Central Catholic grind outs win over Whitehall

FROM THE MORNING CALL

Central Catholic has earned a reputation for having the area's most prolific passing offense.

The Vikings used their biggest game to date to show they can wear on opponents too.

Snap after snap in the second half they turned to running back Colin McDermott and quarterback Brendan Nosovitch looking to chunk yards and take time off the clock at J. Birney Crum Stadium. Those two combined for 29 carries and 158 yards in the second half, helping Central Catholic hold off Whitehall for a 21-14 Lehigh Valley Conference win in a battle of football unbeatens Saturday night.


The victory gave the Vikings (6-0 overall, 5-0 LVC) sole possession of first place, one game ahead of Easton and Whitehall (5-1, 4-1).

"It was ideal," Central Catholic coach Harold Fairclough said. "We were in a tight ballgame all game long, and our kids kept their composure. There was never any chaos or yelling at each other or anything like that. We're going to have to win tight ballgames."

Central Catholic took command of the LVC title race with a complete effort. Nosovitch completed 20-of-26 passes for 230 yards, with Kevin Gulyas (12 catches, 168 yards) again serving as his No. 1 target. The Vikings also limited Whitehall to 263 yards of total offense, nearly half of which came on the Zephyrs' two touchdowns.

Yet it was Central Catholic's efficient ground game that stood out. McDermott (23 carries, 132 yards) and Nosovitch (24 carries, 86 yards, two touchdowns) combined for every Vikings rushing attempt. They helped Central Catholic produce drives of 11, 11 and 14 plays in the second half, the first of which ended with Nosovitch running 3 yards for a touchdown that gave the Vikings a 21-7 lead with 3:54 left in the third quarter.

"I think they adjusted to our offense," Nosovitch said. "When we couldn't pass the ball as much in the second half, we had to pound it on them. That's what we did, because that's what was working."

Whitehall struggled sustaining drives with both facets of its offense Saturday. Quarterback Chris Polony (11-for-31, 141 yards, two interceptions) hit Nathan Hoenl for a 66-yard touchdown pass on the Zephyrs' first play from scrimmage, and Eric Fiore (15 carries, 113 yards) ran 65 yards for a score late in the third quarter to get Whitehall within 21-14. Those plays were surrounded by long stretches of futility.

Whitehall had three fourth-quarter possessions that gave it a chance to tie the game. It converted none of them.

The Zephyrs' best chance came when Nosovitch lost a fumble on his own 25-yard line with 8:31 to play in the fourth quarter. Central Catholic didn't even allow Whitehall a first down from there, with Nosovitch, a part-time safety this season, dropping Fiore for an 8-yard loss on a fourth-and-four option pitch.

"It started up front with the line," defensive back Noah Robb said. "The linebackers played great today. It was a total team effort. It wasn't just one person shutting down a receiver or the linebackers shutting down the run."

Whitehall had one final chance to tie the game after stopping Central Catholic on downs with 1:38 to play. The Zephyrs drove to the Vikings' 41-yard line before Teddy Airoldi picked off Polony, clinching the game.

"We gave them everything we had," Whitehall coach Tony Trisciani said. "When I talked to the kids, I don't talk to them about losing this game. I talked to them about learning from this game. We've got some things to fix, but we know that we can play with anybody."

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