It was a big week for the next generation of Northwestern football. 2026 quarterback Johnny O'Brien set his school's record for passing yards, safety Alijah Jones helped his defense pitch its fifth straight shutout and defensive end Jonah Hayes clinched a conference title.

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

When Palatine (Ill.) Fremd and quarterback Johnny O'Brien met undefeated Barrington in 2023, they lost a grind-it-out game, 13-7. In 2024, things went a little bit different.

O'Brien torched the No. 2-ranked Broncos with a school-record 395 passing yards, five passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown in a 56-35 win to hand the reigning Mid-Suburban League West champs their first loss.

The teams traded blows early on and were tied 28-28 in the third quarter before O'Brien's arm spurred a 28-7 run to close the game out down the stretch.

Fremd's season-opening upset of Lake Zurich has lost a little of its luster as the Bears, typically a powerhouse, are now 3-3. But the win over Barrington -- the alma mater of former Wildcat Ray Niro -- brings all of that luster right back and, after entering this game ranked No. 9, the Vikings could move into the AP's Top 5 in Class 8A.

Fremd (6-0) plays at Palatine this week for the lead in the MSL West title race.

Fun fact: the previous record holder for passing yards at Fremd? Cubs pitcher Mike Tauchmann with 377.

It's surreal to see the pure domination that Severn (Md.) Archbishop Spalding and safety Alijah Jones are achieving right now. Not only are the Cavaliers undefeated, no one has scored on them since Aug. 31.

After trouncing St. Mary's, 54-0, their last five games have a cumulative score of 230-0.

Archbishop Spalding (7-0) hosts Concordia Prep this week.

Cincinnati (Ohio) Archbishop Moeller and defensive end Jonah Hayes won their third straight in the Ohio Great Catholic South Division with a 42-14 win over Cincinnati Elder.

The game between the two Cincinnati powers was played at the University of Cincinnati's Nippert Stadium. Elder is the alma mater of former Northwestern quarterback Peyton Ramsey, and is coached by his father, Doug.

Moeller (6-1) plays at St. Ignatius this week.

Nikola Dugandzic is being recruited as a punter, but let's hope the leg he showed at Evanston last week sticks around for his college career.

The nation's top-rated punter hit a 51-yard field goal to give Winnetka (Ill.) New Trier a 3-0 lead over Evanston, and he later hit a 25-yarder to cut Evanston's lead to 27-13.

The Trevians scored out of the half to make it a one-score game, but the Wildkits rattled off 13 unanswered points to complete their 40-20 win and eliminate New Trier from playoff consideration.

New Trier (1-5) plays at Glenbrook North this week.

After an 0-4 start, Glen Ellyn (Ill.) Glenbard West and offensive tackle Michael O'Connell have jolted to life with back-to-back wins, the latest a 35-14 rivalry romp over Hinsdale Central.

The game was tied at seven in the second quarter when O'Connell and the Hitters' offense found their groove and scored the game's next 28 points, cracking the game open.

Glenbard West (2-4), which must win out to make the playoffs, faces their toughest remaining opponent this week when they host York (5-1).

Three is not a magic number for Westerville (Ohio) South and tight end Tyler Kielmeyer this season.

After a 3-1 start to their season, the Wildcats have lost three straight games, each by three points. Last week, they lost 24-21 to Hayes.

To make matters worse, they lost to Hayes last season by, you guessed it, three points, 36-33.

Westerville South (3-4) hosts Westland this week.

It was a battle between two of the Top 10 teams in New Jersey, and Wayne (N.J.) DePaul Catholic, with cornerback Marquet Dorsey, came out on top, 21-20, over Don Bosco Prep.

Two plays swung the game in DePaul's favor down the stretch. The first was a bad snap on Don Bosco's PAT attempt to go up by seven; the defense swarmed the backfield and kept DePaul to within six at 20-14. DePaul marched down and scored to take the lead early in the fourth by one.

Don Bosco had one last drive to get into field-goal range, but Dorsey and the defense held strong and got the stop on fourth-and-14 from their own 37.

DePaul (6-0) is on bye this week. They host St. Peter's Prep on Oct. 17.

Shakopee (Minn.) and offensive lineman Trey Boyd made quick work of Edina in a 42-14 win.

The Sabers were dealt their first loss of their season a couple weeks ago by Minnetonka. They bounced back in a big way on Homecoming by dismantling the Hornets.

Boyd and Co. opened up a 33-0 lead at the half and sailed the rest of the way to a win.

Shakopee (5-1) hosts Rosemount this week.

Lawton (Mich.) and defensive tackle Mason Mayne lost their second game of the season, this one was a 17-3 defeat at the hands of Schoolcraft.

Mayne and the Blue Devils held the Eagles scoreless in the first half but wore down as the game went on. They allowed their first touchdown with 2:59 left in the third quarter on a 51-yard quarterback scramble.

Lawton (4-2) plays at Coloma this week.

Frankfort (Ill.) Lincoln-Way East and defensive end Caden O'Rourke continued their dominant season with a 48-14 win over Neuqua Valley.

I could put O'Rourke's recaps on autopilot as Lincoln-Way East has won all five of its games by scoring 48 or 49 points, and allowing less than half in return. No one has come closer than Maine South's 22-point margin from Week 1, and this game was over in the first half when East went up 48-0 into the break, triggering a running clock the rest of the way.

Lincoln-Way East (6-0) hosts Lockport this week.

Westerville (Ohio) North and safety Jonathan Stevens Jr. lost last week to Westland, 34-21, snapping their three-game winning streak.

North (4-3) fell back to third in the Ohio Capital Conference, a game behind Westland and Big Walnut, who are both 4-0 in league play. They'll have a shot this week to move back up into second when they host Big Walnut for a chance to move back up to second, in hopes that the Eagles can then knock off Westland and trigger a tiebreaker.

Acworth (Ga.) North Paulding and wide receiver Dube Enongene got back over .500 with a win over Etowah, 34-17.

This was a key win for the Wolfpack and their first in their region.

North Paulding (4-3) is off this week, they play Marietta Wheeler and quarterback commit Marcus Romain on Oct. 18.

Running back Ronny Johnson rolled up 133 total yards and three touchdowns as Dexter (Mich.) rolled to their fourth straight win, beating Pioneer, 42-6.

Johnson ran for 65 yards and two touchdowns, with 68 yards and another score receiving. But the biggest news of their week was the reversal of their Week 2 loss to Saline.

Saline was forced to forfeit their first three games after a residency issue came to light for one of their players. So Dexter's only loss of the season has now been flipped to a win.

The then-loss in Week 2 was a wakeup call, and Johnson and the Dreadnaughts have won their last four games by an average of 48 points.

Dexter (6-0) plays at Monroe this week.

Princeton (Ill.) and tight end Noah LaPorte responded to their first loss of the season with a 41-0 win over rival Hall.

The Tigers were shocked last week when their undefeated start came to a swift end with a 31-3 loss at Monmouth-Roseville. But they got back on track on their Homecoming night with an emphatic shutout.

Princeton (5-1) plays at Mendota this week.

Wildwood (Mo.) Lafayette stayed undefeated with a 55-0 win over McCluer as tight end Robby Preckel hauled in a pair of receiving touchdowns.

The Lancers continue to run roughshod over their opposition. After a tight 23-21 win over Kirkwood in Week 3, Lafayette and Preckel have won their next three games by a score of 160-7.

Lafayette (6-0) hosts Eureka this week.

New Lenox (Ill.) Lincoln-Way West and linebacker Josh Veldman lost last week to Naperville North, 38-33, their third straight defeat by one score.

West leapt out to a 17-7 lead at home but the Huskies, the alma mater of 2023 quarterback Aidan Gray, found a rhythm and quickly whittled away at the edge. West led just 20-17 by the half and was outscored 21-13 in the second frame.

West has fallen to .500 after a 3-0 start.

Lincoln-Way West (3-3) hosts Champaign Centennial this week.

After falling to 2-2, Lake Mary (Fla.) and defensive tackle Tanner Jumpp responded in a big way, winning their last two games by a combined score of 94-10, including a 42-7 romp over North Miami Beach last Friday night.

North Miami Beach surprised Lake Mary with an opening drive touchdown in under 40 seconds, but it was their only score of the day. Jumpp and the defense locked in and the Lake Mary offense showed out, going on a 42-0. It's their third win this season allowing a touchdown or less on the scoreboard.

Lake Mary (4-2) plays at Seminole this week.

After a pair of early losses by a point, Marietta (Ga.) Wheeler was on the right side of a 28-27 win over Cherokee last week.

The Marietta Daily Journal published that Patrick McCollough played quarterback for Wheeler in the win, but it is unclear why it was not Marcus Romain, or when he would return from a potential injury.

Wheeler (2-5) hosts Etowah this week.

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 (3-2) had a bye last week.