Catholic Central had already proven themselves in the regular season and they didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They managed a 28-22 victory over the River Pilots on Saturday. For the Crusaders, this counts as revenge for the 42-14 win the Pilots walked away with the last time they faced one another back in September of 2020.
Catholic Central's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Matthew Sprochi, who rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown on only six carries. Those 123 rushing yards gave Sprochi a new career-high. Jimmy Hernon was in the mix too, providing Catholic Central with two touchdowns.
Catholic Central was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 272 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 227 rushing yards in three consecutive matchups.
Catholic Central's defense made their presence known, laying out the QB four times. Peyton Rauch was especially locked on to River's QB and sacked him three times. Rauch is also on a roll when it comes to sacks, as he's now sacked two or more in the last four games he's played.
Catholic Central's record is now 8-3. As for River, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 4-7.
Catholic Central will play host again on Saturday to welcome Miller, where kickoff is scheduled at 7:00 p.m. Miller will roll in looking for their sixth straight win, something Catholic Central surely won't give up without a fight. River does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
