Congratulations to the Fighting Irish football team on receiving the NFF Academic Excellence Award for Class 6A! On top of the national recognition, the team had 34 student athletes named IFCA Academic All-State!

NFF Release

This was a successful season by any measure. Cathedral High School football throughout the 2022 season competed with the biggest schools and the best teams – and the Irish often beat the biggest schools and the best teams. They also made a run deep into the postseason. “We just got consistently better as the season went on,” Irish Head Coach Bill Peebles said. The young Irish, playing in Class 6A after winning back-to-back Class 5A state titles in 2021 and 2022, improved steadily throughout the 2022 season and finished 10-2 wit...

The Indiana Football Coaches Association has selected its 2022 all-state teams and six Cathedral players were chosen. Seniors Jaron Tibbs, Brennan Wooten and Kendrick Gilbert and junior Danny O’Neil were named to the IFCA Top 50 All-State Team. The IFCA also selected Sterling Smith for the Class 6A Senior All-State Team and Zach Meeks for the 6A Junior All-State Team. Tibbs, a Purdue recruit, caught 59 passes this season for 885 yards and 13 touchdowns. The wide receiver holds the Cathedral career records for most receptions ...

Second-ranked Cathedral jumped out to a 10-0 lead Friday night in the Class 6A football semi-state, but failed to score in the final three quarters, falling to third-rated and two-time defending champion Center Grove 33-10 at Arsenal Tech’s Howard Longshore Stadium.  The loss ended the Irish bid for their first-ever 6A finals appearance and a 14-game postseason winning streak. Cathedral drove 79 yards on its first possession to set up a 26-yard Van Krisiloff field goal.  Carson Johnson began the next Irish possession with a 43-yar...

Second-ranked Cathedral advanced to the semi-state round of the Indiana high school football state tournament Friday night with a 14-7 regional victory at fourth-rated Brownsburg.  The Fighting Irish improved their record to 10-1, while avenging a week two, 42-35, loss to the Bulldogs who exit the tourney with a 10-2 record.  Brownsburg and Cathedral entered the game ranked second and third respectively for most points scored per game in Class 6A this season.  However, it was the defenses that dominated the first quarter allowing just 7...

Cathedral defeated Lawrence Central on the road Friday night, 33-13, to win the school’s 26th sectional football championship and advance in the 50th annual IHSAA State Tournament.  The Class 6A second-ranked Irish will travel to Brownsburg for a regional rematch of a week two meeting between the two schools, which the fourth-ranked Bulldogs won 42-35.     On the first possession of the game, Cathedral’s Kyuss Gargett intercepted a Lawrence Central pass and returned it to the Bears’ 11-yard line.  Three plays...

Cathedral earned a hard-fought sectional semifinal victory, 44-35, against Lawrence North at Arlington Friday night to advance in the 50th annual IHSAA Football State Tournament.  The Class 6A second-ranked Irish travel to Lawrence Central Friday for the sectional championship round.    Cathedral marched 77 yards in 15 plays on its opening drive, scoring on a 4-yard pass completion from Danny O’Neil to Brennan Wooten.  Lawrence North tied the score four plays later when LN quarterback Montez Jones scored on a 27-yard run. ...

Class 6A third-ranked Cathedral scored 27 unanswered points in the final quarter Friday night to overcome a 16-point deficit and stun second-rated Center Grove with a 40-29 victory.  The Trojans had won 35 consecutive games against Indiana teams and had not lost at home since the second week of the 2019 season.    Center Grove received the opening kickoff and was forced to punt after three plays failed to gain a first down.  Three plays later, Danny O’Neil completed a 12-yard scoring pass to Jaron Tibbs.  The Trojans ans...

Class 6A third-ranked Cathedral defeated Class 4A tenth-rated Brebeuf Jesuit, 42-21, for a high school football homecoming victory Friday at Arlington.  It’s the fifth straight win for the Irish (6-1) and the fourth consecutive game in which at least a portion of the second half was played with a running clock.    Cathedral safety Stu Smith recovered a fumble at the Irish 48-yard line on the third play of the game.  Five plays later, Carson Johnson ran 10 yards for a score to give the Irish a 7-0 lead two minutes into the con...

The Indiana High School Athletic Association has drawn the pairings for its 50th Annual Football State Tournament.  Indianapolis Cathedral will compete in Class 6A for at least the 2022 and 2023 seasons under the IHSAA’s Success Factor, which moved the Fighting Irish up a class after winning the Class 5A state championship in 2020 and 2021. Cathedral previously played in Class 6-A in the 2015 and 2016 postseasons, winning sectional titles both years before being eliminated in the regional round of the tourney.   Cathe...

Class 6A third-ranked Cathedral rolled to a high school football victory over Cincinnati La Salle Friday, 37-6, on senior night at Arlington.  Senior receiver Jaron Tibbs caught four passes for 70 yards to become the first player in Cathedral history to catch passes for more than 2,000 career receiving yards (2,014). Quarterback Danny O’Neil connected with Tibbs on the opening Irish drive for a 41-yard scoring pass, which moved him ahead of previous record holder Luke Sanders who finished his career with 1,963 receiving yards...

Class 6A third-ranked Cathedral scored eight first-half touchdowns in a 56-0 high school football victory at Hammond Morton Friday night.  The Fighting Irish defense kept the Governors from gaining a first down until the third quarter in a contest that was played with a running clock in the second half. On their first possession, the Irish drove 73 yards in just four plays, finishing on Danny O’Neil’s 3-yard touchdown pass to Zach Meeks.  O’Neil and Carson Johnson both scored on 1-yard runs to give Cathedral a 21-...

Class 6A third-ranked Cathedral shut out Class 3A top-rated Bishop Chatard, 38-0, in high school football Friday night in a game that was played with a running clock in the second half.  Irish quarterback Danny O’Neil threw three touchdown passes in the victory to claim the school record for most career TD passes with 49.  He also became just the third player in Cathedral history to pass for more than 4,000 career yards. The Fighting Irish received the opening kickoff and drove 60 yards in six plays, ending with O’Neil throw...

Class 6A third-ranked Indianapolis Cathedral fell behind by two touchdowns in high school football Friday night, but stormed back, scoring 35 unanswered points to defeat seventh-rated Penn 35-21 in Mishawaka.  Irish quarterback Danny O’Neil threw four touchdown passes and ran for a fifth score, while receiver Jaron Tibbs caught a career-high three TD passes. After a scoreless first quarter, the Kingsmen took a 6-0 lead early in the second period on Nolan McCullough’s 12-yard touchdown pass to DJ White.  Midway through the qu...

Class 6A second-ranked Indianapolis Cathedral lost at third-rated Brownsburg, 42-35, in high school football Friday night.  The Bulldogs jumped out to a 21-0 first half lead and were able to hold on for the win despite 28 points from the Fighting Irish in the second half. Brownsburg moved the ball 80 yards in nine plays on its first possession, concluding the drive on Garrett Sherrell’s 11-yard rushing touchdown.  Later in the opening quarter, the Bulldogs blocked a Cathedral punt, which led to Jayden Whitaker’s 1-yard quarterbac...