Blue Dons, Crusaders clash
Catholic Central keeping playoffs in mind with Madonna coming to town
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STEUBENVILLE -- Catholic Central and Madonna both will be in a need-to-win mode when they renew their cross-river rivalry Saturday inside Harding Stadium.
Fresh off a victory over Huron Heights from Ontario, the Crusaders stand at 6-2 and are in the mix for a Division VI, Region 21 playoff spot (Steve Daley's club is eighth in this week's standings). The Blue Dons, on the other hand, have dropped three straight (they fell to Van last week), are 3-4 and probably need to win out in order to make the West Virginia Class A postseason.
The kick for Central's annual homecoming game is set for 7 p.m. Saturday's meeting will be the 18th between the schools, with CCHS holding a 10-6-1 series lead. The first game was played in 1964, and the series went on a long hiatus after the 1974 campaign, resuming in 2009.
"Madonna, from what we have seen since the Bridgeport game, has improved a lot," Daley said. "We know this is a big game for them -- it's us and them, and we know they are going to come out and give us their best shot."
"We'll put a good plan out there, and I feel confident our kids will be able to execute it," Madonna coach Darrin Hicks said. "We'll definitely need to put our best foot forward because they are a heck of a good football team.
"Central was a first-round playoff team last year in Ohio. Coach Daley has a very good program. He has some good athletes, and his kids have been in good positions each week. Their scheme is very sound in all three phases of the game. It just is a very good football program,"
Gavin Dietrich did a little bit of everything for Madonna in the loss to Van. The senior ran for 64 yards and a score, passed for 62 yards and caught six passes for 86 yards and a touchdown. For the season, he has 377 rushing yards, 136 passing and 212 receiving.
"Dietrich is their main guy. He definitely makes them go," Daley said. "(Thomas) Sessi runs hard and, when they bring in (Santino) Arlia, you have to worry about where they are lining up Dietrich because they are always looking to get him the football.
"In their last game, we saw some formations we don't normally see. We are working on making adjustments to them. We have to determine where certain guys are going to be, and that poses some problems for us. We have to be quick when it comes to recognizing those things and play our game."
Sessi leads Madonna in rushing with 609 yards and six touchdowns. He also has caught 31 passes for 312 yards and two more scores. Arlia, just a freshman, has thrown for 411 yards and three scores.
The Blue Don offense averages 248 yards and 17 points per game, while the defense surrenders an average of 310 yards and 36 points.
"The most important thing for us if for Madonna to not beat Madonna," Hicks said. "This past week, we had way too many internal things -- the penalties, the misalignments. We have to cut down on those. We have to establish the run and stop the run. Central is very good running the football.
"We need to be a little bit better in the red zone, both offensively and defensively. And, for sure, we have to shore up our kicking game. Some of the special team things that happened to us this past week (Van returned a kickoff for a touchdown), we definitely can't do this week."
Senior quarterback Justin Hartzell leads Central's ground attack (the Crusaders are averaging 263 rushing yards per game). He has compiled 864 yards and run for 13 touchdowns. Jayden Keeder has 475 yards and Jeffrey Dawson 303.
Hartzell has passed for 834 yards and eight more scores. Anthony Fallon has 14 catches, while Matt Bell and Noah Fayak have grabbed nine each. The Central offense averages 30 points per game, while the defense allows 17.
"Hartzell is very talented," Hicks said. "He can beat you on the ground or through the air. Central is a little more of an option team than what we've seen this year. Hartzell is definitely an operator back there. He makes their offense go.
"They have some big kids up front. They've got talented receivers and good running backs. They are as talented an offense as we've seen this year."
Hicks pointed out Central has very good size in the front seven defensively and has athletic ability on the back end.
"They play their scheme extremely well," he said. "What we need to do is put our kids in the most advantageous position we can, regardless of the size of the kids they are going against. Whether it is formation, alignment or whatever, we have to level up the playing field."
Daley said his message to Central's players this week centers on being focused.
"It's homecoming, and it's the Madonna game," he said. "I told the kids there is a lot going on this week, and that's all important. They can't get caught up in those distractions. They have to be focused on doing their jobs Saturday night.
"Sure, we are talking playoffs, and that was a goal of ours coming into the season. We also know that, in order to get there, we need to take care of things. We can't rely on anyone else. We have to focus on taking care of what we can take care of. That's us going out and performing well."
(Correspondent Ralph Cox contributed to this story).