TRAC Frontrunners Central Catholic & Whitmer Square Off on Friday in Gallagher Stadium
The Central Catholic football team will host rival Whitmer on Friday, Oct. 8 with first place at stake in the Three Rivers Athletic Conference. The opening kick against the Panthers (6-1, 4-0 TRAC) is scheduled for 7 pm at Gallagher Stadium. Friday’s first-place showdown will be televised LIVE on BCSN2 (Channel 109 SD, 609 HD) and the BCSN Now App (bcsnapp.com/watch).
The Fighting Irish (5-2, 4-0 TRAC) have won seven of the 10 TRAC championships (2013-16, ‘18-20) since the league’s inception in 2011, while the Panthers captured the other three (2011-12, ‘17).
CCHS, which is ranked No. 10 in the Associated Press Division II State Poll for a second-straight week, is coming off a dominating 60-0 triumph at Oregon Clay (2-5, 0-4 TRAC) on Friday to stretch its winning streak to five-consecutive games.
Junior QB Ty’Waun Clark passed for 126 yards and three TDs vs. the Eagles, helping the Scarlet & Gray secure its 18th-straight victory in the series. Two of Clark’s TD passes went to senior WR Sam Lee, covering 38 and 7 yards.
The Fighting Irish also benefited from interception returns for scores from senior DB Peyton Reasonover and sophomore DB Amir Thomas to set the stage for Friday’s huge matchup.
Clark is currently third in the TRAC in completions (92), TD passes (13) and passing yards (1,295), while Lee is second in yards per catch (21.7), third in receiving yards (565), fifth in receptions (26), tied for fifth in TDs scored (7) and tied for eighth in total points (42).
During its win streak, CCHS has defeated Olentangy Orange, Findlay, St. John’s Jesuit, Lima Senior and Oregon Clay by a combined score of 210-18.
CCHS, which is riding a 22-game win streak against TRAC opponents dating back to 2017, will be looking for its third-straight victory vs. Whitmer and seventh in the last eight matchups. A season ago, the contest was canceled due to the Coronavirus. In their most recent matchup, the Fighting Irish secured a resounding 42-14 home triumph.
The Panthers enter Friday’s contest on the heels of a 41-14 triumph vs. Lima Senior (3-3, 2-2 TRAC).
Whitmer is fueled offensively by QB Kevin Hornbeak, who is fifth in the league in passing yards (985) and TD passes (11), as well as sixth in completions (56). Complimenting Hornbeak in the backfield is the two-headed monster of Taron Crawford and Steven McCoy, who sit fourth (507) and seventh (342) in the TRAC in rushing yards, respectively.
Tickets for Friday’s showdown must be pre-purchased online at CentralCatholic.org/tickets or hometownticketing.com. Reminder, no tickets will be available to purchase at the gate.
For those fans unable to attend the game, 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 pm or streamed online HERE.
Central Catholic will return to the field against Fremont Ross (6-1, 3-1 TRAC) on Friday, Oct. 15. The opening kick vs. the Little Giants is slated for 7 pm in Don Paul Stadium.
