt out to a 24-14 lead, threatening to hand the Crusaders their first loss to an in-state team this season before they scored 21 straight to secure the win.
St. Edward had beaten Moeller in back-to-back seasons and is the three-time reigning Division I state champion.
Moeller is the prevailing favorite to be the top seed in the Division I playoffs and will aim to end St. Edward's bid for a fourth straight title.
Moeller (8-1) plays at Muskegon (Mich.) this week in their regular season finale.
Johnson posts 219 yards and four TD to seal conference title
Running back Ronny Johnson was once again dominant for Dexter (Mich.) last week with 219 rushing yards and four touchdowns, enough to beat Lincoln on his own, in Dexter's 41-23 victory.
The Dreadnaughts clinched a Southeastern - Red conference title with a 7-0 record in league play, helped by Saline's forfeit of their first few games due to ineligible players.
Johnson was at Northwestern last weekend to visit for the Wisconsin game.
Dexter (8-0) plays at Chelsea this week in their regular-season finale.
LaPorte touchdown helps earn his coach 100th win
Tight end Noah LaPorte shed three tacklers on the way to a 24-yard touchdown in a 57-20 win over Mercer County.
The win was significant as it was the 100th of Princeton head coach Ryan Pearson's career.
Princeton (7-1), winners of three straight, plays their regular season finale at Erie-Prophetstown this week.
Lincoln-Way West triumphs in double-overtime
The postseason was on the line and New Lenox (Ill.) Lincoln-Way West pushed in their chips and punched in a two-point conversion to beat Lockport in double-overtime, 40-39, and clinch an IHSA playoff berth.
Linebacker Josh Veldman and the Warriors have had to scratch and claw their way to wins in the new Southwest Valley Red. They bounced back from a three-game losing streak to claim their second straight win.
After a 3-6 campaign in 2022, the Warriors are 14-6 with two playoff appearances since Veldman has been an upperclassman.
Lincoln-Way West (5-3) hosts Bradley-Bourbonnais this week.
Dorsey's big hit creates interception in big win over St. Peter's Prep
Wayne (N.J.) DePaul Catholic and cornerback Marquet Dorsey picked up right where they left off and trounced St. Peter's Prep, 54-21, out of their bye week.
St. Peter's capitalized on DePaul's first-drive fumble and scored the opening touchdown, but the Spartans were unfazed. They rattled off the next four touchdowns.
Then Dorsey lowered the boom with a thunderous hit on a St. Peter's receiver, knocking the ball free for Anthony Nittoli to intercept it. (2:05 in the video below)
DePaul Catholic (7-0) hosts Delbarton this week.
Dugandzic hits 43-yard field goal vs. Glenbrook South
Punter Nikola Dugandzic drilled a 43-yard field goal but Glenbrook South's size up front was too much for Winnetka (Ill.) New Trier in a 38-16 loss.
New Trier was knocked out of the playoffs two weeks ago but still wanted to make a strong showing on their Senior Night.
New Trier (2-6) plays their season finale this week at Deerfield.
Shakopee caps off regular season with win over Blaine
Shakopee (Minn.) and offensive lineman Trey Boyd picked up their seventh win of the season with a 29-20 victory over Blaine.
Shakopee is ranked No. 3 in the state by Sports Illustrated, and Blaine came into the matchup at No. 18.
Boyd and the Sabers were methodical, scoring a touchdown in each quarter and converting a two-point conversion in the fourth to take a commanding two-possession lead late.
It was a strong regular season for Boyd and Co., who finished second in the Metro West to No. 2 Minnetonka, their only loss of the campaign so far.
Shakopee (7-1) hosts Eastview this week for their playoff opener.
Glenbard West blanks Proviso West
Offensive tackle Michael O'Connell and Glen Ellyn (Ill.) Glenbard West crushed Proviso West last week, 51-0.
The victory may have rang a bit hollow for the Hilltoppers who were eliminated from playoff contention two weeks ago after a litany of injuries and one of the toughest schedules in the state gave them an 0-4 start.
O'Connell visited Northwestern last weekend for the Wisconsin game.
Glenbard West (3-5) hosts Oak-Park River Forest for their season finale.
Lawton doubles up Saugatuck
Lawton (Mich.) and defensive tackle Mason Mayne beat Saugatuck, 26-10, last week to move to sole possession of second place in the Southwestern Valley.
Mayne and the Blue Devils are out of the running for the conference title after their 17-3 loss to Schoolcraft, but they have responded by holding their last two opponents to a combined 18 points in two wins.
Lawton (6-2) hosts Constantine in their regular season finale this week.
Lincoln-Way East cruises past Andrew
Frankfort (Ill.) Lincoln-Way East and defensive end Caden O'Rourke beat Andrew, 49-20, last week.
O'Rourke and the Griffins have been in complete control this season, scoring 40+ points in each matchup while allowing under 22. Their closest game has been a 49-22 win over state power Maine South.
Lincoln-Way East (8-0) hosts Naperville Central this week for their regular season finale.
Westerville North gets back above .500
Westerville (Ohio) North and safety Jonathan Stevens Jr. are back above .500 after a 35-24 win over Worthington Kilbourne.
The matchup with Worthington was a welcome respite and victory for the Warriors after back-to-back games against Westland and Big Walnut, the Ohio Capital Conference's top two teams. North is now in control of their own destiny for third place if they win this week.
Westerville North (5-4) hosts Dublin Scioto in their regular season finale.
Enongene and North Paulding beat Romain-less Wheeler
The excitement of Acworth (Ga.) North Paulding and wide receiver Dube Enongene's 22-14 win over Marietta (Ga.) Wheeler and quarterback Marcus Romain was dampened a bit as Romain missed his third straight game with an unspecified injury. But it was still a much-needed win for playoff position for Enongene and his teammates.
The Wolfpack are 2-2 in the region, a half-game up in third place among the region's four available playoff spots with two region games remaining.
Despite Wheeler's brutal 2-7 record overall and the fact that they are missing their starting quarterback in Romain, they are still 2-3 in the region and are tied with Cherokee for the fourth slot. With a head-to-head tiebreaker over Cherokee, a win in their last region game of the season will earn them a berth in the postseason.
North Paulding (5-3) plays at Walton this week.
Wheeler (2-7) is on bye this week, with their regular season finale at North Cobb on Nov. 1.
Lafayette regains stride in win over Lindbergh
Wildwood (Mo.) Lafayette and tight end Robby Preckel bounced back from their first loss by racing past Lindbergh, 42-28.
The Lancers started 6-0 and dropped their first game of the season last week to Eureka, 30-15. It was the first time that Preckel and the offense were held under 20 points all season.
They wasted no time getting back on track, scoring 40+ for the fourth time this season.
Lafayette (7-1) plays at Marquette this week.
Westerville South snaps losing streak
Westerville (Ohio) South and tight end Tyler Kielmeyer broke their four-game losing streak with a 20-6 win over Franklin Heights.
Kielmeyer was at Northwestern last weekend for the Wisconsin game. An injury has not been publicly announced or reported but he was seen on the sideline in Evanston with crutches and a knee brace.
Westerville South (4-5) hosts Worthington Kilbourne this week in their regular season finale.
CLASS OF 2026
O'Brien throws three TD in bounce-back win over Schaumburg
Quarterback Johnny O'Brien was 19-for-26 for 233 yards and three touchdowns in Palatine (Ill.) Fremd's 48-6 win over Schaumburg.
It was a seamless recovery for the Vikings after they suffered their first loss of the season to crosstown rival Palatine.
Fremd (7-1) hosts Conant in their regular season finale.
On bye
Safety Alijah Jones and Severn (Md.) Archbishop Spalding (8-0) were on bye last week. They host Loyola Blakefield, defensive end Anto Saka's alma mater, this week.
Injured
2025 WR Braden Blueitt suffered a torn ACL on Sept. 20 per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and will not return this season. His Colleyville (Tex.) Heritage team (5-2) beat Seguin, 24-14, last week.