Class of 2026 quarterback Johnny O'Brien's upset bid of No. 7 Naperville Central fell just short, but he lit up the stat sheet with 464 yards and four touchdowns on 34-for-49 passing. In the Class of 2025, offensive lineman Trey Boyd sent Shakopee to Minneapolis for the first state semifinal in program history, offensive tackle Hayden Wright officially punched his team's playoff ticket, and defensive ends Jonah Hayes and Caden O'Rourke continue to menace opponents for the top seeds in Ohio and Illinois respectively.

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

Palatine (Ill.) Fremd's stunning turnaround came to a close as quarterback Johnny O'Brien and the Vikings lost, 31-28, on the road at Naperville Central in the second round of the IHSA 8A playoffs.

At first, it looked like the Red Hawks would be the first team to truly bottle up O'Brien, who had just 137 yards passing in the first half and the Vikings trailed 24-0 at the break.

Then the second half started and O'Brien lit it up. He threw for 300+ yards and all four of his touchdowns in the second frame and nearly pulled off the upset. His 464 yards broke Fremd's previous record of 395, a mark O'Brien set about a month ago in a 56-35 win over Barrington.

Fremd finished their season at 9-2. After a 3-6 campaign in 2023, this was their first nine-win season since they finished 11-1 in 2009 and the winningest season under head coach Lou Sponsel who took over the team in 2012. It was also the Vikings first playoff win since 2019.

For more on O'Brien's sensational performance, check out WildcatReport's scouting report.

No. 2 Shakopee (Minn.) and offensive lineman Trey Boyd upset Mounds View, their sectional's top seed, 24-17, last week.

The Sabers leapt out to a 17-0 lead in the first half and hung on for dear life the rest of the way to make their first MSHSL semifinal in school history and earn a trip to Minneapolis.

Shakopee (10-1) plays undefeated Maple Grove this week for a shot at a state title. The semifinal matchup will be played at U.S. Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings.

Kingwood (Tex.) and offensive tackle Hayden Wright had the head-to-head tiebreaker for their region's last playoff spot, but they didn't need to use it after a 41-21 win over Humble gave them the position outright.

The Mustangs are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2019.

Kingwood (6-4) plays Clear Springs this week in the opening round of the 6A playoffs in Texas, the largest division in arguably the best high school football state in the country.

Defensive end Caden O'Rourke made his presence felt in Frankfort (Ill.) LIncoln-Way East's 38-7 win over Minooka with a sack and fumble recovery.

“We [the defense] never want to be the ones holding our team back,” O’Rourke said to Steve Soucie of Friday Night Drive. “We’re always trying to work harder to be better. We had to stop the run and we had to make sure nothing tricky was going on and make sure that we got every little detail.”

The Griffins continue to dominate as Class 8A's top seed and have won their opening pair of games by a combined score of 80-7. The win marks the program's eighth straight quarterfinals appearance.

Lincoln-Way East (11-0) hosts No. 9 Stevenson this week but will have to be careful not to look too far ahead. Their next opponent would be the winner of No. 20 Maine South and No. 12 Loyola, which could serve as a de facto state title game.

Lincoln-Way East has not lost a playoff game to a team other than Loyola since 2016 when they lost to, you guessed it, Maine South.

Dexter (Mich.) and running back Ronny Johnson' saw their season come to a close by the narrowest of margins in a 50-49 loss to East Lansing.

Dexter took a 49-42 lead with 53 seconds left, but East Lansing came right back with a touchdown as time expired and successfully rolled the dice on a game-winning two-point conversion.

The game featured an incredible duel of running backs with Johnson posting 135 yards and three touchdowns, and East Lansing star Jace Clarizio, a Michigan State commit recently offered by Alabama, responding with four touchdowns of his own.

Dexter finished their season at 10-1.

Tight end Noah LaPorte hauled in a 27-yard touchdown catch and Princeton (Ill.) picked up a 34-16 win over Chicago King.

The Tigers are the No. 4 seed in Class 3A but ended up on a 100+ mile bus ride to Gately Stadium in the city after King upset No. 5 Chicago Marshall.

Princeton (10-1) hosts No. 9 Montini Catholic, who upset No.1 Byron, 14-13, last week. Montini knocked Princeton out in the quarterfinals last year, so the Tigers will get another crack at it on their home field in LaPorte's senior season.

Tight end Robby Preckel continues to do it all for Wildwood (Mo.) Lafayette.

He finished their 49-7 romp over Rockwood Summit with six catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns, and also trucked two defenders on a direct snap for a third score in short yardage.

Lafayette (10-1) has advanced to the third round and will play Washington this week.

New Lenox (Ill.) Lincoln-Way West and linebacker Josh Veldman lost to Batavia, 25-21, in the second round of the IHSA 7A playoffs, the second-largest division in Illinois.

Veldman and the Warriors came in as the No. 20 seed and gave the No. 4 Bulldogs all they could handle, cracking open a 21-0 lead after turning the Bulldogs over on downs on their first drive and snagging an interception in the red zone.

Unfortunately, the Bulldogs didn't stay down for long. A 76-yard fake punt touchdown cut West's lead down to 21-7 at the half, and Batavia scored 18 unanswered after the break.

Lincoln-Way West finished their season with a 7-4 record. All four of their losses were to playoff teams.

Severn (Md.) Archbishop Spalding's defense blanked their eighth opponent this season when they squashed Mount St. Joseph, 38-0, in the MIAA A semifinal.

Safety Alijah Jones and the Cavalier defense have been out of this world this season, with their eighth shutout in their last nine games.

Spalding (11-0) plays McDonogh this week for the MIAA A championship. Spalding beat McDonogh in the regular season, 45-0.

Cincinnati (Ohio) Archbishop Moeller nearly doubled up Lakota East in a 55-28 win with defensive end Jonah Hayes chipping in four tackles and a sack.

This game wasn't even as close as the final score suggests. The Crusaders leapt out a commanding 35-0 lead. When East cut it down to 35-21, Moeller didn't blink and rattled off 20 straight to restore their lead.

The Crusaders have now won eight straight games and are yet to lose in regulation this season.

Moeller (11-1) plays Princeton this week.

Lawton (Mich.) and defensive tackle Mason Mayne's season came to an unceremonious end when they lost a rivalry rematch to Schoolcraft, 38-0, in the second round of the MHSAA playoffs.

The regular season matchup was still a loss, 17-3, but Lawton was able to give the Eagles a run for their money back then. This time, they weren't able to keep it close.

It's not how they wanted to ned their season, but Mayne and the defense were otherwise elite: they allowed 15.6 points per game this season.

Lawton finished 8-3, with two losses to Schoolcraft.

Wide receiver Dube Enongene and Acworth (Ga.) North Paulding start their playoffs this week vs. Lowndes on Nov. 15.

Cornerback Marquet Dorsey and Wayne (N.J.) DePaul start their playoffs this week vs. Paul VI on Nov. 15.

Defensive tackle Tanner Jumpp and Lake Mary (Fla.) start their playoffs vs. DeLand on Nov. 15.

Wide receiver 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 (8-2) beat Grapevine, 36-7, last week.

Quarterback Marcus Romain broke his non-throwing hand on Sept. 20 and hopes to return two weeks from now if Marietta (Ga.) Wheeler can win their playoff opener this week vs. Colquitt County.

MORE ON ROMAIN: QB commit Marcus Romain hopes to play again this season after breaking hand

Safety Jonathan Stevens Jr. and Westerville (Ohio) North finished 6-5 this season. Stevens finished with 65 tackles, two interceptions and an 82-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown. A two-way player that lines up at running back and receiver, he also recorded 1,086 all-purpose yards on offense.

Tight end Tyler Kielmeyer and Westerville (Ohio) South finished 5-6 this season. Kielmeyer seen on the sidelines of Northwestern's game vs. Wisconsin on Oct. 19 with crutches and a knee brace, but returned by the first round of the Wildcats' playoffs.

Offensive tackle Michael O'Connell and Glen Ellyn (Ill.) Glenbard West finished the season 4-5. The normally powerhouse Hilltoppers finished the season 4-1 in their last five games and narrowly missed on a playoff berth due to one of the toughest strengths of schedule in the state.

Punter Nikola Dugandzic and Winnetka (Ill.) New Trier finished 2-7 this season. Dugandzic punted 42 times for an average of 43.7 yards, with 20 landing inside the 20. His season long was 66 yards.

He also served as New Trier's kicker and was 6-for-9 on field goals with a long of 51. He made all of his extra points.