Crusaders carrying momentum to Warren JFK
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WARREN -- Steve Daley has a warning for Catholic Central football fans -- don't be fooled by Warren JFK's 1-3 record.
The Eagles opened the season with a win against Champion. Since then, they have fallen to unbeaten LaBrae, 3-1 Girard and 2-2 Crestview. In those games, JFK has been out scored 165-35.
"LaBrae, Girard and Crestview -- those are no slouches," Daley said earlier this week. "We know that record is very, very deceiving.
"JFK has good size and a bunch of athletes. They are going to be physical and talented every season, and this team is no exception."
The 12th meeting between the schools (JFK holds a commanding 9-3 series lead) is set for 7 p.m. Saturday inside Mollenkopf Stadium.
"Offensively, they can balance it up pretty good, but I think JFK would rather run the football," Daley said. "Their quarterback is not a bad passer and they have a nice receiver. They throw it well when they want to throw it.
"However, JFK really wants to line it up and run it at you. They have a big line (two Eagles top the 300-pound mark) and a very physical fullback. They would rather run it but we obviously can't allow them to do that."
The quarterback Daley mentioned is junior Christian Marantis. He connected with sophomore wide receiver Cameron Hollobaugh for a touchdown in last week's game against Crestview. The other receiving threat for the Eagles is Savone Williamson.
Senior Isaac Hadley returns at fullback. He ran for 133 yards against Crestview and had a touchdown sprint covering 90 yards.
Daley pointed out the keys for a successful trip up state Route 11 will be the same ones he always stresses.
"We have to be more physical than they are," he said. "We need to block well, tackle well and take care of the football. We also have to take advantage of every opportunity we have."
The Ohio High School Athletic Association released its first computer ratings this week. Central, which improved to 3-1 with last week's 33-14 victory over Edison, stands eighth in Division VI, Region 21. Mogadore is No. 1 followed, by Kirtland and Southern Local.
Offensively, the Crusaders are averaging 353 yards (246 on the ground and 107 through the air) and 31 points.
Senior quarterback Justin Hartzell has run for a team-leading 439 yards and five touchdowns. In the passing department, Hartzell has 32 completions for 429 yards and six more scores.
Junior Jayden Keeder has contributed 219 rushing yards to Central's ground game, and senior Noah Fayak has 150. Fayak has nine receptions, while fellow senior Anthony Fallon has hauled in seven Hartzell passes.
The Crusader defense, which forced five turnovers in the Edison game, is allowing 266 yards per game and 15 points.
As the 2018 season hits the halfway mark, Daley admitted he was somewhat happy with his team's performance to date, but he also sees plenty of room for improvement.
"I'd like to see us gain a little more consistency," he said. "During the first two weeks out of the gate, we weren't bad offensively. Southern Local did a real good job against our offense, and Edison took some things away from us, also.
"We have to get better at playing our game. We have to take what is there and not push the issue. That leads to consistency. When you try to do too much sometimes, it just doesn't work out for you. We need our guys to do what we are asking them to do. Take what is there and move forward. If we can learn to do those things, we'll get back on track offensively."
Following the trip to Warren, Central will visit Barnesville in Week 6 before finishing with four straight home games. Wheeling Central is set to invade Harding Stadium on Oct. 5, followed by Newmarket Huron Heights from Ontario, Madonna and Fort Frye.