By Bud Milroy
Correspondent
A Catholic Central quest to share the Midwest Classic Conference South Division title was squashed decisively Friday night by Racine St. Catherine’s.
The Angels posted a 41-16 victory, dropping CCHS to 3-2 in the MCC and 5-4 overall.
“I’m very impressed,” said CCHS coach Tom Aldrich. “They are a real nice ball club, very solid with a lot of weapons.
“We were certainly outmatched Friday.”
CCHS entered the game as the county’s top-ranked offense, but was held well below its season average.
“Their speed up front caused us a lot of problems, but really all 11 players did their jobs,” Aldrich said.
The Hilltoppers fell behind early when St. Catherine’s went airborne for its first score. The extra point was good and the Angels led 7-0 at the 5:28 mark of the opening quarter.
The ensuing Catholic Central possession stalled, and St. Cat’s added a 25-yard field goal.
CCHS quarterback Carson Meinholz was picked off on the next possession. St. Catherine’s capitalized on the very next play, as Cary Thomas hit Shey Smith in the corner of the end zone to make it 16-0.
The Hilltoppers finally got on the board with their next opportunity. The 11-play drive took nearly five minutes and covered 73 yards.
Meinholz capped the drive with a five-yard strike to Walkington for the Hilltoppers’ first score of the night, but CCHS could not add the two-point conversion.
St. Cat’s needed just four plays to go 80 yards to close out the first half scoring. Coty Ortiz’s 15-yard run finished the drive and the Angels led 22-6 at the half.
The Hilltoppers took the second-half kickoff and drove to the Angels’ 10-yard line, but on fourth and five, Walkington was called on to boot the 26-yard field goal.
St. Catherine’s struck again quickly with another Thomas touchdown pass, and the score was 28-9 going into the final quarter.
The Hilltoppers finally got in the end zone when Rayce Wadsworth blasted his way in, and Walkington booted the extra point to make it 28-16.
But Catholic Central never got any closer and St. Catherine’s added a pair of late scores.
“We were really in a tough spot,” Aldrich said. “If we crowded the line to stop the run, they went to the air. If we stayed back to stop the pass, they were able to run the ball. They have a lot of weapons and we had a tough time defending them.”
CCHS will make its 18th straight playoff appearance, traveling to Randolph for a Level 1 Division 7 playoff game Saturday at 1 p.m.
The Rockets received the No. 1 overall seed in the regional pairings, and is currently ranked No. 7 in the state.
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