Dons remain undefeated
Cathedral Catholic High School’s varsity football team defeated Centennial High School, its third opponent of the season who previously ranked sixth in the nation. Friday night’s game was not decided until CCHS quarterback DJ Ralph ‘20 scored a one-yard touchdown with less than a minute left in the fourth quarter. A crowd of more than 1000 people supported the team until the last second of the game when CCHS took the clutch victory with a final score of 44-41. The Dons rankings advanced to third in the state and ninth in the nation.
The Dons huddle up in prayer as CCHS head coach Sean Doyle’s speaks words of encouragement before the game.
Running Back Colman Smith ‘21 (left) and Ralph (right) head back to the sideline after scoring the first two-point conversion of the game.
Middle linebacker Michael Nadell ‘20 lines up to stop the CHS defense in the third quarter. Both defenses worked intensively during the game to stop the opposing team’s offense, whose combined score totaled 85 points by the end of the game.
Kicker Ian Hawkins ‘21 scored only CCHS 3-point field goal of the game in the fourth quarter, which helped the tons secure victory. Even though the game remained close and the clock was running out of time, Hawkins did not feel pressured during the kick.
I knew that I could [make the field goal] because kicks like these are what I practice for. Having a situation like that is always something I’ve dreamed of and visualize all the time. So to me, it was like I have already done that kick 1000 times, and I was not nervous at all.
— Ian Hawkins '21
Holden Brosnan ‘20 (middle) celebrates after Ralph ran the winning touchdown for CCHS.
During the last drive, I was just focused on getting us in a good position to score. Harry Balke made a great play on a deep ball which ultimately allowed us to drive the ball in for the win.
— DJ Ralph '20
Zavien Watson ‘20 (left) and Harry Balke ‘21 (right) commend each other’s efforts on the field after running in a touchdown in the third quarter. The Dons ran the ball frequently during the game, and successfully run the ball nine times in a row during the first quarter.
We had a lot of trust in our offensive line to hold off the defense and allow us to get a good three to four running yards each play.
— DJ Ralph '20
Watson waves to the crowd after scoring a touchdown near the end of the game. Watson was leading the Don’s running game, with a total of 148 yards and 28 carries.
CCHS nose guard Logan Berzins ‘20 briefly collapses on the ground after the time expires in celebration for beating CHS by three points in a closely-contested match.
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