Football Runs Away from Padua Franciscan in Regional Final of Division III State Playoffs, 45-7

The Central Catholic football team sprinted its way to a 45-7 victory against No. 7 seed Padua Franciscan on Friday in the Region 10 Final of the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) Division III State Playoffs at Foundation Stadium.  With the post-season triumph, the Fighting Irish (13-1) advance to the state semifinals for the 9th time (2012, ’14, ’15, ’16, ’17, ’19, ’22, ’23, '24) in the last 13 seasons.

The 2-time reigning state champions ran for 5 scores against the Bruins (8-6), including 2 TDs each from junior RB/WR Jerome Davis V and junior RB Anthony Sylvester, to force a running clock for the 4th-straight playoff contest.

The No. 1 seed Fighting Irish also benefited from a game-high 131 yards on the ground and 1 TD by senior RB Tyler Morgan to extend their postseason winning streak to 16 games.  As a team, CCHS tallied a season-high 330 yards on the ground, topping its previous-best effort of 308 yards vs. Findlay in the opener. 

Central Catholic's other 2 touchdowns came on a 67-yard pass to junior WR Preston Fryzel and an 80-yard reception by Davis from sophomore QB Ali Beydoun to complete the scoring.  In place of injured senior QB Isaiah Fox, Beydoun completed 7-of-9 passes for a season-high 190 yards, propelling CCHS to a season-high 520 yards of total offense. 

As effective as Central Catholic was running the ball, its defensive effort was equally outstanding.  The Scarlet & Gray recorded 7 sacks and was constantly in the Bruins' backfield, helping them take another step forward to become only the 12th school in Ohio history to secure 3 straight state titles.  They limited Padua Franciscan to 118 yards of total offense, including a mere 31 yards rushing. 

CCHS will now face Region 9 winner, No. 1 seed Youngstown Ursuline (13-1), on Friday, November 29 at 7 p.m. at a neutral site.