Football Plays Detroit Cass Technical in Prep Bowl on Saturday at Ford Field

The Central Catholic football team will put is 24-game winning streak on the line against Detroit Cass Technical in the 51st-annual Prep Bowl on Saturday, Oct. 21. The opening kick vs. the Technicians (6-2) in the “Goodfellows Game” is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Ford Field in Detroit.

Tickets for Saturday’s neutral-field matchup must be purchased for CASH ONLY at the gate for $10. For those fans unable to attend the contest, the game can be heard 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.

Saturday’s game will feature 2 of the most-successful programs in their respective state’s history. The Fighting Irish (1962, 2005, ’12, ’14, ’22) have won 5 state championships on the gridiron, while Cass Tech (2011, ‘12, ‘16) has secured 3 MHSAA Division I titles.

Central Catholic (9-0, 6-0 CHSL) is coming off an emphatic 69-0 victory against rival St. Francis de Sales in Gallagher Stadium to secure the championship in the Catholic High School League (CHSL) Central Division.

The Scarlet & Gray scored 8 touchdowns vs. the Knights (1-8, 1-6 CHSL) in the 1st half on “Senior Night,” helping the defending Division II state champions register its 22nd-straight win in the series and successfully hold onto the coveted Irish-Knight Trophy. Central Catholic has not lost to its rival since 2003.

Offensively, CCHS tallied the most points by 1 team in the storied series, topping the previous record of 61 set by the Fighting Irish in 2014. A total of 7 different Central Catholic players found the end zone, sparked by 3 TDs from senior RB Marquan Braswell in the 1st period. Defensively, Central Catholic was nearly as dominate, posting its 3rd shutout in the last 4 games.

Junior RB Tyler Morgan also tallied 2 rushing scores in the home win, while sophomore RB Jerome Davis, sophomore RB Anthony Sylvester, and sophomore RB Mason Johnson had 1 TD run each as Central Catholic racked up 406 total yards.

Braswell averaged a staggering 17.2 yards per carry vs. the SFS, finishing with a game-high 86 yards on 5 attempts. Morgan was not too far behind Braswell, tallying 10.2 yards per carry.

In addition, senior QB Terry Collins, Jr. connected with senior WR Jaylen Watson on a 65-yard TD pass, and senior DB Jayden Barnes returned an interception 42 yards for a touchdown.

Overall this fall, Collins is 71-of-109 passing (65.1%) for 1,076 yards and 6 TDs, Braswell has accumulated 1,099 yards on 142 carries (7.7 ypg) and 21 TDs, while Watson has hauled in 40 catches for 554 yards and 3 scores.

Braswell’s 1,099 yards rushing is 19th most in school history in a single season, while his 21 TDs are tied for the 9th highest mark. Tre’Von Wade also recorded 21 TDs on the ground during the 2013 campaign. Along those same lines, Watson’s 554 yards receiving is the 14th most in program history.   

Cass Tech enters Saturday’s contest on the heels of a 24-23 victory against Detroit King (4-4) on Friday at Ford Field to successfully repeat as the Detroit Public School League Blue Division champions. It was their 4th Blue Division title in the last 5 years.

Under the direction of Head Coach Marvin Rushing, the Technicians have won 6 straight games after opening the season with losses to Southfield (Mich.), 29-27 in Week 1, and to Montvale (N.J.) St. Joseph, 49-14 in Week 2.

CCHS, which is ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Ohio D-III state poll, will square off against Cass Tech on the gridiron for the 1st time.