Coming into this game, the 7-1 Trojans and 6-2 Irish were each riding the wave of big win streaks. With both teams being led by future high major quarterbacks with Center Grove having Duke commit Tyler Cherry under center and Cathedral having Colorado commit Danny O’Neil, it was clear that this game would have a lot of scoring. 

Despite the downpour throughout the game, each quarterback managed to throw four touchdown passes and did not disappoint the crowd at Butler University’s Sellick Bowl. 

To start the game, Center Grove got the ball and went right to work with a Matthew Yoder first down up the middle. The Trojans would drive down to the 26 before turning it over on downs. Cathedral would be affected by the rain early, seeing O’Neil miss on some passes and eventually a high snap over the punter’s head would put the Trojans on the board, 2-0. 

Not long after, Cherry would complete his first touchdown pass of the night finding Brevin Holubar to go up 9-0. 

Cathedral would put together a nice drive, but would come up short after turning it over on downs following a costly drop due to the rain. 


Right after getting the ball back, as the first quarter came to an end, Cherry would connect with Noah Coy for the first time of the night on a deep shot to Noah Coy. Center Grove would go into the second quarter with all the momentum in the world, up 16-0. 

Danny O’Neil would not let Cherry outshine him for long, though. With 9:23 left in the first half, O’Neil found Keith Long for the long touchdown up the sideline. Cutting the deficit down to 9, and giving the Irish some life. 

The teams would exchange some punts before Cherry would kneel out the half with his Trojans up 16-7. 

On the opening second half kickoff, the Irish would force a fumble, giving the ball to their offense at the 19 yard line. Despite this, the Center Grove defense would stay strong holding the Irish to just a field goal. Making it 16-10 with 10:43 to go in the third. 

Cherry would connect with Coy for a big third down conversion before he found him again in the endzone with 6:57 left in the third. This would be Cherry’s third touchdown of the night and Coy’s second, as it put the Trojans up 23-10. 

DeVaughn Slaughter would have a huge kick off return that would be put to waste after another failed Irish drive and a O’Neil pooch punt. Backed up on their own goal line, Cherry would find Brevin Holubar once again, this time on a 49-yard crossing route to get them to mid field. Just a couple plays later, Cherry would sneak it in for his fourth score of the game and would find Matthew Yoder on the swing pass for the ensuing two-point conversion. Giving the Trojans a secure 31-10 lead with 4:09 left in the third. 

However, the Irish did not see this as a secure lead. O’Neil would launch a beautiful pass to his receiver for a long 60-yard touchdown pass. Right afterwards, the Irish would get the ball back on a surprise onside kick attempt with three minutes left in the third. O’Neil would show off his mobility with a 12-yard scramble, then a crucial 4th down scramble to keep the drive alive. Jalen Bonds would find the endzone to finish the drive, cutting the Trojan lead to just seven points entering the fourth quarter. 

Cherry continued to impress in the rain, finding Noah Coy for the third time of the night, and his fifth total touchdown. Putting the Trojans up 38-24 as the rain started to come down heavy again. 

The Irish would fumble on the ensuing possession, force a punt, then turn it over on downs with four minutes to play. 

Austin Hennessy would find the endzone with 1:52 to play, giving Center Grove a 45-24 lead, but the Irish would not be going down without a fight. 

O’Neil would first find Zach Meeks on a long touchdown to make it 45-31 with 52 seconds left. The Irish would then convert their second onside kick of the night, giving the ball back to O’Neil and the offense with 42 seconds left. O’Neil would then find Meeks again on a long ball, that would set up another Irish touchdown. Making it 45-38 with 30 seconds left, and all three timeouts for the Irish. 

With Center Grove playing all their men up, Cathedral went for the pooch kick and made it a race to the ball. Center Grove would wisely bat the ball out of bounds, right before the Irish could get the chance to recover it. However, this would still pin the Trojans at the four yard line while the Irish had all three timeouts remaining. 

On first down, Center Grove would get five yards. Timeout Cathedral. Second down, run stuffed by Cathedral. Third and five, 15 seconds left, one final play to either put the game away for the Trojans or give Cathedral their ninth live. The Trojans would elect to pass, where Tyler Cherry would deliver a dot across the middle, getting just enough for the first down. Giving the Trojans the 45-38 win. 

This game was something I have never seen before. This Cathedral team just did not quit, and that will help them come tournament time. Not many teams will be down 16-0, come back 16-10, go down 31-10, come back 31-24, go down 45-24, then come back once more 45-38. I mean in retrospect, if they do not settle for a field goal to start the second half, or their defense gets one stop, they very well may win this game. The Irish take on a winless North Central in sectional six and would play either Lawrence North or Lawrence Central for the sectional championship if they take care of business like they should against North Central. 

For Center Grove, they prove to be resilient and find a way to win. The offense looked great and the defense made stops when they needed to most. I am sure Coach Moore will make sure the secondary and hands team do not fall asleep when they are up 21 anymore. However, there is not a team I could see taking down Center Grove until a potential Semi-State showdown between them and either Ben Davis, Brownsburg or even Cathedral. They do take on a tough Franklin Central team, but Center Grove will just overpower them at nearly every position.  Ben Davis and Center Grove remain the two best teams in the state by far in my eyes and it is a shame that they are on the same side of the bracket. 

Game Awards 

Impact Play of The Game: Tyler Cherry to TJ Williams- Third and Five, fifteen seconds left needing a first down to seal a win you thought was sealed five minutes ago. Does not get much more impactful than a game winner. However, if the game had ended like I thought it would have while watching it, I would give it to Cherry finding Coy at the end of the first quarter for their first touchdown connection of the night. 

Unit of The Game: Cathedral Kick Off- A forced fumble to start the second half, and two onside kick recoveries. Hard to beat that output when you realize it resulted in 17 points for the Irish. 

Player of The Game: Tyler Cherry- Five total touchdowns, four passing touchdowns in the rain. Playing in a rivalry game at a neutral location you have never played at before, that is pretty legit. Duke is getting a good one.

“We did not worry about the rain much,” Cherry said. “Coming into this week we had a great gameplan, I was really confident this whole week without school on fall break. Growing up together, [Noah Coy and I] have a great connection, just knowing where each other are going to be. We know when we are going to play these guys, that they will always keep it close somehow. Going into the state tournament, we are feeling great, could not be happier winning eight straight. Franklin Central is a really good team, and we will have to prepare hard and not take anyone lightly, the drive for five begins now.”