The Central Catholic Crusaders hosted the Strongsville Mustangs in this week's High School Game of the Week. The excitement was in the air for both teams as the Mustangs looked to continue their winning streak while the Crusaders looked to bounce back after their one point loss to the Perry Panthers last week.
The first quarter was a defensive battle between both teams. Both teams traded punts all through the first quarter, as the first quarter would end in a 0-0 game. Strongsville's defense never let up throughout the game. They were able to record seven sacks and force a turnover late in the third quarter.
The Crusaders would break the tie in the 2nd quarter with a 4th & 1 goal line TD. Strongsville would score on its' next two possessions on a 25 yd run #5 Taylor Griffin and a 46 yd TD reception by #33 Joe Gillette (Week 3 MVP). The score at halftime Strongsville 14, Central Catholic 7.
Strongsville's Joe Gillete would kick off the 2nd half with an 84 yard TD run in the 3rd quarter to provide a 20-7 lead and what would ultimately be the game-winning score. Following a TD to cut it to 20-14 and a Strongsville punt, momentum had shifted toward the Crusaders late in the 3rd quarter when Strongsville's Taylor Griffin recovered a Dylan Johnson fumble at the Mustang 29 yard line.
Central Catholic DB Austin Beck was a ball hawk and a problem for the Strongsville passing game all night. Beck intercepted 3 passes throughout the contest.
Central Catholic will host archrival St. Thomas Aquinas (1-2) next Thursday night in the annual "Stark County Holy War," while Strongsville will enter Greater Cleveland Conference play against perennial Division I power Mentor (3-0) next Friday.
Strongsville offensive leaders:
Rushing: Taylor Griffin, 11 carries for 138 yards and 2 TDs. Joe Gillette, 3 carries for 88 yards and 1 TD. Colin Crotty 12 carries for 74 yards. Jony Major 8 carries for 62 yards.
Receiving: Joe Gillette, 4 catches for 61 yards and 1 TD
Passing: Jony Major, 5 of 12 for 71 yards 1 TD, 3 INTs
Central Catholic offensive leaders:
Rushing: Chase Miller, 16 carries for 89 yards and 1 TD
Passing: Dylan Johnson, 12 of 18 for 76 yards
Receiving: Bradley Kling, 2 catches for 24 yards. Joe Roth, 3 catches for 24 yards.
We would also like to recognize an outstanding volunteer for Canton Central Catholic, Frank Minnocchi. Frank has been volunteering for 30+ years now by managing concessions for all outdoor sports at Central Catholic. His favorite part about volunteering is being around the kids, parents and administrators. Over the years, he has been able to build relationships with the people in the community who treat him well, and that is what he enjoys most. He started volunteering because his son went to Central Catholic, so he felt the best way to give back would be to volunteer. Frank ended with a quote by saying, "If you want to feel good, volunteer!" #give10
