Football Entertains North Olmsted on Friday in First Round of State Playoffs
The Central Catholic football team will host North Olmsted on Friday, Oct. 29 in the first round of the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) Division II State Playoffs. The opening kick against the Eagles is slated for 7:30 pm at Gallagher Stadium.
The Fighting Irish will be the No. 4 seed in Region 6, while the Eagles (6-4) will be the No. 13 seed.
CCHS (8-2, 7-0 TRAC) will be making its 18th-straight playoff appearance under Head Coach Greg Dempsey and 23rd overall in school history. Central Catholic has a 37-16 post-season record under Dempsey with three state championships (2005, ‘12, ‘14) and a state runner-up finish (2015).
The Scarlet & Gray, which ranked No. 5 in the final Associated Press Division II State Poll, wrapped up its regular season with an impressive 49-7 home victory against arch-rival St. Francis de Sales (4-6, 2-5 TRAC) on Friday. The Fighting Irish scored five touchdowns in the first half to set the tone versus the Knights, helping them secure their fourth-straight TRAC championship. More importantly, they registered their 20th-consecutive win in the series and successfully hold onto the coveted Irish-Knight Trophy.
Junior QB Ty'Waun Clark threw for three touchdowns and rushed for two to spark the CCHS offense in its regular-season finale. Senior WR Josh Lee caught two TD passes from Clark and senior WR Sam Lee had the other TD grab, helping stretch Central Catholic’s winning streak to eight-straight games. In addition, junior RB Chris Edmonds was credited with a season-long 95-yard TD burst.
During its win streak, CCHS has defeated Olentangy Orange, Findlay, St. John’s Jesuit, Lima Senior, Oregon Clay, Whitmer, Fremont Ross & St. Francis de Sales by a combined score of 321-47.
Overall this fall, Clark has thrown for 1,987 yards with 19 TDs, while Sam Lee has 32 catches for a squad-best 775 yards with 9 TDs.
Members of the Great Lakes Conference, North Olmsted enters Friday’s post-season matchup in the midst of a three-game losing skid, most recently suffering a 12-7 road setback vs. Holy Name. Under the leadership of Head Coach Tim Brediger, the Eagles will be making their third all-time appearance in the state playoffs.
Central Catholic and North Olmsted will meet on the gridiron for the first time. The Fighting Irish will battle a team from the GLC for the first time since 2017 when they defeated Bay, 35-0, in the third round of the playoffs.
Tickets for Friday’s postseason 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 Game Day 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 6:30 pm or streamed online HERE.
Should the Fighting Irish advance to the second round for the 11th-consecutive season, they would face either No. 5 seed Avon Lake (7-3) or No. 12 seed St. John’s Jesuit (4-5) on Friday, Nov. 5 at 7 pm.
