Football Falls Short vs. Detroit Catholic Central in CHSL Opener, 27-14

The Central Catholic football team dropped a 27-14 decision against Detroit Catholic Central on Friday in its Catholic High School League opener in Gallagher Stadium.  With the setback, the Fighting Irish fall to 0-3 on the season, 0-1 in the CHSL.

The Scarlet & Gray was outscored 21-0 vs. the Shamrocks (2-0, 1-0 CHSL) in the 2nd half in a battle of the top 2 teams in the CHSL Preseason Coaches’ Poll.

Central Catholic was picked to finish 2nd in the Central Division in the CHSL in a vote by the conference’s head coaches, trailing only DCC in the 6-team division preseason poll. 

Detroit Catholic Central’s Cameron Swearingen found the end zone on 2 of the 3 scores in the pivotal 2nd half, and 3 times total, to help the visitors leave town with the victory.

After spotting DCC an early 7-0 advantage, CCHS tallied 2 touchdowns in the 2nd quarter to take a 14-7 lead into halftime.

Senior RB Anthony Sylvester was credited with both TDs for the home team, scoring on runs of 9 and 1 yards, respectively.  Sandwiched in between Sylvester’s scores was a key fumble recovery by senior DL Robert Campbell to set up the 2nd rushing tally.

Sylvester finished with a team-high 62 yards on 16 carries and crossed the goal line for the 2nd-straight contest.

Junior QB Ali Beydoun completed 18-of-27 passes for 126 yards.  Beydoun’s favorite target was senior WR Preston Fryzel, who hauled in 5 catches for 54 yards.  

Central Catholic will return to the gridiron against Brother Rice on Friday, September 12 at 7 p.m. at Blue Devils Stadium on the campus of Lawrence Tech University.

A season ago, Central Catholic secured a 37-0 victory against Brother Rice in Gallagher Stadium as part of Homecoming Weekend.  CCHS did most of its damage on the ground against the Warriors, posting 201 rushing yards.  Sylvester led Central Catholic with 81 yards and 2 TDs, while RB Tyler Morgan added 49 yards and 2 TDs, and senior Jerome Davis V had 43 yards and 1 score.  As good as Central Catholic was running the ball, its defense was even better.  CCHS held Brother Rice to 64 yards of total offense.