Football Hosts Bowling Green in 1st Round of OHSAA D-III State Playoffs
The Central Catholic football team will host Bowling Green on Friday, Oct. 27 in the 1st round of the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) Division III State Playoffs. The opening kick against the Bobcats (5-5) is slated for 7 p.m. in Gallagher Stadium.
The Fighting Irish (10-0, 6-0 CHSL), who ranked No. 1 in the final Associated Press D-III State Poll, are the No. 1 seed in Region 10, while BG is the No. 16 seed.
Tickets for Friday’s postseason contest MUST be pre-purchased online at OHSAA.org/tickets (Division III, Region 10, Select Game). Reminder, no tickets will be available to purchase at the gate. All playoff tickets are General Admission. Tickets will cost $9 for students and $12 for adults. In addition, 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.
CCHS will be making its 20th-straight playoff appearance under Head Coach Greg Dempsey and 25th overall in school history. Central Catholic has a 46-17 post-season record under Coach Dempsey with 4 state championships (2005, ‘12, ’14, ‘22) and a state runner-up finish (2015).
The Scarlet & Gray wrapped up its regular season with a 48-23 victory against Detroit Cass Technical in the 51st-annual Prep Bowl at Ford Field. Central Catholic outscored the Technicians 20-0 in the 2nd half in Saturday’s “Goodfellows Game” to help the reigning Division II state champions extend its winning streak to 25-consecutive games.
Senior RB Marquan Braswell finished with 141 yards on 28 carries and a season-tying best 4 TDs on the ground, including 3 scores in the 1st half. Braswell has now scored 4 TDs on 4 occasions this fall.
CCHS also benefited from 2 TDs by senior WR Jaylen Watson to snap the Technicians (6-3) 6-game winning streak. Watson had 4 catches for a season-high 119 yards, topping the century mark for the 2nd time in 2023.
In addition, senior QB Terry Collins completed an efficient 9 of 12 passing for 173 yards and 2 TDs, to go along with a rushing score in the neutral-field matchup in downtown Detroit.
Overall this fall, Collins is 80-of-121 passing (66.1%) for 1,246 yards and 8 TDs, Braswell has accumulated 1,240 yards on 170 carries (7.3 ypg) and 25 TDs, while Watson has hauled in 44 catches for 673 yards and 5 scores.
Braswell’s 1,240 yards rushing is 15th most in school history in a single season, while his 25 TDs are the 7th highest mark. Along those same lines, Watson’s 673 yards receiving is the 7th most in program history.
A member of the Northern Lakes League (NLL), Bowling Green suffered a 40-14 setback vs. Fremont Ross in last Friday’s regular-season finale.
Under the direction of Head Coach Josh Wade, the Bobcats will be making their 13th all-time appearance in the state playoffs and 1st since 2020. BG is averaging 31.9 points per game and giving up 32.7 ppg.
Central Catholic and Bowling Green will meet on the gridiron for the 1st time since 2014. That year, CCHS defeated the Bobcats, 35-19, in the 2nd round of the D-III state playoffs at Lake High School.
Should the Fighting Irish advance to the 2nd round for the 13th-consecutive season, they would face either No. 8 seed Bay Village Bay (8-2) or No. 9 seed Defiance (7-3) on Friday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m.
