by The St. Edward Eagles rode a dominant defensive performance to take down three-time Indiana State Champions Center Grove 27-10 in the Northeast Ohio vs. America Showcase. The defense gave Trojans QB Tyler Cherry, a Duke commit, no time to set his feet and sacked him seven times on the afternoon.
Eagles Strike Quickly
In a matchup of teams that have combined for five championships in the last three seasons, St. Edward made the most of their opening opportunity and marched right down the field. A 16-yard run from Josh Groudle capped off the nine-play, 80-yard drive to put the Eagles up 7-0.
On the ensuing possession, Cherry would lead the Trojans down to the St. Edward seven-yard line, but the Eagle defense held strong and forced a turnover on downs. St. Edward would strike again just like they did on their first possession.
A big pass from Casey Bullock to Zach Hackleman set the Eagles up deep in Center Grove territory. A few plays later, Jacob Robinson would plow into the endzone from two yards out to extend the lead to 14-0.
It appeared St. Edward would get the ball back after a punt, but the return was muffed, and the Trojans recovered, setting them up on the Eagle 14-yard line. After the defense forced a fourth down, Kade Matthews knocked in a 30-yard field goal to bring the score to 14-3.
The Center Grove defense would pick off Bullock on back-to-back possessions but could not convert. They would get one more shot before the end of the half, but Tayvin Shaw picked off Cherry to make the score 14-3 St. Edward at the break.
Defense Dominates Second Half
After only allowing three points in the first half, the Eagles’ defense came out of the half on fire, forcing back-to-back three-and-outs for the Trojans. On their second possession of the half, Bullock orchestrated a six-play, 35-yard drive that ended when sophomore Brandon White ran in from five yards out to make it 20-7 Eagles.
After that score, the defense ratcheted up the pressure even more, making it difficult for Center Grove to gain positive yardage. In the second half alone, the Eagles sacked Cherry seven times and kept him from getting comfortable in the pocket.
St. Edward had one more scoring drive left in them as they went 67 yards in 11 plays, capped off by another Josh Groudle touchdown run. Center Grove would drive deep into Eagles territory, but the defense held strong and kept them off the board. With time running out, the Trojans would finally find their way into the end zone on a 16-yard run from Rylan Cook, making the final score 27-10 St. Edward.
Keys to the Game
The offensive and defensive lines for St. Edward absolutely dominated the game. Offensively, they created big holes all afternoon for their running backs, Groudle leading the way on the ground with 72 yards and two touchdowns. On defense, the Eagles front lived in the Trojans’ backfield, keeping star QB Tyler Cherry from mounting any comeback.
Next Week
St. Edward starts their three-peat campaign with a big win over an out-of-state school, precisely what they’ll be facing next weekend. On Sunday at 1 pm, the Eagles will host the Our Lady of Good Counsel Falcons (MD), alma mater of Bills’ star receiver Stefon Diggs. The game will be broadcast nationwide live on ESPN.
Top Performers
Center Grove Trojans
Tyler Cherry: 15-21 135 yards 1 INT
Rylan Cook: 9 carries 53 yards 1 TD
St. Edward Eagles
Casey Bullock: 12-18 137 yards 2 INT
Josh Groudle: 14 carries 72 yards 2 TD
Brandon White: 3 carries 16 yards 1 TD
Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
St. Edward 8:13- Josh Groudle, 21-yard run (Kick good)
2nd Quarter
St. Edward 9:14- Jacob Robinson, 2-yard run (Kick good)
Center Grove 5:31- Kade Matthews 29-yard field goal
3rd Quarter
St. Edward 5:17- Brandon White, 5-yard run (Kick no good)
4th Quarter
St. Edward 9:37-Josh Groudle, 5-yard run (Kick good)
Center Grove- Rylan Cook, 16-yard run (Matthews kick good)
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | FINAL | |
| Center Grove | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| St. Edward | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 27 |
