Football Battles Archbishop Hoban on Thursday in OHSAA Division II State Championship Game

The Central Catholic football team will look to secure its 5th OHSAA Division II state championship (1962, 2005, ’12, ’14) when the Fighting Irish face Akron Archbishop Hoban on Thursday, Dec. 1 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium (1835 Harrison Ave. NW, Canton, 44708). Kickoff is scheduled for 7 pm and Thursday’s matchup will be televised LIVE on BCSN2, Spectrum News 1, the Spectrum app and on OHSAA.tv. It can also be heard on The Ticket l 100.7 FM with the “Voice of the Irish” Bill Clark & Jim Oswald, starting at 5:30 pm or streamed online HERE.

CCHS (14-1) and Hoban (14-1) will square off in the state championship contest for the 2nd time. The Scarlet & Gray suffered a 33-20 setback against the Knights in the 2015 Division III state finals in Columbus.

The Fighting Irish advanced to the state finals for the 5th time (2005, ’12, ’14, ’15, ’22) under Head Coach Greg Dempsey with postseason victories against Ashland, 69-7, Avon Lake, 21-0, Medina Highland, 42-6, Avon, 28-20, and most recently Kings Mills Kings, 52-49.

Senior QB Ty’Waun Clark was simply magnificent against the Knights (13-2) in the state semifinals at Mercy Health/Wapak Ford Field at Harmon Stadium, completing 16-of-24 passes for a career-high 294 yards and 3 touchdowns. A 2022 honorable mention All-TRAC honoree, Clark also ran for a season-best 130 yards on 16 carries. His previous-best effort was 255 yards passing vs. arch-rival St. Francis de Sales on Oct. 22, 2021. Clark’s favorite targets were senior WR/DB Braden Awls (6 catches, 141 yards, 1 TD) and junior WR/DB Marvon Greenlee (3 catches, 119 yards, 2 TDs), who combined for 9 receptions for 160 yards and 3 TDs.

Senior RB Chris Edmonds also had a big game for victorious CCHS, registering 104 yards on 30 rushes and 3 scores. Edmonds saved his best for last, recording a 5-yard TD run with 28 seconds left in regulation to produce the game-winning points. The 2022 TRAC Offensive Player of the Year has topped the century in all but 2 games this fall.

Kings Mills Kings did not go down with a fight though, as QB Will Kocher completed 3 long passes to set up a potential game-tying 34-yard field goal on the game’s final play. Fortunately for CCHS, Brady Wik’s attempt to force overtime fell short, sending the Central Catholic sideline into a frenzy.

Overall this fall, Edmonds has tallied 2,030 yards on 290 carries and 34 TDs, averaging a staggering 7.0 yards per carry. Clark has completed 150-of-220 passes for 2,100 yards and 22 TDs. Clark has also registered 860 yards on the ground, the 2nd-highest total on the team, on 134 attempts and 11 TDs. Clark’s most-popular receivers are senior WR Javon Murphy (team-high 42 receptions, 525 yards, 6 TDs) and senior WR Durye’a Hall (36 catches, squad-best 594 yards, team-high 7 TDs).

Hoban enters Thursday’s contest on a roll, registering postseason wins against Willoughby South, 57-14, Barberton, 41-13, St. Vincent-St. Mary, 47-7, Hudson, 41-7, and most recently Massillon Washington, 41-20. Under the leadership of Head Coach Tim Tyrell, the Knights are looking to secure their 6th state championship since 2015. Hoban won Division III state titles in 2015 and 2016 and Division II state crowns in 2017, 2018, and 2020. They also finished Division II runner-up last fall.

Offensively, RB Lamar Sperling has 3,626 yards rushing on 377 carries and 55 TDs. The Northeast Inland District Division II Offensive Player of the Year, Sperling was recently named a finalist for the 2022 Ohio Mr. Football Award.

The Fighting Irish and Hoban shared 2 common opponents during the regular season: 2021 Division I state champion and 2022 state finalist Lakewood St. Edward and Benedictine. Both teams defeated the Bengals and lost to the Eagles. CCHS secured a 31-0 victory against Benedictine, 31-0, and dropped a 23-20 decision vs Lakewood St. Edward. Hoban registered a 48-0 triumph vs. the Bengals and suffered a 41-20 setback against the Eagles.

Tickets for Thursday’s postseason contest MUST be pre-purchased online at OHSAA.org/tickets (Division II, Select Game). Reminder, no tickets will be available to purchase at the gate. All tickets are General Admission. Tickets will cost $15 for adults and $12 for students.

Thursday’s game will mark the final contest for CCHS’s 22-member senior class – Braden Awls, Brian Bishop, Andrew-Carter Price, Ty’Waun Clark, Winston Delp, Chris Edmonds, Deandre Ellis, Ramon Foster Jr., Ryland Garrett Jr., Santos Garza, Durye’a Hall, Solomon King, Tyler Jackson, RJ Maddox Jr., Chris Moody, Javon Murphy, Cody Schuberg, Delonte' Shelmon-Banks, Ayden Tanhueco, Mekhi Warren, Danny Witcher III, and Braiden Vargas.