Football Hosts Arch-Rival St. Francis de Sales on Friday in Regular-Season Finale
The Central Catholic football team will host arch-rival St. Francis de Sales on Friday, Oct. 22 in its regular-season finale. The opening kick against the Knights (4-5, 2-4 TRAC) is slated for 7 pm in Gallagher Stadium.
Prior to tomorrow’s kickoff, CCHS will honor 42 seniors from the fall sports of football, marching band, cheerleading, boys’ cross country, girls’ cross country, boys’ golf, boys’ soccer, girls’ soccer and girls’ tennis.
The Scarlet & Gray will look to secure its 20th-consecutive win in the series and hold onto the Irish-Knight Trophy. Central Catholic has not lost to its rival since 2003.
The Fighting Irish are coming off an impressive 34-15 road victory at Fremont Ross (7-2, 4-2 TRAC) on Friday at Don Paul Stadium. CCHS broke open a slim 13-8 edge at halftime with three second-half scores, giving them a share of its fourth-straight Three Rivers Athletic Conference championship and 8th overall in the last 11 seasons.
Central Catholic, which is ranked No. 7 in the Associated Press Division II State Poll for a second-straight week, finished with a 395-306 advantage in total offense against the Little Giants.
Junior QB Ty'Waun Clark completed 11 of 18 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns, and he also ran 18 yards for a score. Clark was credited with a 55-yard TD strike to senior WR Khaleb Carter and a 21-yard TD throw to senior WR Sam Lee.
Junior RB Chris Edmonds added a career-high 129 yards on the ground on 23 carries, including scoring runs of 2 and 4 yards to help Central Catholic extend its winning streak to seven-straight games.
Clark is currently third in the TRAC in passing yards (1,732), fourth in TD passes (16) and completions (112), Edmonds fifth in yards per carry (5.9) and sixth in rushing yards (455), Carter is fourth in receptions (34) and eighth in receiving yards (326) and Lee is third in receiving yards (672) and yards per catch (22.4), tied for fifth in receptions (30) and tied for seventh in TDs scored (8).
During its win streak, CCHS has defeated Olentangy Orange, Findlay, St. John’s Jesuit, Lima Senior, Oregon Clay, Whitmer & the Little Giants by a combined score of 272-40.
The Fighting Irish, who have won 24th-consecutive game against TRAC opponents, are a perfect 10-0 vs. St. Francis de Sales since the conference began in 2011. A season ago, CCHS secured a 49-20 road triumph during the regular season. The two teams also battled it out in the second round of the OHSAA Division II State Playoffs, with the Fighting Irish claiming a 50-6 home win.
The Knights enter Friday’s regular-season finale on the heels of a 20-19 road triumph vs. Lima Senior (3-5, 2-4 TRAC).
St. Francis de Sales is fueled offensively by QB Denim Truss, who is pacing the conference in completions (161) and passing yards (2,176), as well as ranking tied for second in TD passes (20). Truss’ favorite target is WR Trey Talboo, who is first in the league in receptions (88), receiving yards (1,295) and TDs scored (15). Another key component in the high-powered Knights’ offense is RB Traven Horton, who leading the TRAC in rushing yards (971) and yards per carry (7.6).
Tickets for Friday’s matchup 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.
