CANTON — Toledo Central Catholic overcame a first-quarter deficit and dominated the rest of the day to thump Columbus Bishop Watterson 27-7 in the Division III state championship football game on Friday afternoon.
The No. 1-ranked Fighting Irish (16-0) completed a spectacular season in dream fashion before 4,342 fans at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
TCC is riding a 31-game winning streak dating to a 23-20 loss on Aug. 19, 2022 to Lakewood St. Edward. Coach Greg Dempsey’s squad was challenged only once all year, by De La Salle Collegiate of Warren, Michigan, a 28-23 decision on Sept. 15.
The fourth-ranked Eagles were more than competitive early. Ben Uhlenhake powered in on a 6-yard touchdown run to give Watterson (14-2) a 7-0 first-quarter advantage.
But the rest of the day belonged to the Fighting Irish.
Junior Marquan Braswell bolted in for a 6-yard TD blast to tie the game. Then, with just 1:19 to play in the half, the Eagles fumbled a punt return on their own 19.
That set up a 6-yard scoring pass from Terry Collins to Sharard Vaughn to give TCC a 14-7 halftime edge.
Another Watterson fumble deep in its own territory gave the Fighting Irish another short field. Braswell cashed it in after a 7-yard touchdown dash with 8:22 remaining in the third period for a 21-7 lead.
In the fourth quarter, Braswell shook three Eagles’ tacklers for a 72-yard sprint. That play set up Jaylen Watson’s 3-yard TD plunge on fourth down to finish the scoring at 27-7.
Braswell finished with 169 yards on 22 carries, while Collins was 7-of-11 passing for 71 yards and a score.
Watterson quarterback A.J. McAninch hit 20-of-39 passes for 145 yards. Defensively, the Tigers’ Dominic Purcell made 21 tackles, the most tackles ever recorded in OHSAA state title game history.
It’s the second state championship in a row for the Fighting Irish, who won the Division II crown last season by beating Akron Hoban 28-21. This marks the school’s fifth state championship, winning previous football crowns in 2005, 2012, 2014 and 2022.
Fourth-ranked Bishop Watterson finished a fine season at 14-2. The defeat snapped a five-game winning streak for the Eagles, who suffered their only previous defeat on Oct. 20 when Toledo St. Francis beat them 27-24 in the regular-season finale.