Football Hosts Avon Lakes on Friday in 2nd Round of OHSAA Division II State Playoffs

The Central Catholic football team will entertain Avon Lake on Friday, Nov. 4 in the 2nd round of the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) Division II State Playoffs. The opening kick against the Shoremen (9-2, 5-2 Southwestern) is scheduled for 7 pm in Gallagher Stadium.

The Fighting Irish (10-1, 7-0 TRAC) are the No. 3 seed in Region 6, while Avon Lake is the Nov. 6 seed.

The Scarlet & Gray, which ranked No. 5 in the final Associated Press Division II State Poll, advanced to the 2nd round following a dominating 69-7 victory against No. 14 Ashland at home.

CCHS posted a decisive 531-365 advantage in total offense vs. the Arrows (6-5), including 337-28 edge in rushing, to extend its winning streak to 10-consecutive games.

Senior QB Ty’Waun Clark accounted for a team-high 3 touchdowns in Friday’s post-season triumph, including a pair of TD tosses to senior WR Javon Murphy. Clark completed an efficient 13 of 17 passes for 194 yards, and he ran for 29 yards with 1 score.

Senior RB Chris Edmonds also had a big game on the ground for Central Catholic, totaling 135 yards and 2 scores on only 9 carries. The 2021 1st-team All-TRAC selection has now topped the century mark in each of the last 10 contests.

Murphy finished with a team-high 6 receptions for a season-best 111 yards, followed by senior WR Durye’a Hall with 4 catches for 41 yards.

Members of the Southwestern Conference, Avon Lake moved on to the 2nd round following a 26-0 shutout victory against No. 11 seed Sylvania Southview at home.

Central Catholic and Avon Lake will meet on the gridiron for the 2nd time in the last 3 seasons and 4th time overall. CCHS defeated the Shoremen, 35-14, in 2005 en route to a D-II state title and triumphed 56-16 in 2018. Most recently, the Shoremen took down the Fighting Irish, 16-14, in 2020 in Gallagher Stadium.

CCHS is making its 19th-straight playoff appearance under Head Coach Greg Dempsey and 24th overall in school history. Central Catholic has a 41-17 post-season record under Coach Dempsey with 3 state championships (2005, ‘12, ‘14) and a state runner-up finish (2015).

Tickets for Friday’s postseason contest MUST be pre-purchased online at OHSAA.org/tickets (Division II, Region 6, Select Game). Reminder, no tickets will be available to purchase at the gate. All playoff tickets are General Admission. Presale tickets will cost $8 for students and $10 for adults. In addition, all students MUST purchase a ticket to attend Friday’s contest.

For those fans unable to attend the postseason 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 pm or streamed online HERE.

Should the Fighting Irish advance to the Region 6 Semifinals, they would face either No. 2 seed Medina Highland (11-0) or No. 7 seed North Olmsted (8-3) on Friday, Nov. 11 at 7 pm at a neutral site.