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-yard run to the Trojans’ 15-yard line. Two plays later, Collin Ayers scored on a 4-yard plunge to give Cathedral a 10-0 lead. Johnson finished the first quarter with 110 rushing yards on just 7 attempts.
Center Grove answered with a 23-point second quarter. Following Nolan Foley’s 26-yard field goal, Micah Coyle scored touchdowns on runs of 4, 38, and 2 yards. On the way to a 23-10 halftime lead, Coyle ran 18 times for 157 yards.
Coyle scored his fourth touchdown in the third quarter on a 16-yard run. Cathedral had two scoring chances in the third period, but turned the ball over on an interception inside the Trojans’ 5-yard line and on downs at the Center Grove 17-yard line. Foley added a 39-yard fourth-quarter field goal to conclude the scoring.
Johnson rushed for 218 yards on 23 carries. He finishes the season with 1,203 yards and his career with 1,818 yards. Coyle ran for 216 yards on 32 attempts, giving him 787 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns in four tournament games.
Cathedral ends the year with a 10-2 record. The Fighting Irish senior class won 37 of 41 games in the last three years with all but one of those losses coming against the Trojans.
Center Grove (11-2) advances to its fourth consecutive state championship game. The Trojans will face the fifth-rated Carroll Chargers (13-0), which are appearing in their first-ever football state finals.