Football Entertains Avon Lake in 2nd Round of OHSAA D-II State Playoffs

TOLEDO, OH — The Central Catholic football team begins its pursuit of a seventh state championship on Friday, November 6, when the Fighting Irish host Avon Lake in the second round of the OHSAA Division II State Playoffs.  Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Gallagher Stadium. The game will also be streamed live on the BCSN+ app.

The Fighting Irish (8-2 overall, 5-1 CHSL) earned the No. 1 seed in Region 6, while the Shoremen (6-5) enter as the No. 8 seed.

Coming off a first-round bye, Central Catholic enters the postseason ranked No. 5 in the final Associated Press Division II state poll.

All tickets for Friday's postseason matchup MUST be purchased online in advance at OHSAA.org/tickets.  Fans should select Football, Division II, locate the Central Catholic vs. Avon Lake matchup, and click "Get Tickets."

General admission tickets are $12 for adults and $5 for students.  All students must purchase a ticket to attend Friday's game, and there will be NO RESERVED SEATING.  All seats will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

For complete Game Day information, including directions and parking, please click HERE.

Fans unable to attend can listen LIVE on 100.7 FM The Ticket, with the "Voice of the Irish" Bill Clark, Bill Boyle, and Jackson Stricker providing coverage beginning at 6 p.m.  The broadcast will also be available online at 1007theticket.com.

Central Catholic is making its 23rd consecutive OHSAA playoff appearance under Head Coach Greg Dempsey ’90 and 28th overall in program history.

Under Dempsey, the Fighting Irish have compiled an impressive 62-19 postseason record, capturing five state championships (2005, 2012, 2014, 2022, 2023) and finishing as state runner-up twice (2015, 2024).

Central Catholic concluded the regular season with a convincing 34-7 victory over De La Salle Collegiate on October 23 at Blue Devils Stadium on the campus of Lawrence Technological University.

With the victory, the Fighting Irish secured a share of the Catholic High School League Central Division championship alongside Detroit Catholic Central (8-1 overall, 5-1 CHSL).

Senior running back Jeremiah Fuller powered Central Catholic's offense against De La Salle, rushing for 173 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries.

The two-time All-Catholic honoree scored on runs of 38, five, and 52 yards, marking the eighth time this season he has scored at least three touchdowns.

Junior wide receiver David Yharbrough added two receptions for a season-high 150 yards, tying for the fourth-highest single-game receiving total in program history.  Both receptions went for touchdowns, covering 80 and 70 yards, from sophomore quarterback Lincoln Sellers.

Sellers completed 8-of-20 passes for 204 yards, surpassing the 200-yard mark for the fourth time in his last six games.

Defensively, senior defensive back Jason Lawson Jr. recorded his team-leading third interception of the season in the first half.

Through 10 games, Sellers has completed 77-of-132 passes (58.3 percent) for 1,535 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Fuller has rushed for 1,359 yards and 29 touchdowns on 183 carries, ranking fifth in program history for single-season rushing touchdowns and 14th for rushing yards.

Sellers' leading receiving targets this season include Yharbrough (26 receptions, 609 yards, 4 TDs), sophomore Robert Douglas III (26 receptions, 470 yards, 4 TDs), and senior Amari Eliano (23 receptions, 451 yards, 2 TDs).  Yharbrough's 609 receiving yards are tied for the 12th-highest single-season total in Central Catholic history.

Avon Lake, under Head Coach Matt Kostelnik, competes in the Southwestern Conference and enters Friday's matchup following a dominant 44-0 shutout victory over No. 9 seed Toledo Waite (6-5) in the opening round of the Division II playoffs.

Friday will mark the fifth postseason meeting between Central Catholic and Avon Lake, with the Fighting Irish holding a 3-1 advantage in the series.

Central Catholic earned playoff victories over the Shoremen in 2005 (35-14), 2018 (56-16), and 2022 (21-0).  The 2005 and 2022 victories were part of the Fighting Irish's state championship runs.

Avon Lake's lone postseason victory over Central Catholic came in 2020, when the Shoremen edged the Fighting Irish, 16-14, at Gallagher Stadium.

With a victory Friday, Central Catholic would advance to the OHSAA Division II Region 6 Semifinals on Friday, November 13, at 7 p.m., against the winner of No. 4 seed Clay (8-2) and No. 5 seed Fremont Ross (8-3).