Indianapolis Cathedral scored three touchdowns in less than three-and-a-half minutes in the first quarter Friday night on its way to a 38-14 victory over Terre Haute South in a high school football sectional semi-final game. The Irish will host Decatur Central for the Class 5-A Sectional 13 championship next Friday after the Hawks eliminated Terre Haute North 49-0.
The defenses dominated early on as each team managed to gain just one first down on their first two possessions. However, Shiloh Means blocked a South punt midway through the opening quarter and Danny Brady recovered the ball at the Braves' 4-yard-line. David Perry snared a touch pass from Orin Edwards on the next play and ran it 4 yards around the left end for a touchdown.
On the first play after the Braves’ next punt, Daylen Hall ran 61 yards for a score to put the Irish ahead 14-0. Cathedral started its following possession at South’s 10-yard line after the Braves lost 20 yards on a snap over the punter’s head. Two plays later, Jake Langdon scored on a two-yard run to give Cathedral a 21-0 lead with three minutes to play in the first quarter.
Christian Alerding kicked a 24-yard field goal early in the second quarter. On the first play after a fumble recovery at the Braves 26-yard-line, Edwards threw his second touchdown pass to Perry. Langdon’s 75-yard TD run concluded the first half scoring with the Irish ahead 38-0. The point differential invoked the Mercy Rule, so the teams played the second half with a running clock. South scored a touchdown in each of the final two quarters against the Irish reserve defensive unit.
Cathedral rushed for 267 yards in the game. Langdon led the way with 107 yards for his third game this season of more than 100 yards rushing. The Irish defense held Terre Haute South to just 116 yards total. The two forced turnovers give Cathedral 24 takeaways this season, which is the most for by an Irish defense since forcing 26 turnovers during the 2014 state championship season.
The second-ranked Fighting Irish improve their record to 8-2, while the Braves exit the tournament with a 5-5 mark. Up next is a rematch of last season’s sectional final in which Decatur Central defeated the Irish, 21-14, to end Cathedral’s streak of 12 consecutive sectional titles and 35 straight sectional wins. The Hawks enter the game with a 9-2 record and a nine-game winning streak.