Football Suffers Heartbreaking Loss vs. Nationally Ranked Cass Tech, 28-27
The Central Catholic football team suffered a heartbreaking 28-27 setback against nationally ranked Detroit Cass Tech on Friday in the Amazon Prep Kickoff Classic at Tom Adams Field. With the neutral-site loss on the campus of Wayne State University, the Fighting Irish fall to 0-2 on the season.
The Technicians (1-0) came into tonight’s matchup ranked No. 22 in the most recent MaxPreps Poll.
Central Catholic had a chance to win the game in the waning seconds of regulation, but senior Preston Fryzel’s 45-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right.
DCT outscored CCHS 14-0 in the 2nd half to secure the hard-fought victory.
The Fighting Irish opening the scoring on a 1-yard plunge by junior RB Jeremiah Fuller on their initial possession.
CCHS quickly added to its lead on the strength of a 32-yard TD pass from junior QB Ali Beydoun to junior WR Amari Eliano. The PAT was wide left to set the score at 13-0 after the opening stanza.
Central Catholic’s offense continued to run at a high level in the 2nd quarter, utilizing a 70-yard scoring burst from senior RB Anthony Sylvester and a 6-yard TD run by Beydoun on 4th down.
Sandwiched in between Central Catholic’s scores were a pair of TDs from Corey Sadler, Jr., making the difference 27-14 at the break.
Cass Tech had a couple opportunities to cut into the lead in the 3rd quarter, but the Fighting Irish stood their ground and responded with an interception from senior DB Sharard Vaughn III and a QB sack by junior LB Antonio Elizondo to keep it a 2-possession game.
The Technicians continued to fight back in the final stanza, benefitting from a 35-yard TD catch from Williams Sykes, Jr. to trim Central Catholic’s lead to 27-21 at the 9:57 mark.
CCHS punted on its ensuing possession to give the ball back to DCT, setting the stage for a nail-biting finish. The 2024 Michigan D1 state champions marched the length of the field, taking advantage of a 46-yard TD catch from Sykes and a successful PAT by PK Fabian Garza to give them their 1st lead of the contest with 6:37 left on the clock.
After turning the ball over on downs on its next possession, Central Catholic had one final chance to win the game and nearly pulled it off. They pushed the ball inside the DCT 30-yard line before settling for a field-goal attempt by Fryzel that just missed splitting the uprights.
The Fighting Irish will return to the field against Detroit Catholic Central on Friday, Sept. 5 in their CHSL opener. The opening kick against the Shamrocks is slated for 7 p.m. in Gallagher Stadium.
Last fall, CCHS suffered a 21-7 setback vs. DCC in its CHSL opener at Fr. Richard Elmer Stadium, stopping its school-record 33-game winning streak.
The Fighting Irish’s lone score came on a 70-yard TD pass from Beydoun to Vaughn to open the 3rd quarter. Unfortunately for Central Catholic, the Shamrocks immediately answered with their own scoring drive to make it a 2-score difference and halt any momentum CCHS had established.
