Football Ousts Lexington in Region 10 Semifinals of OHSAA Division III State Playoffs, 35-7

The Central Catholic football team defeated Lexington, 35-7, on Friday in the regional semifinal of the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) Division III State Playoffs at Frost-Kalnow Stadium.  With the neutral-field victory, the Fighting Irish improve to 12-1 overall.

The 2-time reigning state champions jumped out to a 21-0 lead against the No. 12 seed Minutemen (7-6) after the 1st quarter and never looked back, securing their 15th-consecutive postseason triumph.

CCHS benefited from 2 scores by senior RB Tyler Morgan and another from junior WR Preston Fryzel to establish a double-digit cushion after only 12 minutes.  A team captain, Morgan scored on a 1-yard plunge on the game’s opening possession and was credited with a 33-yard TD burst.  He finished with a game-high 88 yards on the ground on 11 carries and tallied multiple TDs for the 6th time this fall.

The No. 1 seed Fighting Irish tacked on a 66-yard TD reception to junior WR Sharard Vaughn III from sophomore QB Ali Beydoun before intermission to assume a 28-0 advantage at halftime.

Central Catholic did not skip a beat to start the 2nd half, taking advantage of Fryzel’s 2nd TD reception of the game to force a running clock for the 3rd-straight contest.  Beydoun found Fryzel wide open from 11 yards out to extend the margin to 5 scores.

Lexington did not go down without a fight, breaking up the shutout with a late TD run to make the final score 35-7.

For the game, CCHS held a 323-228 edge in total offense.  Central Catholic featured a balanced attack, tallying 157 yards passing and 151 yards rushing.

Individually, Beydoun came on for injured senior QB Isaiah Fox, completing 4-of-11 passes for 80 yards and 2 TDs.

The Fighting Irish will now take on No. 7 seed Parma Padua Franciscan next Friday, November 22 at 7 p.m. in the Region 10 Finals at a site to be announced on Sunday.