The Central Catholic football program has reached a point in its existence that losing is almost not an option for the Fighting Irish.
In 2023, Central Catholic finished unbeaten at 16-0 while capturing its second straight state playoff title and fifth overall Ohio championship since 2005.
The Irish will take a 31-game winning streak into the 2024 football season, that after going 15-1 en route to a Division II Ohio championship in 2022, then winning all 16 contests on the way to a Division III crown last year.
It didn’t take long for Central to make a mark in the highly competitive Catholic High School League Central Division football alignment last season.
The Irish went 6-0 in division play, including a 28-23 win over then two-time defending Michigan Division 2 state champion Warren De La Salle in Week 5. That win ultimately secured the Central Division title. De La Salle’s Pilots finished as Michigan’s D-2 state runners-up last November.
Central Catholic’s reward for placing first was a Week-10 matchup at Detroit’s Ford Field in the CHSL’s Prep Bowl, where the Irish beat Detroit public-school power Cass Tech 48-23 to cement a 10-0 regular-season run.
“That was definitely a new challenge facing new schools from a big metropolitan area,” head coach Greg Dempsey said of facing the CHSL competition in 2023. “There’s a lot of good football players in Detroit because there’s a lot of population and a lot to go around.
“Every week was definitely a challenge. We obviously navigated it well. But, just like in Ohio, there’s a lot of people who want to knock us off. In the Detroit league, there’s a lot of people who have us circled on their calendar. It’s going to be a bigger challenge this year than it was last year.”
Meanwhile, Central’s fellow Toledo Catholic-school allies – St. John’s and St. Francis — did not fare so well against their new league foes, finishing in fifth and sixth place, respectively, in the division.
In the wake of Central’s back-to-back state titles, the CHSL Central Division preseason coaches poll had the Irish favored to repeat its division crown, followed in order by Novi Detroit Catholic Central (8-3, 4-2), Warren De La Salle (11-3, 5-1), Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (3-6, 3-3), St. John’s, and Birmingham Brother Rice (0-9, 0-6).
“That’s the way it always works,” Dempsey said of the Irish being picked to finish first. “You win it last year, and you’re going to be picked to win it this year. We’re used to it, but it will definitely be a different type of challenge this year.”
Because of its 2023 finish, St. Francis was placed in the CHSL’s four-team AA Division, where the Knights were voted to finish last behind defending champion and preseason favorite Jackson Lumen Christi (13-1, 3-0 AA), Dearborn Divine Child (6-5, 1-2), and University of Detroit Jesuit (7-3, 2-1). Lumen Christi was Michigan’s Division 7 state champion last year.
Here is a look at the CHSL’s three Toledo teams.
CENTRAL CATHOLIC
■ Coach: Greg Dempsey, 25th season
■ Last season: 16-0 overall, 6-0 CHSL Central
■ Top players: Seniors Tyler Morgan, 5-8, 180, RB; Curtis Strode, 5-7, 215, DL; Kevin Arnold, 5-9, 165, S; Michael Besteda, 6-0, 225, LB; Dharon Flowers, 6-0, 190, S; Dom Spinazze, 6-3, 235, TE; Lavell Stokes, 5-11, 180, WR; Isaiah Fox, 6-2, 195, QB; Kemar Walker, 6-4, 300, OL-DL. Juniors Victor Singleton, 6-0, 165, CB; Preston Fryzel, 6-4, 210, WR-PU; Sharard Vaughn, 6-1, 200, WR; Gavin Eckhart, 6-1, 210, LB; Anthony Sylvester, 5-11, 200, RB; Jerome Davis, 5-7, 155, RB-SB; Zenaje Liggons, 6-3, 270, OL-DL.
■ Outlook: The Irish look to reload after losing 11 senior starters who received All-Ohio recognition (4 first team, 7 honorable mention), including their entire offensive line, the best up-front group in program history. Lost to graduation were first team All-Ohioans Marquan Braswell (RB), Jaylen Watson (WR), Marc Nave (OL), and Mike Cannings (DL). But, having played an extra 12 games the past two years with state-championship playoff runs, many backups saw valuable bonus practice time and significant game action because of one-sided Irish wins. Thus, this team is not as inexperienced as it might appear. Major keys will be finding a new offensive line group and seeing how well the players jell, as well as settling on new starting quarterback and getting him reps early on against a tough schedule that opens with Findlay at home and at Michigan Division 1 state power Detroit Catholic Central in Week 3. Morgan rushed 156 times for 1,055 yards (6.8-yard average) and scored 25 touchdowns as Central’s No. 2 ground option in 2023.
“All four of the Michigan schools in the Central Division have won multiple state championships and have some of the strongest traditions in the Midwest,” said Dempsey (252-53 record). “This is a great challenge for us. It is the type of conference where anyone can win in any given week. We need to build depth and have inexperienced players grow up fast to give us a chance to represent the Central Division in the Prep Bowl at Ford Field in Week 10.”
ST. JOHN'S
■ Coach: Larry McDaniel, eighth season
■ Last season: 4-7, 2-4 CHSL Central
■ Top players: Seniors Caleb Brown, 6-4, 265, OL-DL; Kayden Grzymkowski, 6-1, 285, OL-DL; Aaron Lovette, 6-1, 265, RB-DE; T’Mon Hall, 6-1, 260, OL-DL; Logan Morehouse, 5-11, 200, LB-FB. Juniors Coy Hamic, 6-5, 195, QB; Carson Pawlowicz, 6-4, 215, QB.
■ Outlook: The Titans look to climb into contention in the Central Division with a roster that includes 20 returning letterwinners and 19 seniors. Seven starters are back on offense, but just one on defense. The strongest area is the offensive line, which returns four starters. St. John’s also has two solid junior quarterbacks who shared time in 2023.
“We are a young team, and we do not have a lot of defensive experience,” said McDaniel, who is 39-34 at St. John’s. “We have a few young men who have returned to football this year that could have an immediate impact. If we keep the right attitude and concentrate on having a great high school football experience, we believe we can have a successful season.”
ST. FRANCIS
■ Coach: Josh Lindke, first season
■ Last season: 1-9, 1-5 CHSL Central
■ Top players: Seniors Corey Swartz, 6-3, 185, QB; Raheem Brown, 5-10, 160, WR-DB; Drew Tucker, 5-8, 170, WR-DB; Ben Kahle, 6-3, 235, DE-TE; Martin Garcia, 6-1, 260, OL; Dylan Galloway, 5-10, 265, OL. Juniors Jermaine Polk, 6-4, 270, OL-DE; Deon Banks, 5-11, 250, OL-DL; Jayden Houston, 6-1, 180, WR-DB.
■ Outlook: The Knights look to stop a revolving door of head coaches and build some long-term stability with Lindke, who will be the program’s sixth head coach in five seasons, with none going more than a year since Dan Chipka, who left for a college assistant position after the 2020 season. Lindke’s first task will be to re-establish some positive energy in the once dominant St. Francis program. The Knights will run a multiple spread offense with seven returning starters and a 3-4 base defense with six starters back. The roster has 55 players in grades 10 to 12, plus 33 freshmen. This year’s team includes 14 seniors and 25 returning letterwinners. Swartz was 83 of 192 passing for 1,118 yards and nine touchdowns in 2023, with Brown (38 catches, 324 yards, 8 TDs) as his top target.
“We are excited about the progress thus far since January,” Lindke said. “We have along way to go, but our kids, especially our seniors, have done a great job buying in. We believe that we have a bunch of hungry and eager players that are excited to showcase their talents. We just need to continue to develop and grow as a program, and focus on being 1-0 every day. The biggest thing is just consistently trying to take care of the little things, and letting the rest take care of itself. We are constantly preaching to our kids: ‘Consistently good, not occasionally great.’”
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