As it embarks on the 2024 high school football season in 18 days, Central Catholic does so on an unprecedented roll for any program from the northwest corner of Ohio.
The Fighting Irish are coming off back-to-back state championship seasons and will take a 31-game winning streak into their Aug. 23 opener at home against Findlay.
Those two state titles — Division II in 2022 and Division III last year — were crowns No. 4 and 5 for Central, all under Greg Dempsey, who begins his 25th season guiding his alma mater (252-53 overall record).
“These last two years have obviously been ridiculous,” Dempsey said. “The success we had was unparalleled. But, this year is the one that we care about. You don't live in the past, you live in the present. That's how we're going to be judged.
“It depends on what happens this year. These kids have the expectations of the past. They've been working real hard, and we're going to be trying to go 1-0 every week. That's what we do.”
The Irish took a big hit to graduation, including the loss of four seniors who all earned first-team Division III All-Ohio honors in 2023, plus seven classmates who received honorable-mention All-Ohio recognition.
The biggest void will be on the offensive line, where all five starters graduated, four of whom were in place for both state title runs. The marquee O-lineman was 6-4, 315-pound All-Ohioan Marc Nave, a tackle who has moved on to the University of Kentucky.
Nave was joined on the D-III All-Ohio first team by running back Marquan Braswell (1,923 rushing yards, 31 TDs), receiver Jaylen Watson (62 catches, 1,101 yards, 14 total TDs), and defensive lineman Mike Cannings.
In some past years, such a significant graduation hit might have spelled trouble for Central. But in recent years, the Irish have been able to reload with a new wave of starters instead of requiring a rebuild.
“Everybody says we reload, but we're building a new team every year,” Dempsey said. “That's how I look at it. When you're replacing so much up front, you don't know what's going to happen. I don't know if it's a rebuild or a reload. It's a quest to find your identity and see where you are truly good.
“Every year is different. The uniforms may be the same, but the people inside of them change. You have to see what they're able to do, get them in the right spots, and try to help them maximize their potential.”
Dempsey, 52, will soon find out whether his 2024 squad is one of those reloading teams.
“Finding our team identity is going to be the biggest thing, especially when you lose your entire starting [offensive] line,” he said. “That's a big challenge for anybody to deal with, regardless of what's happened the last two years.”
Helping ease the burden from the loss of the 11 seniors who garnered state honors is the next wave of talent at the Cherry Street school, including two juniors who have already received heavy college recruiting interest.
Victor Singleton, a superb 6-foot, 165-pound cornerback, had 16 Division I college offers as of last Thursday.
“We've just got to go 1-0 every week,” Singleton said. “Work hard, and go from there.”
The other prime recruit is 6-4, 210-pound receiver Preston Fryzel, a wideout who may likely turn into a tight end at the next level. He holds 12 D-I college offers.
“Obviously we've got the 31-game win streak, but nothing changes around here,” Fryzel said. “We're coming to win, and we're not taking anybody lightly. Last season we were 16-0, and we expect the same this coming year. Everybody's hungry.”
Seven of Singleton's offers are from Big Ten programs, including Ohio State, Penn State, and Wisconsin, and he and Fryzel have both been offered by the University of Toledo. Fryzel's most high-profile offers have come from Minnesota and Kentucky.
The top offensive returnee, production-wise, is senior running back Tyler Morgan, a combination of speed, elusiveness, and power in a sturdy 5-8, 168-pound package. In 2023, he rushed 156 times for 1,052 yards and 25 touchdowns.
“No matter what, we have to compete,” Morgan said. “There might be a little adversity losing our line. But we still have to play football, and people are going to have to fill in their positions.
“As a senior on this team, I feel we can can do the three-peat. We have a team that's not even all the way developed yet and have some potentially great players. We just have to work hard and keep working throughout the season.”
How fast Central's vaunted run game develops will depend largely on the progress of the new guys up front.
“Trying to replace all five offensive linemen, really you can't do that,” said Irish offensive line coach Chad Huntebrinker, who enters his 17th year as an assistant under Dempsey. “It's tough. But we are spoiled. We have some really good talent here that is eager to play, and we have some good young linemen.
“They're really making my job hard, in a good way. There's seven or eight guys who are really pressing hard for playing time. They had learned a lot from those guys from last year. Those guys were awesome leaders in the offensive line room and within the team as well.”
On the defensive side, Central returns Singleton plus four senior starters — defensive lineman Curtis Strode, linebacker Michael Besteda, and safeties Kevin Arnold and Dharon Flowers.
The top candidate to replace graduated quarterback Terry Collins is 6-0, 200-pound senior Isaiah Fox, while 5-9, 150-pound sophomore Ali Beydoun will also get a look at the position.
“The biggest thing right now is that we've got a lot of young guys who are getting reps,” said defensive coordinator Ryan Brown, “a lot of guys who have played or started in some games. We've got to get them as many reps as we can during practice to get them ready for their first game.”
Brown has had the unique experience of having played linebacker on Central's first state playoff championship team in 2005 and then serving as an assistant coach for the other four titles (2012, 2014, 2022, 2023) during his 15 years in that capacity.
If the Irish are to have a shot at repeating their Catholic High School League Central Division title and/or make a run at state championship No. 6, many things will have to fall into place.
“We have to stay injury-free and grow up fast on both sides of the ball,” Dempsey said. “We have to get our play-makers the ball. The offensive line is where the most question marks are. That's a huge deal for us.
“We'll need consistent quarterback play. That's especially a key when you have the receivers that we have. We'll have to be able to get them the ball on a consistent basis.”
Central's last defeat came in Week 1 of the 2022 season, a narrow 23-20 loss at Division I state power Lakewood St. Edward, which has won Ohio's past three big-school state titles.
During their 31-game winning streak, the Irish have outscored their opposition 1,260 to 333, an average of 40.7 to 10.7 per game. They are the only northwest Ohio team in The Blade's current coverage area to win consecutive state playoff titles.
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