CANTON, Ohio — The Central Catholic football team is bringing hardware back to northwest Ohio after capturing the Division III State Championship.
The Fighting Irish beat Columbus' Bishop Watterson 27-7 under an overcast sky in Canton's Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium to capture their sixth state title and finish the season with a perfect 16-0 record.
It is head coach Greg Dempsey's fifth state championship during his tenure at CCHS and the first time the school has gone back-to-back.
"In a game like this, I've been here enough to know what you're going to get out of your opponent," Dempsey said. "We were very fortunate to overcome some of our own mistakes. And we were very fortunate to take advantage of some of their miscues. That was the difference in the game."
Bishop Watterson put the first points of the game on the board with a first-quarter touchdown and that would be all she wrote for the Eagles as they were kept to seven points for the remainder of the game.
Central Catholic brought it to a tie in the second quarter. Kevin Arnold, a junior defensive back, snagged an interception that led to a touchdown from senior running back Marquan Braswell.
With 18 seconds left in the half, the Fighting Irish took another TD as sophomore wide receiver Sharard Vaughn caught a short pass from senior quarterback Terry Collins. The teams entered halftime with Central Catholic up 14-7.
Braswell put his second touchdown on the scoreboard in the third quarter with a seven-yard rush. Just over eight minutes remained on the clock.
"We had a chip on our shoulder every week, and held each other accountable every week to play the best football that we can and just get better individually," senior lineman Marc Nave said. "Having that mindset every week to dominate up front, and having that physical mentality carry out to the whole (rest of the) team."
Watterson nearly brought the game closer with a touchdown pass that was then ruled incomplete. The Eagles were unable to convert a follow-up attempt.
With 3:12 to go, the Irish further pushed ahead as senior wide receiver Jaylen Watson scored a touchdown from a two-yard rush. Central Catholic failed its first extra point of the game as Austin Hernandez missed a field goal.
Central Catholic held off Watterson for the remainder of the game to take home to the championship.
"I feel like the way the coaches prepare us, I feel like we can go up and play anybody in the state, we just don't worry about what division we're in," Watson said. "All the underclassmen, next year, I just wish they can three-peat, do better than we did. I'm very proud of this team and everything we did this year. And I'm just happy I got me one."