High school football has kicked off in Arizona, so every player in Northwestern's Class of 2023 has started his senior season.

Last weekend, this recruiting class had a defensive end with three sacks, an offensive lineman whose squad is averaging more than 60 points a game and four games decided by four or fewer points.

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

Paetow talked the talk, and Cypress Ranch walked the walk.

Ashton Porter put on a show with five tackles and three sacks, and Cypress Ranch beat Paetow, 22-7.

After a loss last week to Tompkins, this was a huge win to put the Mustangs back on track. Porter and the defense were locked in, holding Paetow to only a touchdown.

Porter talked postgame to Vype Magazine's Haylie Stum about his performance and why this game meant so much:

Cypress Ranch (1-1) will travel to Cypress Creek for the last of their three non-district games to start the season.

Michael Kilbane and Lakewood (Ohio) St. Edward won a battle of reigning state champions.

The Eagles, the defending Ohio Division I state champion, beat Cherry Creek (Colo.), a three-time reigning state champion, in a 13-9 battle.

It was a true clash of defensive titans. Cherry Creek, the alma mater of former NU quarterback Kain Colter, led 3-0 at the half. St. Edward led 7-3 after three before the teams traded touchdowns in the fourth.

The Eagles took the 13-9 lead that would win the game, but the game was sealed by defensive back Cam Drewery's interception with just 13 seconds remaining.

This is a stingy St. Edward team. Through three games, they have allowed only 39 total points.

The Eagles (2-0) will host Cincinnati Elder this week.

Pattison (Tex.) Royal and Justin Cryer were on a mission that even a lightning delay could not deter, and they have started 2-0 for the first time in more than a decade.

Furr was supposed to be a stiff test for Royal, but Royal got the 30-12 win. The lightning delay, which lasted more than an hour, came after Royal recovered a fumble for their first touchdown of the game.

Cryer caught a 2-yard touchdown pass when play resumed that extended the lead to 14-0 and maintained the Royal momentum. The Falcons opened the game with 21 unanswered points, and then almost played an even game with Furr the rest of the way.

Royal (2-0) travels to Iowa Colony this week.

Frank Covey IV and Prospect posted their second straight blowout, handling Barrington 52-20.

Covey lead the Knights with nine catches for 168 yards and two touchdowns. The Knights jumped out to yet another early lead, and were up 17-0 in the first quarter.

Although Barrington clawed back into the game, at one point narrowing the lead to 31-20, the Knights went on another three-score run to put the game away.

This was a big game for Covey, Prospect's veterans and any other players or fans with a long memory, because Barrington beat the Knights for the Mid-Suburban League title two years ago.

Prospect (2-0) will host Evanston this week.

Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro and Cole Shivers struggled with Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic's size and skill in a 28-7 loss.

Saguaro won't be alone in feeling that way this season; Bergen is ranked in the top 10 nationally by almost every outlet that ranks high school teams. Bergen scored all four of their touchdowns in the first half and held serve the rest of the way to secure the win.

Saguaro has serious aspirations for their season and their program, which is why head coach Jason Mohns scheduled the tough opposition.

"The reason why that team travels all the way across the country is because nobody else wanted to play them," coach Jason Mohns said about Bergen to AZ Central. "That's one thing we're going to take pride in our program. We're going to play anyone. We're not going to protect ourselves. We're not going to schedule games that give us a false sense of security."

Saguaro (0-1) will travel, but stay in Arizona, to play Queen Creek this week.

After dropping a close game to Riverview in their opener, Dearborn (Mich.) Divine Child and Dylan Senda put the hurt on Cranbrook Kingswood in a 51-7 rout.

Cranbrook went up 7-0 just 17 seconds into the game after recovering a fumble, then Divine Child scored 51 unanswered points.

Falcons coach Chris Laney credited Senda and the offensive line for the dominant win.

“I’d say our guys up front are who we’re going to hang our hat on this season. There is a lot of experience in that group coming back, and they’ve been a good group for us for a few years now. They’ve really taken on the onus of ownership for our team,” said Laney to the Oakland Press.

Divine Child (1-1) hits the road, traveling to Kettering for their game this week.

Owing Mills (Md.) McDonogh and Mason Robinson came up short against Gonzaga, losing 24-6.

It was a tough game for McDonogh, who held Mt. Zion Prep Academy to just two points the week prior.

Here are Robinson's Week 1 highlights on Hudl:

McDonogh (1-1) travels to Concordia Prep this week.

Chico Holt and Houston (Tex.) Strake Jesuit came up just short against Dekaney, losing 41-38.

Dekaney sealed the win with back-to-back gut punches, scoring a touchdown with 40 seconds remaining and intercepting Strake Jesuit on the ensuing possession to complete the win.

Strake Jesuit (0-2) will be hunting for their first win this season when they host Spring this week.

Last year, St. Louis (Mo.) Christian Brothers was one of the few schools to give East St. Louis (Ill.) a run for their money. This year, the Flyers beat Christian Brothers and Tyler Gant 64-19.

East St. Louis snapped Christian Brothers' 14-game winning streak behind a monster game from junior quarterback Robert Battle, who scored six touchdowns.

Christian Brothers (1-1) will look to bounce back this week against Palmyra.

Chicago Simeon squeaked out a 35-31 win over Damon Walters and Bolingbrook last week.

Walters can commiserate with fellow commit Holt, as Bolingbrook's back and forth affair also ended with a late interception. Simeon picked off quarterback Jonas Williams with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth, cementing their road win.

This is far from a black mark on Bolingbrook's season. Simeon is a program on the rise that has now won two very tough road games to open their season. Both Simeon and Bolingbrook have serious postseason aspirations, and this battle proved that they will be forces to be reckoned with come that time of year.

Bolingbrook (1-1) travels to Lincoln-Way West this week.

Edgewater (Fla.) was not intimidated by Don Bosco Prep (N.J.) and their national ranking, posting a 34-10 win in their home opener.

Edgewater did their damage on the ground, with Camp Magee and Co. paving the way for Cedric Baxter to run for 274 yards and two touchdowns.

This was a statement win for Edgewater (2-0) and they will look to carry that momentum into their matchup at West Orange this week.

Aidan Gray didn't put up the monster numbers his opponent did, but he was the coolly efficient quarterback led Naperville (Ill.) North to a 28-13 win over Glenbard North, the alma mater of former Wildcat star Justin Jackson.

Gray threw a 44-yard touchdown pass early, rushed for another touchdown later in the game, and notched the victory. Glenbard North quarterback Justin Bland accounted for more than 300 total yards and a touchdown, but with three turnovers he couldn't lift his team past the Huskies.

Gray and Naperville North (2-0) host St. Mary's Prep from Michigan this week.

Joliet (Ill.) Catholic Academy and Anthony Birsa beat IC Catholic, 23-22, in a battle of 4A and 3A powerhouses.

It was a close contest that featured a flurry of scoring to end it.

IC Catholic scored to take the lead with 2:16 remaining, but JCA came roaring back just 39 seconds later for the touchdown that would seal the win.

IC had one last gasp, setting up a 46-yard field goal, but the kick went wide left and JCA extended their winning streak to 22 games.

JCA (2-0) will travel to Chicago De La Salle this week, the first of four straight road games.

Nigel Glover and Clayton (Ohio) Northmont put the clamps on another team, this time their victim was Hilliard Davidson.

The Thunderbolts defense pitched a shutout for the second straight week, pairing a 31-0 win over Hilliard Davidson over the weekend with a 56-0 win over Richmond the week prior.

The offense wasn't as explosive this time around, but it ground away at Davidson. They scored a touchdown in the first, a pair in the second, and tacked on another in the third to build their commanding lead.

Northmont (3-0) will look to continue their winning streak, and their shutout streak, this week when they host Fairmont.

Jordan Knox and Rock Hill (S.C.) Northwestern paved another opponent last week, beating Brookland-Cayce 65-31.

It was close early, as Northwestern led only 22-14 after the first quarter, but the Trojans ran away with it in the second quarter, scoring a trio of touchdowns to salt the game away.

Knox and the Northwestern offense have been sensational so far this season, averaging a whopping 62 points per game. The collective score through three for the Trojans is 186-65.

Northwestern (3-0) will play at Nation Ford this week.

Liberty and Ricky Ahumaraeze ended up on the wrong end of their rivalry with Liberty North, losing 41-7.

It was a tough reversal of fortune for Liberty, who opened their season with a dominant 30-0 win over Lee's Summit West. Ahumaraeze and the Blue Jays' offense will try to get the offense back on track this week.

Liberty (1-1) will travel to Raymore-Peculiar for their game this week.

Lawndale (Calif.) Leuzinger and Jacob Lewis lost their Week 2 matchup with Ayala, 40-33.

Although the Olympians dropped their second game of the season, Lewis was a force again. He forced a fumble, albeit one that went out of bounds, and made his presence known in the backfield.

Leuzinger (0-2) will play Long Beach Poly at a neutral site this week.

Hamilton delivered Peoria (Ariz.) Centennial and Dylan Roberts a 38-14 loss to start their season.

It was a tough game for Roberts and the defense, who were stalwart early but couldn't hold on to the high-powered Hamilton offense.

The Coyotes contained Hamilton to 10 points in the first half, but gave up a trio of touchdowns in the third quarter. Centennial responded with a pair of scores in the fourth, but it was too late.

Centennial (0-1) hosts Brophy College Prep this week.

Glendale (Ariz.) Mountain Ridge and Alex Doost dropped their opener to Casteel, 54-28.

Casteel jumped out to an early lead and Mountain Ridge was never able to reel them back in. The Mountain Lions trimmed Casteel's edge to 27-14 with 7:00 remaining in the third quarter, but that was the closest they got the rest of the way. Casteel asserted control with 20 straight points, on their way to the final score of 54-28.

It was a tough week for Northwestern's Arizona commits, they went a combined 0-3 in their senior debuts.

Mountain Ridge (0-1) will travel to Shadow Ridge this week.

West Chester (Ohio) Lakota West and Joshua Fussell outclassed Sycamore in a 59-7 win.

The Firebirds wasted no time in dispatching the Aviators, opening up a 45-0 lead by halftime. They closed out the game on cruise control, and secured their third win of the season.

After a Week 1 nail biter over St. Xavier, the Firebirds have beat their last two opponents by a combined score of 108-13.

Lakota West (3-0) will host Oak Hills this week.