Football Game Preview: Central Catholic Raiders vs. Natick Redhawks + How To Watch

The Central Catholic Raiders will square off against the Natick Redhawks at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Central Catholic is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They breezed past St. John's to the tune of 39-7. The win continues a trend for the Raiders in their matchups with the Pioneers: they've now won five in a row.

Central Catholic can attribute much of their success to Caden Smith, who rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns on only seven carries.

Central Catholic didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Caden Chase and Seven Gibson.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Natick, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Friday. Everything went their way against Weymouth on Friday as they made off with a 38-13 victory. The score at the end of the third wound up being the final score as the Redhawks just coasted through the last quarter.

Natick's win came from a few key players Central Catholic will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was James Mortarelli, who rushed for 116 yards and a pair of scores on only nine carries. The bulk of those rushing yards came from one huge play: a run that gained an incredible 65 yards. Matt Caissie was another key passer, throwing for 160 yards and one TD while completing 90% of his passes.

They were just one part of a punishing run game: Natick was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 217 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 210 rushing yards in four consecutive contests.

Central Catholic's record now sits at 6-3. As for Natick, their record is now 7-2.