Football Hosts CHSL Juggernaut Warren De La Salle Collegiate on Friday
The Central Catholic football (4-0, 2-0 CHSL) will clash with Warren De La Salle Collegiate (2-1, 1-0 CHSL) on Friday, Sept 15 in a much-anticipated Catholic High School League (CHSL) matchup in Gallagher Stadium. The opening kick against the Pilots is slated for 7 p.m.
CCHS is currently ranked No. 1 in the initial Associated Press Division III state poll, while De La Salle stands at No. 2 in the Michigan D-II state rankings.
The Fighting Irish (1962, 2005, ‘12, ‘14, ‘22) and DLS (2014, ‘17, ‘18, ’21, ’22) have each won 5 state championships in their respective program histories.
In conjunction with Friday’s contest, CCHS will honor its 1962 state championship football squad at halftime.
Tickets for Friday’s showdown can be purchased online at bit.ly/3KgpfKi. For those fans unable to attend the CHSL contest, the game 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.
Central Catholic, which is favored to win the Central Division in its 1st season in the CHSL, is coming off a 33-7 triumph against Brother Rice at Blue Devils Stadium on the campus of Lawrence Tech University. The reigning Division II state champions scored the game's 1st 33 points vs. the Warriors to help them extend their winning streak to 19-consecutive games.
Offensively, senior RB Marquan Braswell found the end zone on a season-high 4 occasions. A 2023 team captain, Braswell totaled a game-high 88 yards rushing on only 6 carries. He averaged a whopping 14.7 yards per carry and has now found the end zone in every game this fall.
Junior RB Tyler Morgan also had a solid game running the ball vs. Brother Rice, registering 76 yards on 10 attempts.
Senior QB Terry Collins, Jr. finished 6-of-11 passing for a season-high 172 yards and 1 TD. Collins connected with senior WR Jaylen Watson on a 60-yard TD pass on the game's 1st offensive play.
Overall this fall, Collins has completed 43-of-60 passes for 605 yards and 4 TDs. Watson has been Collins’ favorite target this fall, hauling in a team-high 24 catches for 318 yards and 2 scores.
On the ground, Braswell has accumulated a squad-best 407 yards on 61 rushes (6.7 ypg) and 8 TDs, followed closely by Morgan with 332 yards on 51 carries (6.5 ypc) and 8 TDs.
DLS, which was picked 2nd in the CHSL Preseason Coaches’ Poll, enters Friday’s action on the heels of a 41-27 triumph against St. Mary’s Preparatory in its home opener. The Pilots, who will play 3 of their 1st 4 games on the road, have scored at least 40 points in each of their last 2 contests.
CCHS and DLS will square off on the gridiron for the 3rd time under Head Coach Greg Dempsey. The teams split their 1st 2 meetings, with the Scarlet & Gray claiming a 21-14 neutral-site victory to open the 2013 season (Aug. 31). The following fall, CCHS suffered a 21-14 home setback (Aug. 29).
The Fighting Irish will return to the field against Ohio perennial power Saint Ignatius, an 11-time D-I state champion, on Friday, Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. in Gallagher Stadium. Next Friday’s non-conference finale will be part of Homecoming Weekend.
