Football Tussles with Columbus Bishop Watterson on Friday in OHSAA Division III State Championship Game

The Central Catholic football team will conclude its quest to secure a 3rd-straight state championship when the Fighting Irish face Columbus Bishop Watterson on Friday, December 6 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium (1835 Harrison Ave. NW, Canton, 44708).  Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. and Friday’s postseason matchup will be televised LIVE on BCSN TV on Buckeye Broadband cable channel 608 and Stream TV channel 25.  The telecast is also available on Spectrum News 1, as well as SpectrumNews1.com, SpectrumNewsApp.com, and OHSAA.tv.  In addition, the game can be heard on The Ticket l 100.7 FM with the “Voice of the Irish” Bill Clark & Jim Oswald, starting at 2 p.m.

Tickets for Friday’s 53rd-annual postseason contest MUST be pre-purchased online at OHSAA.org/tickets (Division III).  Tickets are General Admission and will cost $15 for adults and $10 for students.

CCHS (14-1) and Bishop Watterson (15-0) will square off in the state finals for the 2nd-straight fall.  The Scarlet & Gray secured a 27-7 victory against the Eagles in last year's D-III title game in Canton.

The Fighting Irish are looking to become only the 13th school in Ohio history to win 3-straight state championships on 14 total occasions.  Overall, CCHS is seeking its 6th state title (2005, ’12, ’14, ’22, ‘23) under Head Coach Greg Dempsey and 7th (1962) in program history.  According to the OHSAA, only championships won since 1972 are recognized in their record books and Central Catholic’s 5 titles are currently tied for 14th most in Ohio history.

CCHS reached the state finals on the heels of postseason victories against Lutheran West, 49-14, Revere, 48-0, Lexington, 35-7, Padua Franciscan, 45-7, and most recently Youngstown Ursuline, 7-6.

Sophomore QB Ali Beydoun threw a 14-yard TD pass to junior WR Preston Fryzel with 33.7 seconds remaining in regulation to knot the score at 6-6 vs. Ursuline.  Junior PK Blake Moody then successfully converted the extra point to give CCHS its 1st lead of the contest.

Youngstown Ursuline (13-2) had 1 final opportunity to win the neutral-site matchup in the waning moments, advancing the ball to the 28-yard line with 2.7 seconds left.  Fortunately for Central Catholic, Ursuline’s 45-yard field goal attempt was off the mark, extending CCHS's postseason winning streak to 17 games.  The Fighting Irish have now played 4 games decided by a single point this fall and won each contest.

As a team, Central Catholic posted a 272-183 edge in total offense.  They tallied 83 yards rushing and 183 yards passing.

Individually, senior RB Tyler Morgan had 92 yards on 21 carries (4.4 ypc), while Beydoun completed 13-of-23 passes for 83 yards.

Overall this fall, Morgan has registered 1,403 yards on the ground and 15 TDs.  His 1,403 yards is 12th most in school history in a single season.  For his CCHS career, Morgan has scored 44 TDs rushing, the 5th-highest mark in program annals.

In addition, Beydoun has completed 52-of-98 passes (53.1 percent) for 804 yards and 10 TDs in 2024.  His favorite targets have been the 4-headed monster of Fryzel (39 catches, 740 yards, 10 TDs), junior WR Sharard Vaughn III (38 catches, 543 yards, 7 TDs), junior WR Jerome Davis V (30 receptions, 398 yards, 3 TDs), and senior Levelle Stokes III (29 receptions, 504 yards, 3 TDs).  Fryzel’s 726 yards receiving is the 7th most in program history, while his 10 TDs is tied for 5th most.

The No. 1 seed in Region 11 and a member of the Central Catholic Conference, unbeaten Bishop Watterson enters Friday’s matinee with postseason wins vs. Vincent Warren, 44-7, Jackson, 34-0, Newark Licking Valley, 30-0, Steubenville, 37-7, and most recently London, 56-21.

Under the leadership of Head Coach Brian Kennedy, the Eagles are making their 7th appearance in the state championship game (1972, ‘99, 2001, ‘02, ’10, ’23, ‘24) and are looking to tally their 4th state title.  They won state crowns in 1966, 2002, and ‘10.

Friday’s game will mark the final contest for CCHS’s 20-member senior class – Kevin Arnold III, Brandon Awls II, Michael Besteda, Dantoni Calloway, D’haron Flowers, Desmond Flowers, Isaiah Fox, Derrion Johnson, Anthony Lawrence, Jr., D’Angelo Lyons, Jermarihane Morgan, Tyler Morgan, Jamarion Rushing, Isaiah Seiler, Jacob Spears, Dominic Spinazze II, Levelle Stokes III, Curtis Strode, Jr., Joe Sylvester III, and Ke’mar Walker.

Overall State Championships
Maria Stein Marion Local - 14
Saint Ignatius - 11
Cincinnati Moeller – 9
Newark Catholic – 8
Cardinal Mooney - 8
Cleveland Benedictine – 7
Coldwater – 7
Kirtland – 7
Lakewood St. Edward – 7
Versailles – 7
St. Vincent-St. Mary – 6
Delphos St. John’s – 6
St. Henry – 6
CENTRAL CATHOLIC – 5
Akron Archbishop Hoban – 5

Schools That Have Won at Least 3 Consecutive State Titles
Akron Archbishop Hoban – 2015, ‘16, ‘17, ‘18
Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller – 1975, ‘76, ‘77
Cincinnati LaSalle – 2014, ‘15, ’16
Saint Ignatius – 1991, ‘92, ‘93 ‘94, ‘95
Coldwater – 2012, ‘13, ‘14, ‘15
Delphos St. John’s – 1997, ‘98, ‘99
Kirtland – 2018, ‘19, ‘20
Lakewood St. Edward – 2021, ‘22, ‘23
Maria Stein Marion Local – 2021, ‘22, ‘23
Maria Stein Marion Local – 2011, ‘12, ‘13, ‘14
Newark Catholic – 1984, ‘85, ‘86
Versailles – 1993, ‘94, ‘95
Youngstown Ursuline – 2008, ‘09, ‘10