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Statement Made: Central Catholic Routs St. Ignatius

Tagged under: Beyond The Keystone, District 7, Gameday Hub, News, pfn

| September 2, 2023

Cleveland – Central Catholic flexed its muscles and dominated all aspects against St. Ignatius, routing the Wildcats 47-6 Friday night in Cleveland.

What was supposed to be a battle of storied powerhouses in their respective states turned into a one-sided slaughter as Central Catholic won their first game against a non-Pennsylvania school since defeating Akron Buchtel 35-6 in 2010. 

Hear Vikings quarterback Payton Wehner and head coach Ryan Lehmeier talk following the game.

Central Catholic wasted no time breaking the ice as Elijah Faulkner scored on a 34-yard run 71 seconds into the contest, capping a 5-play 70-yard drive.

 

Faulkner rushed for a game-high 77 yards on ten carries, all in the first half – as a team, Central Catholic rushed for 241 yards while limiting the Wildcats to five.

St. Ignatius got on the scoreboard when Tommy Kilbane connected on a 20-yard field goal midway through the first quarter. The drive’s big play was a 49-yard completion from Joshua Papesh to Luke Simms.

It was one of the only bright spots offensively for the Wildcats. Papesh completed 9-of-21 passes for 209 yards, while Simms caught five balls for 105 yards.

Central Catholic then drove 68 yards, with Billy Lech connecting from 31 yards out, giving the Vikings an 11-3 lead after a quarter.

Central Catholic had two touchdowns called back in the first quarter and four for the game, but it hardly mattered as the Vikings took control in the second quarter.

Following a muffed punt, Wehner threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Penn State recruit Peter Gonzalez. Gonzalez finished the night with three grabs for 93 yards.

After recovering an onside kick, Wehner threw a 16-yard touchdown to Vernon Settles as the Vikings scored two times in 43 seconds.

 

Proceeding a three-and-out by St. Ignatius, Central Catholic drove 55 yards in six plays as Sa’Nir Brooks scored from 27 yards out to turn the game into a laugher – Brooks rushed for a game-high 84 yards on 14 carries.

The Wildcats drove 51 yards to close the first half as Tommy Kilbane booted his second field goal from 29 yards with one second to play in the half.

Central Catholic led 33-6 at halftime.

In the second half, the Vikings quickly put the mercy rule into effect following a short punt, driving 29 yards with Wehner scoring on a 4-yard keeper with 9:38 to play in the third stanza.

 

In Ohio, the mercy clock starts when a team leads by 30+ points in the second half, with the clock stopping again when the total drops below 30 – Central Catholic wouldn’t have to worry.

The Vikings and quarterback Payton Wehner put an exclamation point on a superb outing as Jacob Sassic caught an 81-yard pass from Wehner with 2:12 to play in the third quarter.

Payton Wehner completed 11-of-17 passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 14 yards and a fourth score. Jacob Sassic led all Viking receivers with four receptions for 105 yards.

Central Catholic will look to keep the momentum going when they take on Bethel Park next Friday night.

Game Highlights:

Central Catholic 47 St. Ignatius 6

Score by Quarters

Central Catholic – 11 22 14 0 – 47
St. Ignatius – 3 3 0 0 – 6

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

PCC – Elijah Faulkner 34 yd run, (Colsen Gatten from Payton Wehner), 10:49 – 5-70

SI – Tommy Kilbane 20 yd field goal, 5:03 – 6-58

PCC – Billy Lech 31 yd field goal, 3:19 – 5-68

Second Quarter

PCC – Peter Gonzalez 24 yd TD from Wehner, (Cole Sullivan from Wehner), 8:44 – 5-36

PCC – Vernon Settles 16 yd TD from Wehner, (Lech pat), 8:01 – 3-47

PCC – Sa’Nir Brooks 27 yd run, (Lech Pat), 4:04 – 6-55

SI – Kilbane 29 yd field goal, 0:01 – 6-51

Third Quarter

PCC – Wehner 4 yd run, (Lech pat), 9:38 – 5-29

PCC – Jacob Sassic 81 yd TD from Wehner, (Lech pat), 2:12 – 3-91

Individual Stats

Rushing: CC – Faulkner 10-77, Wehner 5-14, Amari Shields 6-33, Brooks 14-84, Xxavier Thomas 1-3, Jy’Aire Walls 2-17, Mutwali Stewart 2-13, Team 2-0. Totals: 42-241. SI – Grant Washington 7-7, Sean Martin 4-(-13), Quinn Woidke 4-17, Joshua Papesh 1-(-11), Max Ritt 3-5, Peyton Frontino 1-0. Totals: 20-5

Receiving: CC – Gonzalez 3-93, Settles 2-24, Gatten 1-27, Jacob Sassic 4-105, Sullivan 1-(-3). SI – Luke Simms 5-105, Jordan Rodman 2-85, Martin 1-12, Charlie Young 1-5, Washington 1-14, A.J. Haddox 1-17.

Passing: CC – Wehner 11-for-17, 246 yards, 3 TD. SI – Woidke 2-for-3, 30 yards, Papesh 9-for-21, 209 yards.

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