CCHS heads to Rosecrans seeking win No. 1
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STEUBENVILLE -- Catholic Central launches a two-game road swing Friday when it travels to Zanesville for a date with Bishop Rosecrans.
The Crusaders, who will visit Edison on Sept. 15, still are searching for their first victory of the 2022 season. They have fallen to Mathews, Caldwell and Wellsville. Both Mathews and
Caldwell are unbeaten through three weeks. The Bishops are 1-2. They opened with a 52-20 loss to Sciotoville East, clobbered Millersport in Week 2 then fell to perennial power Berne Union 40-15 in their Mid-State League Cardinal Division lid lifter.
Friday's kick is set for 7 p.m. and the Rosecrans stadium is located behind the school, 1040 E. Main St. in Zanesville. This will be the third meeting between the programs, Central winning 35-19 in 2020 and 24-13 a season ago.
"We saw them Friday night and were very impressed with the quickness they have at their skilled positions," Central coach Eric Meek said of the Bishops. They will spread you out, running a trips open formation out of the gun. They are big upfront and like to do some finesse things.
"Defensively, they run a three-man front. They went up against a good team in Berne Union and played hard. Their special teams are strong. They are 1-2 but they have lost to a couple of really good teams. They have a roster of 29 kids. We need to treat this as a business trip. Our guys will need to be locked in and focused."
Rosecrans actually held a 15-14 lead early in the third quarter against Berne Union. The Rockets then exploded for 26 unanswered points.
Brendan Bernath, Rosecrans' junior quarterback, threw for 148 yards and two touchdowns in the loss. Weston Hartman had five receptions for 99 yards and Nick Bernath ran for 61 yards on 11 carries.
In the win over Millersport, B. Bernath passed for 108 yards and a pair of scores. He also ran for a 6-pointer. Brody Zemba accounted for 108 yards via the ground and scored twice.
Chris Zemba's club went 4-7 a season ago and qualified for the Division VII playoffs. His 2022 squad has 11 freshmen on the roster.
"They have a youthful roster and some of their skilled kids are not real big, but boy are they quick," Meek said. "That' dangerous especially with the concerns we have regarding our overall team speed.
"I do think defensively we got to the football pretty well for the most part against Wellsville. We still are having trouble getting the big play offensively. As we continue to practice and pay attention to detail, these things will improve."
Central did move the ball well at times against Wellsville. Senior quarterback Andrew Dorsey finished with 71 passing yards and accounted for the Crusader touchdown via the ground.
Sophomore Tommy Pergi caught five passes for 32 yards.
"I do believe we improved as a team against Wellsville," Meek said. "I saw a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of intensity. We were physical at times and our special teams played well against some dangerous kids.
"Offensively, we have to keep moving. We can't win scoring seven, zero and nine points. As a team, we have improved. We are getting a little healthier now. It's still early September, so we will have a lot of football to play. We want to get better each and every day during the season.
"People will look at the Wellsville score and it was 30-9. But I thought our kids played hard, they had each other's back and they were more aggressive. They stuck their nose in there and that is something we are going to build on. This is a process -- the effort was there and we just need to continue to improve."
Following the trips to Zanesville and Edison, Central will four of its final five games at Harding Stadium. The Crusaders will host Madonna on Sept. 24 and Pittsburgh Carrick on Oct. 1.
They then will visit Bridgeport before entertaining Conotton Valley and Toronto.