Class 5-A top-ranked Indianapolis Cathedral began play in the 48th Indiana High School Athletic Association football state tournament Friday with a 57-18 sectional semifinal victory at Terre Haute South. The Fighting Irish now advance to face sixth-rated Decatur Central next Friday in a rematch of last year’s Sectional 13 championship game, won by the Irish 42-12.
Following a bye week, Cathedral showed no adverse effects from the layoff, scoring on its first three possessions to take a 22-0 lead just six minutes into the contest. Nathan McCahill completed an 11-yard touchdown pass to Parker Spellacy and a 25-yard scoring pass to David Perry before Michael Page returned a punt 73 yards for a TD.
The Braves responded with a 34-yard field goal and a 75-yard touchdown pass, narrowing the margin to 22-10 early in the second quarter. After Perry returned a South kickoff 49 yards to the Braves 44-yard line, Jake Langdon ran for 35 yards to set up his own 9-yard scoring run on the next play. Cam Jordan then found the end zone on a two-yard McCahill shovel pass in the final minute of the half to put Cathedral ahead 36-10 at the intermission.
Langdon scored on a 29-yard run and Jordan added a second 2-yard touchdown reception to trigger the Mercy Rule, and a running clock, with 7:56 remaining in the third quarter. Seth Mencer concluded the Irish scoring on an 8-yard run later in the third period.
Langdon ran for 165 yards on 14 carries. In doing so, he eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season. McCahill completed 12 of 21 passes for 143 yards. The four touchdown completions increase his total this year to 28, which is tied for the third most thrown by an Irish quarterback in a single season. The Cathedral defense recovered three fumbles in the game, which led to 21 Irish points.
Cathedral has a 4-1 all-time record against Decatur Central in sectional play, defeating the Hawks in 2013, 2014, 2017, and 2019. The lone defeat came in 2018, which is Cathedral’s only sectional loss since 2005. Decatur Central has an 8-2 record this season following tournament victories over Terre Haute North and Plainfield. Kickoff at Arlington Middle School is scheduled for 7:00 pm.