by The Toledo Central Catholic Fighting Irish knocked off the Chardon Hilltoppers to advance to the State Finals in Canton. The Irish were led by Marvon Greenlee who had 2 catches for 89 yards and a touchdown. He also added a touchdown on special teams.
The Fighting Irish got the game rolling right away when Marvon Greenlee returned the opening kick 88 yards to the house for a touchdown. Chardon came ready to play though. On the Hilltopper’s opening drive, they went 48 yards in 10 plays. Caleb Hewitt capped off the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run. Central Catholic was not messing around on the offensive end. On the seventh play of their opening drive, Terry Collins Jr. found Jaylen Watson for an 18-yard touchdown.
On their next offensive drive, the Fighting Irish marched right down the field. Tyler Morgan punched it into the end zone from a yard out to cap off the drive. After the extra point, Central Catholic held a 21-7 lead.
After their opening scoring drive, Chardon could not get much going on the offensive end. The Central Catholic defense held them to just 9 total offensive yards in the 2nd quarter throughout 3 drives. However, Central Catholic was not holding back. On their first drive of the 2nd, they marched 56 yards in 7 plays to extend their lead. Jaylen Watson found the end zone for his second touchdown of the night on a 12-yard touchdown run on 4th and 10. Heading into the break, the Fighting Irish were up 28-7.
Early in the 3rd quarter, the Fighting Irish were at it again. Terry Collins Jr. hit Marvon Greenlee on a 45-yard touchdown. After the extra point, the game was all but over with Central Catholic leading 35-7. On Chardon’s ensuing drive, the Fighting Irish defense came through. They forced a fumble by Hilltopper quarterback Will Francis and recovered. The Central Catholic offense drove down the field but could not capitalize on the turnover after a missed field goal attempt.
On Chardon’s first drive of the 4th, the Central Catholic defense came up big once again. Kevin Arnold picked off a pass attempt on a trick play by the Hilltopper offense. For the remainder of the game, it was a defensive battle. In the end, the Central Catholic Fighting Irish came out on top 35-7.
After winning the D2 State Championship last year, the Fighting Irish were moved down to D3. They will look to defend a state title of their own, but in a different division. They move on to Canton to take on the Bishop Watterson Eagles from Columbus.
Players of the Game
Central Catholic WR Marvon Greenlee: 2 catches, 89 yards, 1 touchdown; 88-yard kickoff return TD
Chardon RB Andrew Bruce: 8 carries for 32 yards; 1 catch for 3 yards
Amazing piece as always
Thank you!