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STEUBENVILLE -- A special night and a win streak that keeps going has Catholic Central on the verge of a return to the playoffs. They have one more piece of business to handle to make that a reality, though.
That piece of business is the regular season finale on Saturday night when the Crusaders welcome a Wellsville team that's hungry for a win and looking to play spoiler to Harding Stadium.
"I told the kids that all that momentum we have and all the big wins we've had won't mean anything if we come out flat and lay an egg against Wellsville," Central head coach Greg Bahen said. "We have to stay focused and finish the job. We can't start looking ahead and thinking about who we might play in the playoffs, we have to get their first and we have to come out focused on the task at hand and take care of our business against Wellsville.
"We have been preaching to stay locked in and stay focused. There are still areas we can improve and we have to keep working."
Central has won its last five-straight games to surge into the playoff picture after a 1-3 start. The winning streak has seen them climb all the way to No. 8 in the Division VII, Region 27 rankings this week, giving them not just a shot to make the playoffs but potentially play at home in the first round, too.
Nothing is a guarantee, however, as Central is listed as not in control of its own destiny and not having clinched a playoff spot yet, according to Joe Eitel's rankings and projections. Eitel has Central able to finish as high as sixth and still able to fall out, meaning a lot will be riding on not only them winning on Saturday, but what happens in games on Friday night to determine their positioning.
Wellsville, meanwhile, is 1-8 and mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, which Bahen sees as potentially making them even more dangerous of an opponent.
"In a lot of ways, it is dangerous to play a team that has nothing to lose," Bahen said. "It's kind of cliche and coach speak, but they really don't have anything to lose. They know they are not going to the playoffs, they know this is it and they're going to be giving it their best shot to get one more win for their seniors. I know if it were me in their scenario, I would be emptying the playbook out and going for it, so we have to be ready for that."
With a lot on the line last week, Central got a record-setting performance from junior Rahim Mitchell, who accounted for 499 yards of offense and eight total touchdowns, as well as creating three turnovers on defense. He earned recognition as one of the top performers of the week in the whole state by the Ohio Prep Sports Media Association in its weekly notebook.
The Tigers and Crusaders have a couple of common opponents this season in Louisville Aquinas and Southern Local. Central has wins over both, while Wellsville dropped contests with both. Wellsville's lone win came over Leetonia back in Week 3.
Wellsville is a team that likes to run the football as 1,114 of their 1,384 yards and 10 of their 14 touchdowns this year have come on the ground.
That effort is led by junior Jeron Jackson with 365 yards and five scores, averaging 73 yards per game and 6.9 yards per carry in five games. Sophomore Zaiven Williams has 339 yards, averaging 5.6 per carry, and two scores.
"They have a couple of good athletes that can make plays, so we can't take them lightly and we have to be ready," Bahen said.
The opening kick on Saturday night, Central's senior night, is set for 7 p.m.