TOLEDO, Ohio — December football is not a goal at Central Catholic High School, but a standard. 17 straight wins in the playoffs have positioned the Fighting Irish to hoist yet another gold trophy.
"We win this one, best class ever," said senior linebacker Dominic Spinazze.
The class of 2025 has posted an impressive record of 56-5 over the past four seasons, success that carries over into another trip to Canton.
"Our older brothers accomplished it last year and the year before that," said senior running back Tyler Morgan. "So we knew we had to be the team that either 'Put up or shut up' and we didn't want to shut up so we put up."
The Irish's mentality has put the team on the doorstep of history. In 2023, Central Catholic won back-to-back OHSAA state championships for the first time as a program and will look to add to that on Friday night with a three-peat should the Irish prevail.
"That's a big thing to go out with, three straight championships," Spinazze said. "We were one of the first teams to get a Thanksgiving meal with each other for three years. We get steaks this Thursday for 'steaks for states.' Stuff like that really keeps us going."
Although the weight of expectations can be tough, this group has found a way to embrace those challenges. The journey throughout the 2024 campaign has proven different than years past.
Central Catholic has won four games by a single point, including last week's dramatic 7-6 finish over Youngstown Ursuline in the state semifinal when sophomore quarterback Ali Beydoun connected with junior Preston Fryzel to help the Irish advance.
"It takes a lot of mental toughness," said head coach Greg Dempsey. "It's a gauntlet, there's questions about us winning by one point and yeah we're playing state champions in Michigan."
The lone loss of the season came at the hands of Catholic Central on Sept. 6, which ended up winning the Catholic High School League's Prep Bowl in Detroit. A 12-game winning streak for CCHS followed that defeat as the team continued to grow as one.
"It definitely helped us because we probably weren't the best team in the beginning," Morgan said. "Put in the work and the ringer with all these better teams, it made us come together more and fight and be more physical."
Culture and motivation have now put the program in a position to secure a third consecutive gold trophy.
"It's surreal, but I didn't expect anything else knowing Coach Dempsey's coaching style, knowing the work ethic all our coaches put us through," Morgan said.
With early signing day set to take place across the country on Wednesday, Central Catholic doesn't have one senior on the roster expected to play Division I college football as of right now.
"These are just some good high school football players that are playing their hearts out to keep this going for Central Catholic," Dempsey said. "Live up to the standards and expectations."
On Friday night, that grit will be put on display when he leads his team into a rematch with No. 1-ranked Bishop Watterson. The Eagles are averaging more than 40 points per game this year which means the Irish know it'll be important to slow down their prolific offense.
"I think it'll be a lot like last year's game, very physical and two very well-coached and athletic teams," Spinazze said. "It's going to be about winning up front and making plays on the perimeter."
In 2023, Central Catholic defeated Bishop Watterson 27-7 for the Division III state title. Last year's result carries little weight when it comes to deciding the championship this week, but Dempsey reiterates how impressive his team's fortitude has been this fall.
"There's not anything easy about this. Playing 16 weeks, having what it takes in an area where it's everybody's Super Bowl when we play them each week," Dempsey said. "It's not like these kids only have to play one game a year, they have to play all of them because everybody is coming at us with their best. I'm just real proud how they handled it and proud how they've done it in these playoffs to get us to this point. It is exciting."
The Irish will kick off at 3 p.m. inside the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton. Central Catholic High School has canceled classes on Friday to allow fans, students and staff to show support for the football team.