Football Battles Rocky River in Region 10 Final of Division III State Playoffs
The Central Catholic football team will take on Rocky River on Friday, November 21 in the regional final of the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) Division III State Playoffs. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at Robert J. Bishop, Jr. Stadium on the campus of Clyde High School (1015 Race St, Clyde, 43410), and Friday’s neutral-site matchup will be live streamed on BCSN+.
Tickets for Friday’s game MUST be pre-purchased online at OHSAA.org/tickets (Division III, Select Game). All playoff tickets are General Admission. Tickets will cost $12 for adults and $5 for students.
For those fans unable to attend Friday’s contest, it can be heard live on The Ticket l 100.7 FM with the “Voice of the Irish” Bill Clark & Jim Oswald, starting at 6 p.m. or streamed online HERE.
The Fighting Irish (9-4) are the No. 6 seed in Region 10, while Rocky River (11-2) is the No. 5 seed.
CCHS advanced to the regional finals for a 5th-consecutive year following a 41-7 victory against No. 2 seed Wapakoneta (11-1) at Mercy Health/Wapak Ford Field at Harmon Stadium.
The Scarlet & Gray posted a decisive 334-105 advantage in total yards vs. the Redskins on the road. The Fighting Irish tallied 176 yards through the air and 158 yards on the ground to hand Wapakoneta its first loss of the season.
CCHS wasted no time in setting the tone vs. the Redskins, posting 5 touchdowns before intermission. Senior RB Jeremiah Fuller registered 3 of the 5 TDs to silence the home crowd, tallying scoring runs of 13, 10, and 3 yards, respectively. A 2025 CHSL All-Catholic selection, Fuller finished with a game-high 89 yards on 11 attempts, averaging a staggering 8.1 yards per carry.
Junior QB Ali Beydoun also connected on scoring passes to junior WR Amari Eliano and senior RB Anthony Sylvester prior to halftime, forcing a running clock for a 3rd-straight contest. Beydoun hit Eliano with a 23-yard TD pass and Sylvester with a 16-yard scoring strike to put the postseason game out of reach.
For the contest, Beydoun completed an efficient 10-of-12 passes for 176 yards and 2 TDs. He completed passes to 6 different teammates, led by senior WR Preston Fryzel and senior WR Jerome Davis V with 3 catches each.
In the 2nd half, Sylvester finished off the scoring with a 14-yard TD burst to make the final tally 41-7.
As effective as Central Catholic was offensively, its defensive effort was equally outstanding. They limited Wapakoneta to only 16 yards rushing. The Redskins had scored at least 40 points in 7 of their last 8 games.
Overall this fall, Beydoun has connected on 115-of-192 passes (59.9 percent) for 1,741 yards and 16 TDs, Fuller has carried the ball 178 times for 1,304 yards with 20 scores, and Fryzel has 28 receptions for 781 yards and 7 TDs.
Central Catholic — ranked No. 3 in the final MaxPreps Division III State Poll — will meet No. 16 Rocky River on the gridiron for the third time. The Fighting Irish topped the Pirates 70–48 in the 2014 D-III first round at home, then followed with a 37–23 win in the 2015 D-III opening round at Gallagher Stadium.
Rocky River enter Friday’s action on the heels of postseason victories against No. 12 seed Grafton Midview, 20-15, No. 4 seed Revere, 23-14, and most recently No. 1 seed Medina Buckeye, 48-41. A member of the Cleveland West Conference, the Pirates are led by Head Coach Josh Wells.
With a victory against Rocky River, the Fighting Irish would advance to the ‘Final 4’ for the 11th time under Head Coach Greg Dempsey and 12th occasion overall. With a victory against the Pirates, the Fighting Irish would advance to the ‘Final 4’ for the 11th time under Head Coach Greg Dempsey and 12th occasion overall. They will face Region 9 winner, No. 2 seed Cuyahoga Falls CVCA (11-0) or No. 4 seed Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph (10-1), on Friday, November 28 at 7 p.m. at a neutral site.
