Football Hosts St. John’s Jesuit on Friday in Second Round of State Playoffs

The Central Catholic football team will entertain rival St. John’s Jesuit on Friday, Nov. 5 in the second round of the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) Division II State Playoffs. The opening kick against the Three Rivers Athletic Conference member Titans is slated for 7 pm at Gallagher Stadium. Friday’s post-season matchup will be streamed LIVE on the BCSN NOW APP at bcsnapp.com/watch.

The Fighting Irish (9-2) are the No. 4 seed in Region 6, while SJJ (5-5) is the No. 12 seed.

CCHS advanced to the second round following an impressive 48-0 shutout victory against North Olmsted (6-5) on Friday at rain-soaked Gallagher Stadium. The Scarlet & Gray scored touchdowns on its first five possessions versus the Eagles to stretch its winning streak to nine-consecutive games.

Junior QB Ty’Waun Clark completed 13 of 16 passes for 194 yards and 3 TDs to ignite the high-powered Central Catholic offense. All three of Clark’s TD passes went to senior WR Sam Lee, covering 30, 12 and 4 yards, respectively. Lee finished with eight catches for 159 yards.

Junior RB Chris Edmonds added 150 yards on 16 carries and two scores on the ground, helping the Fighting Irish post a decisive 384-40 advantage in total offense.

CCHS was equally as effective defensively, limiting Eagles’ QB Xavier Balson to 7 of 19 passing for 37 yards. The Fighting Irish put heavy pressure on Balson most of the evening, en route to tallying their fourth shutout this fall.

St. John’s Jesuit enters Friday’s post-season matchup having won three of its last four games, including a 34-13 road triumph vs. No. 5 seed Avon Lake (7-4). Under the leadership of Head Coach Larry McDaniels, the Titans are making their fifth-straight appearance in the state playoffs and 16th overall.

Central Catholic and St. John’s Jesuit will meet in the postseason for the third time in the last four years. Most recently, the Fighting Irish registered a 28-6 triumph in the second round in 2019.

Overall, CCHS will be in search of its seventh-straight victory against its crosstown rivals. Earlier this fall, the Fighting Irish shutout the Titans 38-0 at Lyden Field. Central Catholic’s last loss in the series occurred on Oct. 27, 2017, when it suffered a 13-6 road setback.

Central Catholic is making its 18th-straight playoff appearance under Head Coach Greg Dempsey and 23rd overall in school history. CCHS has a 38-16 post-season record under Dempsey with three state championships (2005, ‘12, ‘14) and a state runner-up finish (2015).

Tickets for Friday’s post-season contest MUST be pre-purchased online at OHSAA.org/tickets (Division II, Region 6). Reminder, no tickets will be available to purchase at the gate. All playoff tickets are General Admission. Presale tickets will cost $10, while Gameday seats will be $12. In addition, all CCHS students MUST purchase a ticket to attend Friday’s contest.

For those fans unable to attend the game, it can be heard live on The Ticket l 100.7 FM with the “Voice of the Irish” Bill Clark & Jim Oswald, starting at 6 pm or streamed online HERE.

Should the Fighting Irish advance to the third round for the 10th-consecutive season, they would face either No. 1 seed Medina Highland (10-1) or No. 8 seed Anthony Wayne (9-2) on Friday, Nov. 12 at 7 pm at a neutral site.