Football Entertains Defiance in 2nd Round of OHSAA Division III State Playoffs
The Central Catholic football team will entertain Defiance on Friday, Nov. 3 in the 2nd round of the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) Division III State Playoffs. The opening kick against the Bulldogs (8-3) is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Gallagher Stadium.
The Fighting Irish (11-0) are the No. 1 seed in Region 10, while Defiance is the No. 9 seed.
Tickets for Friday’s postseason contest MUST be pre-purchased online at OHSAA.org/tickets (Division III, Region 10, Select Game). All playoff tickets are General Admission. Tickets will cost $9 for students and $12 for adults. Please note, all students MUST purchase a ticket to attend Friday’s contest.
For those fans unable to attend Friday’s matchup, it can be heard live on The Ticket l 100.7 FM with the “Voice of the Irish” Bill Clark & Jim Oswald, starting at 6:30 p.m. or streamed online HERE.
The Scarlet & Gray, which ranked No. 1 in the final Associated Press Division III State Poll, advanced to the 2nd round for the 13th-straight year following a dominating 42-7 victory against No. 16 Bowling Green (5-6) at home.
Five different Fighting Irish found the end zone against the Bobcats, including senior RB Marquan Braswell with a game-high 2 scores. A 2023 CHSL All-Catholic League selection, Braswell has scored multiple TDs in each of the last 5 games.
Senior DB Jayden Barnes, senior QB Terry Collins, Jr., senior WR Jaylen Watson, and junior RB Tyler Morgan also scored a TD in the dominating 35-point home win. Barnes was credited with a blocked punt & score in the opening 12 minutes to give the reigning D-II state champions a lead they would not relinquish.
For the game, Collins completed 6-of-10 passes for 116 yards, including a contest-best 4 receptions by Watson.
Overall this fall, Collins is 86-of-131 passing (65.6%) for 1,362 yards and 9 TDs, Braswell has accumulated 1,295 yards on 176 carries (7.4 ypg) and 27 TDs, while Watson has hauled in 48 catches for 770 yards and 6 scores.
Braswell’s 1,362 yards rushing is 11th most in school history in a single season, while his 27 TDs are the 7th highest mark. Along those same lines, Watson’s 770 yards receiving is the 6th most in program history.
A member of the Western Buckeye League, Defiance moved on to the 2nd round following a 14-7 road victory against No. 8 seed Bay Village.
Central Catholic and Defiance will meet on the gridiron for the 1st time since 2013. That year, CCHS defeated the Bulldogs, 69-14, in the 1st round of the of the D-III state playoffs at home.
CCHS is making its 20th-straight playoff appearance under Head Coach Greg Dempsey and 25th overall in school history. Central Catholic has a 47-17 post-season record under Coach Dempsey with 4 state championships (2005, ‘12, ’14, ‘22) and a state runner-up finish (2015). With a victory against Defiance, Dempsey would record his 250th win patrolling the Central Catholic sideline.
Should the Fighting Irish advance to the Region 10 Semifinals, they would face either No. 4 seed Mansfield Senior (9-2) or No. 5 seed Rocky River (10-1) on Friday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. at a neutral site.
