This was one to remember.
It also was one for history – and that’s impressive considering the program’s rich tradition.
Cathedral High School football in 2020 won its 13th Indiana High School Athletic Association state title – its first since 2015. The Irish beat Zionsville, 46-28 in the Class 5A State Championship Game at Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis – an impressive victory capping an equally impressive season.
“It will go down in history,” Irish football coach Bill Peebles said. “These kids were unbelievable this year for a lot of different reasons.”
The Irish finished 13-1 in 2020, losing only to Indiana Class 6A state champion Center Grove, 17-13. They swept three traditional powers from Cincinnati, Ohio – St. Xavier, LaSalle and Elder – and beat Indiana 2020 Class 4A state champion and rival Bishop Chatard, 39-20, in the regular season.
The Irish also beat 2020 6A runner-up Westfield in the regular-season opener and were dominant in the postseason, winning five games by an average of 30 points.
“I’m not even sure I’ve really come to grips with what this team accomplished with the teams we played against,” Peebles said.
Senior quarterback Nathan McCahill completed 27 of 35 passes in the title game for 322 yards and a 5A-title-game-record-tying five touchdown passes. Senior receiver Cam Jordan caught 12 passes in the title game for 91 yards and tied a title-game record with three touchdown receptions.
The Irish took a 22-0 second-quarter lead and held off multiple second-half Zionsville rallies.
McCahill, who waited three years to be the starting quarterback at Cathedral, finished the season completing 227 of 333 passes for 3,125 yards and 41 touchdowns. Jordan caught 72 passes for 903 yards and 10 touchdowns. Senior running back Langdon rushed for 1,482 yards for the season and 12 touchdowns.
“We were successful this season because of how mature and resilient they were,” said Peebles, who won his first state title in his third season as the program’s coach. “We talked about it all year: ‘Don’t let the Irish beat the Irish.’ We have a board of opponents and every ‘opponent’ said, ‘Irish’ and the opponent got written in with a dry-erase marker.
“By the end of the year, our kids understood where we were at with that. They knew if we were going to get beat in the playoffs we were probably going to get beat because we didn’t do something right. We wanted to make sure we played simple and fast and didn’t make mistakes.”
This wasn’t an easy year – or an easy title. The Irish won in a year in which COVID-19 was a constant presence. They also won it in a year in which Cathedral constantly remembered senior Mario McCullough, who died in a shooting in March.
“Unfortunately, I’ve been around some teams that have lost players – and in most situations, it’s not a good motivating piece,” Peebles said. “This team had uncommon maturity, because they were able to channel that in a positive way. That’s not common. That’s why this is an uncommon group.
“It’s going to be a group of kids who stand out for a long time. They’ll have lifelong friendships because of the way they handled everything.”
Peebles thought before the season the Irish would be one of the favorites in Class 5A. He said he didn’t expect the program to navigate one of the state’s toughest schedules so capably.
“To sweep the Cincinnati schools, to beat multiple state champions, to play eight teams were state champions and runners-up in the last two years … to do what we did and have a chance to beat Center Grove was not expected,” Peebles said.
Peebles said the Irish’s success season was about bonding as a team as much as talent. While there is young talent on the roster, Jordan is the program’s lone senior with a Division I scholarship offer.
“There’s a lot of talent here, but it’s not like we have kids going to Alabama and Southern California like we did a few years ago,” he said. “These kids pulled together. They played for each other. The expectations were high, but they even exceeded the expectations.”
The Irish in 2020 were led by a core of four senior captains – McCahill, defensive end Jayden Scruggs, defensive lineman David Guhl and Langdon – who provided leadership throughout a season.
“Jayden Scruggs was Mario’s best friend,” Peebles said. “He could have given up and crawled into a ball when his best friend passed away. Instead, he stepped up and did what he needed to do and lead this team and speak reason at times when things were rough.”
Peebles said the teamwork and leadership extended beyond the field in a season in which COVID-19 provided weekly challenges. Athletics Director Rick Streiff, Team Physician Rodney Benner, Athletic Trainer Mike Hunker, school nurse Marianne Vogt were all key navigating an unprecedented situation.
“They kept their heads and were smart,” Peebles said. “They followed doctor’s orders and used data. They did what was right and not what was expedient. They never overreacted. A lot of places did and a lot of them cost them their season.
“Then you go to our kids who did an amazing job of just being smart about how they lived their lives for four months … it was a total team effort to make this work. It has been a special group. The leadership they’ve shown, everything they’ve done … they’re pretty remarkable.
“Hopefully, we win another state or two, but I don’t think I’ll ever be a part of anything like this.”