Recruit Roundup: Rivalry week for the Class of 2023

At this stage of the high school football season, it is gut check time. Most of the Class of 2023 is either winding down their regular seasons with bitter rivalries, opening up their playoffs or already multiple rounds into their postseason.

A commit played in a rivalry more than a century old, another one hoisted a painted barrel trophy after his team won their rivalry game by a touchdown, and two commits from Ohio blanked their postseason opponents.

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

Orlando (Fla.) Edgewater beat Boone, 21-14, to win the 2022 Battle for the Barrel.

Edgewater played without its star running back, but still scored all three touchdowns on the ground. The Eagles offensive line, aided by the blocking prowess of Camp Magee, has paved the way for Edgewater's undefeated season so far.

"It was a huge testament to our seniors,” Edgewater coach Cameron Duke told SBLive. “It was a great atmosphere for football. We’ll take it. We had an undefeated season, and it was special.”

To the victor of the Edgewater-Boone rivalry go the spoils, and Magee lifted them up for everyone to see postgame:

Edgewater (10-0) hosts First Coast this week in the first round of the playoffs.

Dearborn (Mich.) Divine Child offensive lineman Dylan Senda is ranked the No. 2 center in the country, but it turns out he is just as effective at wreaking havoc in the backfield as he is calling the shots to protect it.

Senda, wearing 78, surged through the Clarenceville offensive line in double overtime to make the game winning tackle and send Divine Child to the regional final.

Divine Child (9-2) plays at Riverview in the regional final this week.

Pattison (Tex.) Royal dispatched Columbia, 38-10 to secure a playoff bid and put the finishing touches on an incredible regular season.

Linebacker Justin Cryer and this senior class completed an impressive turnaround for the Falcons, leading them to their first playoff berth since 2017.

Check out Cryer, wearing No. 20, give his coach a Gatorade bath as the clock hit zeroes on their ninth win this season:

Royal (9-1) plays Hamshire-Fannett this week.

Owing Mills (Md.) McDonogh beat Gilman, 34-13, to win a rivalry matchup that stretches for more than a century.

In the 106th McDonogh-Gilman Game, Mason Robinson and the Eagles earned a major win heading into the playoffs after a rocky season.

Gilman leapt out to a 13-0 lead, and then Robinson and the defense clamped down until the McDonogh offense exploded in the second half.

Thirty-four points were a sight for sore eyes for McDonogh fans, as their offense had scored 20 or more just twice heading into this game. If the offense can carry this level of production into the postseason, and Robinson and Co. keep up their stingy efforts, the Eagles will be a tough out in the playoffs.

McDonogh (4-6) has a rematch with Archbishop Spalding in the first round of the playoffs this week.

West Chester (Ohio) Lakota West continued its dominant ways, beating Princeton, 35-0, in the second round of the OSHAA Division I playoffs.

That makes it back-to-back shutouts for Joshua Fussell and the Firebird defense, who trounced Lebanon, 43-0, in the first round.

Lakota West (12-0) will face a much tougher test when they play Cincinnati Elder, the alma mater of former NU quarterback Peyton Ramsey, in the Region 4 semifinal this week.

If Fussell and the Firebirds can keep their streak going, a collision course could soon be set with Lakewood (Ohio) St. Edward and fellow Class of 2023 commit Michael Kilbane.

Lakewood (Ohio) St. Edward wasn't going to let Lakota West have all the defensive fun last week. The Eagles shut out Jackson, 42-0.

The shutout marked the seventh time Michael Kilbane and the monstrous St. Edward defense held an opponent to ten or fewer points this season.

St. Edward (11-1) will have to stay sharp this week with a rivalry rematch with St. Ignatius. The Eagles demolished St. Ignatius, 48-6, in their Week 7 regular-season matchup, and there's no chance either team has forgotten that result heading into the Region 1 semifinal.

It was a painful dose of déjà vu for Mt. Prospect (Ill.) Prospect when they lost, 38-21, to Chicago St. Rita in the second round of the IHSA 7A playoffs.

St. Rita ended Frank Covey IV and the Knights' 2021 season in the semifinals last year. This year, the clash came earlier in the second round.

Covey finished the game with six catches for 58 yards and a touchdown, but the typically explosive Knights offense was held in check.

"You could see flashes of the game where we were clicking and playing real well, " Covey told the Daily Herald. "But we just couldn't put it together for the whole game."

Timed with the arrival of new head coach Dan DeBoeuf, Covey has been part of a Prospect generation that has returned the Knights to the playoffs and competing for conference titles.

"It was the best decision of my life coming to this school," Covey told the Daily Herald. "I love all my teammates and my coaches. I have been here four years and they treat me like family."

The Knights deserved better than a second round exit, and played high-powered football all season. Their offense averaged more than 43 points per game and scored 50 or more five times.

Prospect finished their season 9-2, second in the Mid-Suburban East and with a second round finish in the 7A playoffs.

Joliet (Ill.) Catholic Academy's attempt to defend their Class 4A title ended in the second round with a 24-14 loss to Providence Catholic.

Anthony Birsa and the Hilltoppers beat the Celtics, 49-41, earlier in the regular season but couldn't replicate the result in the postseason. Providence Catholic blocked a JCA field goal late in the third quarter and returned it for a touchdown to take a 17-7 lead and take control of the game.

The loss brings an end to Birsa's decorated Hilltopper career. As a junior, JCA and Birsa went undefeated on their way to the 2021 4A state title. On the foundation of Birsa's class, the Hilltoppers won 24 straight games across the 2020, 2021 and 2022 seasons.

Joliet Catholic Academy won the CCL/ESCC Orange division and finished with an 8-3 record this season.

Cole Shivers and Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro beat Pinnacle, 35-14, to secure a decade of consecutive regional titles.

After a loss to Peoria Liberty in Week 5 set the Sabercats back to 2-3, they faced a steep climb to try and make the Open Division Playoffs. To have a chance they need to win out, and they have met that challenge so far.

Saguaro has won four straight games, with Shivers and the defense allowing 15 points per game over that stretch. They are now one game away from finishing undefeated since the Liberty set back.

Saguaro (6-3) plays at Brophy College Prep this week.

It is hard to believe after the start of their season, but Lawndale (Calif.) Leuzinger is on a tear.

The Olympians beat Beaumont, 47-14, to win their playoff opener. With the 33-point victory, Leuzinger has now won three straight, and five of their last six games.

Safety Jacob Lewis and the defense have been a whole new unit in the second half of the season and now the postseason. In Leuzinger's 0-5 start, the Olympians allowed an average of 38 points per game. In their 5-1 stretch since, they have allowed just 55 total points. Take out a 41-6 lost to Ingleside, and that's 14 points allowed in five wins.

Leuzinger (5-6) plays Sherman Oaks Notre Dame this week.

Two rounds into the MSHSAA playoffs, it's uncertain if St. Louis (Mo.) Christian Brothers has broken a sweat.

The Cadets dispatched Kirkwood, 41-3, after beating Vianney, 57-6, in the first round. Tyler Gant and the Cadets defense have somehow become more stingy in the playoffs, and have turned in their best two performances of the season by points allowed.

CBC (10-1) plays Chesterfield Marquette this week.

Rock Hill (S.C.) Northwestern didn't rest on the laurels of their regional title. They came out with a vengeance in the first round of the playoffs.

The Trojan offense flexed their muscles, opening up a 43-0 lead by halftime in a 64-7 win over Wade Hampton.

This marked the fourth time that Northwestern scored 60 or more in a game, but is still a far cry from their high water mark of 89 from Week 1. Jordan Knox and the Trojans are rolling at the right time, and are dancing their way into the next round of the playoffs.

Northwestern (10-1) plays Greenwood in the second round this week.

In the penultimate game of the regular season, one-loss Peoria (Ariz.) Centennial clashed with undefeated Peoria Liberty. Dylan Roberts and the Coyotes gave Liberty a run for its money but came up short, 24-14.

Roberts and the defense played well, forcing three turnovers and holding the Lions to their lowest point total of the season. However, Liberty stopped the Centennial offense in its tracks. The Coyotes were unable to turn any of those turnovers into points or to seriously challenge the Lions once they established a 24-7 lead.

With this loss, Liberty cemented its status as the Arizona boogeyman of the Class of 2023. The Lions have now defeated all three of Northwestern's commits from Arizona: they beat Alex Doost and Mountain Ridge 42-0, Cole Shivers and Saguaro 26-17 and now Roberts and Centennial 24-14.

Centennial (7-2) host Pinnacle this week.

After suffering a loss at the hands of Centennial and Dylan Roberts, Alex Doost and Glendale (Ariz.) Mountain Ridge got back on track with a 49-7 win over Westview.

The Mountain Lions averted a three-game skid and got back over .500 by dispatching the Knights in short order.

Doost and the Mountain Ridge offense were back to their high-scoring ways. After a hot start to the season, they had put up just 40 total points across a three-game stretch where they went 1-2. This 49-point effort marked their third game with 40 or more points this season, and their 42-point margin of victory is their largest so far.

Mountain Ridge (5-4) plays O'Connor this week.

Houston (Tex.) Strake Jesuit and Chico Holt suffered a tough loss to undefeated Shadow Creek, 56-21, last week.

With that loss, Strake Jesuit falls to 4-6 and will miss the playoffs. It was a rocky year for Holt and the Crusaders, who got off to a hot start but then struggled once they hit the heart of district play.

They opened 3-2 and 2-0 in their district, but proceeded to go 1-4 in their next five games to finish 4-6 (3-4). A highlight for the Crusaders was their offense, which, even in a 4-6 season, averaged a little more than 35 points per game.

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.