Football Competes Against Youngstown Ursuline on Friday in Division III State Semifinals
The Central Catholic football team will continue its quest to secure a 3rd-straight state title against Youngstown Ursuline (13-1) on Friday, November 29 in the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) Division III semifinals at Elyria Charities Field at Ely Stadium (1915 Middle Ave., Elyria, 44035). Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. and Friday’s neutral-site matchup will be live streamed at spectrumnews1.com and 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 6 p.m. or streamed online HERE.
The Scarlet & Gray (13-1) is looking to become only the 12th school in Ohio history to win 3-straight state championships.
Friday’s postseason contest will showcase 2 of the most-successful programs in Ohio history. CCHS (1962, 2005, ’12, ’14, ’22, ‘23) has won 6 state championships on the gridiron, while Ursuline (2000, ‘08, ‘09, ‘10) has captured 4 titles.
Tickets for Friday’s game MUST be pre-purchased online at OHSAA.org/tickets (Division III, Select Game). All playoff tickets are General Admission. Tickets will cost $15 for adults and $10 for students.
Should Central Catholic make it to the state championship game, it will face the winner of Columbus Bishop Watterson (14-0) and London (14-0) on Friday, December 6 at 3 p.m. at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium (1835 Harrison Ave. Canton, 44708).
Central Catholic advanced to the ‘Final 4’ for the 9th time (2012, ’14, ’15, ’16, ’17, ’19, ’22, ’23, ‘24) in the last 13 seasons and 11th occasion overall (‘77) following a 45-7 triumph vs. No. 7 seed Padua Franciscan in the Region 10 Finals at Foundation Stadium.
The Fighting Irish ran for 5 scores against the Bruins (8-6), including 2 TDs each from junior RB/WR Jerome Davis V and junior RB Anthony Sylvester, to force a running clock for the 4th-consecutive playoff contest.
CCHS also benefited from a game-high 131 yards rushing and 1 TD by senior RB Tyler Morgan to extend its postseason winning streak to 16 games. A team captain, Morgan surpassed the 100-yard mark for the 4th time this fall. As a team, Central Catholic accumulated a season-high 330 yards on the ground, topping its previous-best effort of 308 yards vs. Findlay in the opener.
Central Catholic's other 2 touchdowns came on a 67-yard pass to junior WR Preston Fryzel and an 80-yard reception by Davis from sophomore QB Ali Beydoun. In place of injured senior QB Isaiah Fox, Beydoun completed 7-of-9 passes for a season-high 190 yards, propelling CCHS to a season-high 520 yards of total offense.
As effective as Central Catholic was offensively, its defensive effort was equally outstanding. They recorded 7 sacks and limited Padua Franciscan to 118 yards of total offense, including a mere 31 yards rushing.
Overall this fall, Morgan has registered 1,311 yards on the ground and 15 TDs. His 1,311 yards is 14th most in school history in a single season. For his CCHS career, Morgan has scored 44 TDs rushing, the 5th-highest mark in program annals.
In addition, Beydoun has completed 39-of-75 passes (52.0 percent) for 721 yards and 9 TDs in 2024. His favorite targets have been the 4-headed monster of Fryzel (38 catches, 726 yards, 9 TDs), senior Levelle Stokes III (27 receptions, 480 yards, 3 TDs), junior WR Sharard Vaughn III (27 catches, 480 yards, 3 TDs), and Davis (27 receptions, 387 yards, 3 TDs). Fryzel’s 726 yards receiving is the 7th most in program history, while his 9 TDs is tied for 6th most.
A member of the Steel Valley Conference, Ursuline enters Friday’s game in the midst of 13-game win streak, notching postseason victories against No. 16 seed Youngstown Chaney, 44-14, No. 9 seed Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph, 44-8, No. 4 seed Aurora, 29-10, and most recently No. 2 seed Gate Mills Gilmour Academy, 54-0. Under the leadership of Head Coach Dan Reardon, the Fighting Irish are making their 11th appearance in the ‘Final 4’ and 25th overall in the state playoffs.
