Football Tangles with Padua Franciscan in Region 10 Final of Division III State Playoffs

The Central Catholic football team will take on Padua Franciscan on Friday, November 22 in the regional final of the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) Division III State Playoffs.  The opening kick against the Bruins is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Cedar Point Stadium on the campus of Sandusky High School (75 Orlando Pace Dr., Sandusky, 44870).

Tickets for Friday’s neutral-field contest MUST be pre-purchased online at OHSAA.org/tickets (Division III, Region 10).  All playoff tickets are General Admission. Tickets will cost $5 for students and $11 for adults.

For those fans unable to attend Friday’s 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 p.m. or streamed online HERE.

The Fighting Irish (12-1) are the No. 1 seed in Region 10, while Padua Franciscan (8-5) is the No. 7 seed.

The 2-time reigning state champions advanced to the regional finals for a 4th-consecutive year and extended their postseason winning streak to 15 games following a 35-7 victory against No. 12 seed Lexington (7-6) at Frost-Kalnow Stadium in Tiffin.  They are looking to become only the 13th school in Ohio history to secure 3 straight state titles.

Central Catholic jumped out to a 21-0 lead vs. the Minutemen after the 1st quarter and never looked back.  CCHS utilized 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 and was credited with a 33-yard TD burst.  He finished with a game-high 88 yards rushing on 11 carries and tallied multiple TDs for the 6th time this fall.

The Fighting Irish tacked on TD receptions by junior WR Sharard Vaughn III and Fryzel from sophomore QB Ali Beydoun to force a running clock in the 2nd half for the 3rd-straight contest.

Beydoun connected with Vaughn on a 66-yard TD catch and run, before finding Fryzel wide open from 11 yards out to put the contest out of reach.

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.

Beydoun, who replaced senior QB Isaiah Fox late in the 1st quarter following an injury, completed 4-of-11 passes for 80 yards and 2 TDs.

Overall this fall, Beydoun is 32-of-66 passing for 531 yards and 7 TDs, Morgan has rushed for 1,180 yards on 204 carries (5.8 ypg) and 14 TDs, while Fryzel has caught 37 passes for 659 yards and 8 scores.

Morgan’s 1,180 yards rushing is 18th most in school history in a single season, Fryzel’s 659 yards receiving is the 9th most.

CCHS, which ranked No. 2 in the final Associated Press Ohio D-III state poll, will battle Lexington on the gridiron for the 1st time.

Padua Franciscan enter Friday’s action on the heels of postseason victories against No. 10 seed Grafton Midview, 31-14, No. 2 seed Medina Buckeye, 39-34, and most recently No. 3 seed Cleveland Benedictine, 42-28.  A member of the North Coast Conference, Padua Franciscan is appearing in the state playoffs for the 4th time in the last 5 years and 13h time in program history.  They are led by Head Coach Kevin Kubit.

With a victory against the Bruins, the Fighting Irish would advance to the ‘Final 4’ for the 10th time under Head Coach Greg Dempsey and 11th occasion overall. They will face Region 9 winner, No. 1 seed Youngstown Ursuline (12-1) or No. 2 seed Gates Mills Gilmour Academy (12-1), on Friday, November 29 at 7 p.m. at a neutral site.  Ursuline was ranked 5th in the final AP D-III poll, while GMGA was 10th.