Catholic Central has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will venture away from home to square off against the Wheeling Central Catholic Maroon Knights at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Last Saturday, Catholic Central humbled Oak Glen with a 35-7 victory. With the Crusaders ahead 28-0 at the half, the game was all but over already.
Catholic Central's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Tommy Pergi, who rushed for 64 yards and a touchdown on only six carries, and also picked up 58 receiving yards and a touchdown. Another player making a difference was Matthew Sprochi, who rushed for 30 yards and a touchdown.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Catholic Central was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 211 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 161 rushing yards in four consecutive contests.
Catholic Central didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Noah Hough and Timmy Mihaylo.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Wheeling Central Catholic). They claimed a resounding 55-20 win over Ron Brown at home. Considering the Maroon Knights have won four matches by more than 21 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Wheeling Central Catholic's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Nico Kusic, who threw for 232 yards and three touchdowns while completing 92.3% of his passes, and also rushed for 41 yards and a touchdown. Kusic also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, defending a pass and snagged an interception. Kade Koroneos also helped out as he racked up 121 rushing yards.
Catholic Central pushed their record up to 6-1 with the win, which was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season. As for Wheeling Central Catholic, the victory was the third in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 4-2.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. Catholic Central has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 221.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Wheeling Central Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging 235.7. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Catholic Central was taken down by Wheeling Central Catholic 39-12 in their previous matchup back in September of 2019. Can Catholic Central avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
