Division II State Semifinal: Toledo Central Catholic (13-0) vs. La Salle (11-2)

Who wins?

  • Toledo CC by 15+

    Votes: 2 1.9%

  • Toledo CC by 8-14

    Votes: 5 4.7%

  • Toledo CC by 1-7

    Votes: 18 17.0%

  • La Salle by 1-7

    Votes: 21 19.8%

  • La Salle by 8-14

    Votes: 38 35.8%

  • La Salle by 15+

    Votes: 22 20.8%
  • Total voters
    106
  • Poll closed .
Raider6309 said:
LaSalle rolls
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GREAT! Central will bring the meat.


La Salle High School is a Catholic, all-male, archdiocesan high school in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. The school was opened September 6, 1960 and named in honor of Jean-Baptiste de La Salle, a French priest and educational reformer. The school was officially dedicated May 14, 1961. It was founded by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools.
Notable non-sports alums
Terry Dorsey (1966) - Country Music Disc Jockey Hall of Fame
Michael Greene (2001) - Actor, Biloxi Blues
Joshua LeBar – actor, Entourage
Greg Smith on IMDb – Emmy Award-winning producer, Before the Dinosaurs
Louis W. Blessing, Jr. (1966) – Ohio State Representative and Senator[28]
Steve Chabot (1971) – U.S. Representative, 1st district
Joseph R. Binzer (1973) – Auxiliary Bishop, Archdiocese of Cincinnati
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Central Catholic High School, is a Catholic, co-educational, college prep secondary school in Toledo, Ohio. It is operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Toledo and is the largest Catholic high school in the area (HUH?). CCHS was founded as Cathedral High School in 1919, with its name change in 1920.
Central Catholic currently has an enrollment of 600 students. 72.11% of the students at CCHS are White, 24.14% are Black, 3.41% are Hispanic, 0.24% are Asian/Pacific Islander, and .08% are American Indian/Alaskan.


Notable non-sports alums
Casey Biggs (1973), actor
Dick Kinzel (1958), former CEO and President of Cedar Fair Entertainment Company
Gene Kranz (1951), NASA flight director (Apollo 11) (Apollo 13)
Ned Skeldon (1942), former Toledo politician; he was the driving force behind bringing a baseball team to Toledo, Ohio in 1965, the Toledo Mud Hens.
Mary Zilba (1981), Miss Ohio 1987; national Canadian recording artist, garnering six top 20 hits; main cast member in the show The Real Housewives of Vancouver
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Wikies could use some work.
 
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CCHS93 said:
We'll see. Central has had a great program for 15+ years but has never played the GCL or Ed's or Iggy. I have always wanted them to play them and see if Central belongs in the conversation.

I'm pleasantly surprised we are here, to be honest. I predicted before the season started 6-4 or 7-3. We lost 17 of 22 starters from last year. I didn't anticipate them doing as well as they have.

I'm rooting for my Irish all the way.
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Central has played Moeller twice: 1977 in the AAA State Semifinals and in 1984 in week 10 in Toledo. I like to think we softened Moeller up for Centerville when they lost to the Elks in the playoffs the following week.
 
dougp66 said:
Central has played Moeller twice: 1977 in the AAA State Semifinals and in 1984 in week 10 in Toledo. I like to think we softened Moeller up for Centerville when they lost to the Elks in the playoffs the following week.
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I was at that 1984 game at the Glass Bowl. My brother played. Central lost 39-20, if I remember. Moeller had one or both of the Francisco brothers at the time. I remember being told that it was one of Moeller's tougher games up to that point that season. But I was 9, so the memory is a bit hazy.
 
CCHS93 said:
I was at that 1984 game at the Glass Bowl. My brother played. Central lost 39-20, if I remember. Moeller had one or both of the Francisco brothers at the time. I remember being told that it was one of Moeller's tougher games up to that point that season. But I was 9, so the memory is a bit hazy.
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I was at both Moeller games. In 1977 we were down 21-14 at the half and 14 was the most Moeller had given up all season. It was the Irish team with Rob Mangas at QB and Dean Maztek at TE. Moeller had Cable, Hunter, a Francisco and an outstanding kicker and they brought like 120 players.
 
CCHS93 said:
I was at that 1984 game at the Glass Bowl. My brother played. Central lost 39-20, if I remember. Moeller had one or both of the Francisco brothers at the time. I remember being told that it was one of Moeller's tougher games up to that point that season. But I was 9, so the memory is a bit hazy.
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The final score was actually 50-27. I got to dress for that game.
 
Lasalle’s offense is going to be tough to stop for TCC. If LaSalle gets off to a start they had in the past couple weeks, this game will be over before halftime. Even if there offense is only scoring every couple drives, I believe they still come up on top Because the LaSalle defense is too much for most teams in any division to handle. A lot of playmakers on defense and it’s hard to confuse a well coached defense. I see LaSalle winning 35-14.
 
Just curious, whats with LaSalle 2nd halfs? Seems like in their close wins and their loses they struggle to score in the 2nd half. Do the kids wear down, bad coaching adjustments?
 
Scoob said:
Just curious, whats with LaSalle 2nd halfs? Seems like in their close wins and their loses they struggle to score in the 2nd half. Do the kids wear down, bad coaching adjustments?
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Well almost no starters played in the second half of either of the playoff games, which was a big factor in moving the ball offensively. Regular season it was a mixture of bad coaching and not making adjustments while the opponents made adjustments and the only case it came back to bite Lasalle in the butt was WW. Lasalle was driving inside the 10 to score in the last minute against WW but threw an interception, Lasalle could have very well won that game. I don’t see them having any trouble scoring in the second half if the game is close on Friday.
 
Goblue10 said:
Well almost no starters played in the second half of either of the playoff games, which was a big factor in moving the ball offensively. Regular season it was a mixture of bad coaching and not making adjustments while the opponents made adjustments and the only case it came back to bite Lasalle in the butt was WW. Lasalle was driving inside the 10 to score in the last minute against WW but threw an interception, Lasalle could have very well won that game. I don’t see them having any trouble scoring in the second half if the game is close on Friday.
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Yeah i understood the blowouts. They seem to start fast in the first half. Just noticed they tend to tail off in the second half of close games.
 
Goblue10 said:
Well almost no starters played in the second half of either of the playoff games, which was a big factor in moving the ball offensively. Regular season it was a mixture of bad coaching and not making adjustments while the opponents made adjustments and the only case it came back to bite Lasalle in the butt was WW. Lasalle was driving inside the 10 to score in the last minute against WW but threw an interception, Lasalle could have very well won that game. I don’t see them having any trouble scoring in the second half if the game is close on Friday.
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I still think it is an absolute robbery that Winton Woods didn’t make the playoffs. I guess it is their own fault as they lost two games they could have won in Christian Brothers and Elder but without a doubt they are one of the top teams in D2 and the entire state.
 
Scoob said:
Just curious, whats with LaSalle 2nd halfs? Seems like in their close wins and their loses they struggle to score in the 2nd half. Do the kids wear down, bad coaching adjustments?
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It's neither fatigue nor bad coaching adjustments on our side.

If you look at St X' week-by-week score by quarters ( http://gcls.gclsports.com/schedule.aspx?satc=65&week=-1 ), you'll see that their coaching staff consistently makes better adjustments than their competition.

Likewise, Elder's staff makes top notch adjustments, particularly on defense. The best example of that is their performance against Clearwater Academy this year.
Game starts at the one hour mark of the video.

Winton Woods played a quality game and were definitely a top 5 team in D2. Like the regional final against them in 2017, this one was gonna be close. Like the Massillon-Hoban classic we just had on Friday, both teams were top notch, but one had to win and one had to lose.

TCC is an excellent team, and should be an excellent test for our young men. Looking forward to seeing how we do in the second half of this one.
 
HighSchoolFB45 said:
I still think it is an absolute robbery that Winton Woods didn’t make the playoffs. I guess it is their own fault as they lost two games they could have won in Christian Brothers and Elder but without a doubt they are one of the top teams in D2 and the entire state.
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They are a great team but didn’t do what they needed to do to make it to the playoffs. Most WW fans assume that they would’ve beaten LaSalle in the playoffs if they would’ve made it. I guess we will never know but it would be hard to beat a good team twice in one year. LaSalle should have one in the regular season but didn’t make adjustments in the second half defensively to stop the run. That’s all WW did in the second half and no adjustments were made. Lasalle coaching staff wouldn’t let that happen again if these two teams met again. Lasalle wanted WW in the playoffs and did there part by beating Elder, but it just didn’t work out for them.
 
La Salle has never played Toledo Central Catholic in football, but they did play in a DI state semi-final game in basketball on Friday, March 25, 2011. La Salle was up 22-12 at half time, but TCC stormed back to tie the game late in the fourth quarter. Matt Woeste got a rebound and sunk a layup to put LS ahead by two 48-46 with three seconds left. TCC tried a desperation heave at the buzzar that missed allowing LS to go to the state final.
 
Lasalle wins 45-7. TCC has not seen a team to this caliber in at least 5 years. Lasalle has 20+ recruits on the field and amazing coaching. People thought the game vs Harrison was going to be close but Lasalle made it a running clock in the 2nd quarter. You can tell Lasalle has a chip on their shoulder and are ready to prove it throughout these playoffs. I see Lasalle up 31 at the half, and Lasalle controlling the rest of the game. People don't know how to stop Lasalle because if you try and stop the run game, Lasalle will just throw it to Devonta Smith, Jaylen Norwood, and Jake Siebert. If you try and stop the passing game, Lasalle will physically dominate you with Gibran Payne, Cam Porter, and the quarterback Zach Branam who has been remarkable this year for a first-year quarterback. I don't see TCC doing anything on offense against most likely the best defense in the state.
 
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IMO the best thing to happen to Elder was to lose to LaSalle. Elder now is focused on the BIG prize! Elder now has their heads in every play and every game!
 
Lancermania said:
La Salle has never played Toledo Central Catholic in football, but they did play in a DI state semi-final game in basketball on Friday, March 25, 2011. La Salle was up 22-12 at half time, but TCC stormed back to tie the game late in the fourth quarter. Matt Woeste got a rebound and sunk a layup to put LS ahead by two 48-46 with three seconds left. TCC tried a desperation heave at the buzzar that missed allowing LS to go to the state final.
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Great high school basketball game. Loved everything about it, other than the final score.
 
lancernation_ said:
Lasalle wins 45-7. TCC has not seen a team to this caliber in at least 5 years. Lasalle has 20+ recruits on the field and amazing coaching. People thought the game vs Harrison was going to be close but Lasalle made it a running clock in the 2nd quarter. You can tell Lasalle has a chip on their shoulder and are ready to prove it throughout these playoffs. I see Lasalle up 31 at the half, and Lasalle controlling the rest of the game. People don't know how to stop Lasalle because if you try and stop the run game, Lasalle will just throw it to Devonta Smith, Jaylen Norwood, and Jake Siebert. If you try and stop the passing game, Lasalle will physically dominate you with Gibran Payne, Cam Porter, and the quarterback Zach Branam who has been remarkable this year for a first-year quarterback. I don't see TCC doing anything on offense against most likely the best defense in the state.
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Thanks for the knowledge, I'll stay home Friday.
 
lancernation_ said:
Lasalle wins 45-7. TCC has not seen a team to this caliber in at least 5 years. Lasalle has 20+ recruits on the field and amazing coaching. People thought the game vs Harrison was going to be close but Lasalle made it a running clock in the 2nd quarter. You can tell Lasalle has a chip on their shoulder and are ready to prove it throughout these playoffs. I see Lasalle up 31 at the half, and Lasalle controlling the rest of the game. People don't know how to stop Lasalle because if you try and stop the run game, Lasalle will just throw it to Devonta Smith, Jaylen Norwood, and Jake Siebert. If you try and stop the passing game, Lasalle will physically dominate you with Gibran Payne, Cam Porter, and the quarterback Zach Branam who has been remarkable this year for a first-year quarterback. I don't see TCC doing anything on offense against most likely the best defense in the state.
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I agree with you that all these players are impressive and LS has a great team but you cant overlook TCC. TCC has a great team and have proved that they should be in the Semis. I believe LS will come out hot like always but its a 4 quarter game, and LS has to prove they can play in all four. If they do that then this game will be a 35-10 game. But if they play their second half like they did against St. X and Elder it will be a 7 point game close. LS has to put a full game together to get another shot at the title.
 
lancernation_ said:
Lasalle wins 45-7
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Bold, to say the least. I would say over confident.

La Salle did beat Elder and St. X, 2 great teams. But they lost their other two tough games to Covington Catholic and Winton Woods. Moeller was bad this year. Lakota West and Mason were decent, but not great. And the 2 wins against northeast teams don't mean much. Central beat the hell out of several teams from New York and New Jersey over the past several years. Football isn't good up there, in general.

Central's schedule wasn't as strong, perhaps. But they played who they played and won convincingly in every game, save one. Detroit Catholic Central is traditionally one of the top teams in Michigan. They play in a tough league with other Catholic schools. Central won by 3 touchdowns. Central beat D1 Toledo Whitmer by 4 touchdowns. To be fair, Whitmer was without their D1 college QB. Nevertheless, Central ran up and down the field on them. Central beat Toledo St. Francis twice, who had a very tough defense.

Central will be ready. Their QB is the son of an Olympian. Their RB's brother played D1 college football. Their offensive line averages 275lbs.

They were picked to finish 3rd in the TRAC, including by me. They lost 17 of 22 starters from last year's team. They shouldn't be here. Yet, there are here. They will be ready.
 
CCHS93 said:
Bold, to say the least. I would say over confident.

La Salle did beat Elder and St. X, 2 great teams. But they lost their other two tough games to Covington Catholic and Winton Woods. Moeller was bad this year. Lakota West and Mason were decent, but not great. And the 2 wins against northeast teams don't mean much. Central beat the hell out of several teams from New York and New Jersey over the past several years. Football isn't good up there, in general.

Central's schedule wasn't as strong, perhaps. But they played who they played and won convincingly in every game, save one. Detroit Catholic Central is traditionally one of the top teams in Michigan. They play in a tough league with other Catholic schools. Central won by 3 touchdowns. Central beat D1 Toledo Whitmer by 4 touchdowns. To be fair, Whitmer was without their D1 college QB. Nevertheless, Central ran up and down the field on them. Central beat Toledo St. Francis twice, who had a very tough defense.

Central will be ready. Their QB is the son of an Olympian. Their RB's brother played D1 college football. Their offensive line averages 275lbs.

They were picked to finish 3rd in the TRAC, including by me. They lost 17 of 22 starters from last year's team. They shouldn't be here. Yet, there are here. They will be ready.
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So they've never really been in a close game. Interesting.....I would ask Little Miami, Walnut Ridge, and Harrison what happened to their teams when they went down by 3-4 scores early. Will TCC be able to respond? The Lancers are coming......
 
Greg Dempsey is a great coach and is always surrounded by a stable of talent. They're totally outmatched in this one, but should put up more of a fight than people anticipate. I expect them to keep it within two TDs.
 
unclebob said:
I know right.
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Obviously I would not miss this game. TCC is actually favored to win by 1 with Drew P. Neutral field, and TCC deserves to be playing as much as LaSalle does. I have followed LaSalle for years, and I see how we have played in the 2nd half against good and not so good teams this year. If I am a beating man, and I am, I dont touch this game. Either team can win. Lets just hope all the players stay healthy and may the best team win come Friday night. Good luck to both teams and safe travels.
 
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