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Central holds off Lawrence

Thursday, November, 26 By Mac Cerullo

LAWRENCE — Though the offense wasn’t its usual self, Central Catholic survived a tough Thanksgiving showdown with crosstown rival Lawrence to win 21-6 thanks to a pair of timely interceptions.
It was the first Thanksgiving matchup between the two schools.
Central was led on offense by sophomore quarterback Bret Edwards, who went 11 for 20 with 144 yards passing and two touchdowns, but the star of the game was Lawrence senior receiver Eddie Cabrera, who played the game of his life.
Cabrera made six catches for 121 yards, including a 50-yard touchdown in the third quarter, and also grabbed an interception. Several of his catches also came in key third- and fourth-down situations, and it seemed like every time his number was called, Cabrera delivered.
“He stepped up big time,” said Lawrence coach Mike Yameen. “I thought it was his best game of the year, with all of our starters out he came through and stepped up in a big way.”
Cabrera’s first catch came on Lawrence’s first possession of the game, grabbing a 33-yard pass from quarterback Ismael Jenkins on third down to move Lawrence right down to the Central goal line.
But two plays later, Jenkins was intercepted in the end zone by Central senior Greg Marggraf, who jumped a slant route in a play reminiscent of Malcolm Butler in the Super Bowl.
Marggraf returned the pick all the way to midfield. From there, Central only needed six plays to complete the seven-point swing, with Edwards capping off the drive with a 32-yard touchdown to Steven Jackson to make it 7-0.
“That was a big play,” said Central coach Chuck Adamopoulos said of the interception. “That would have given them a lot of emotion if they’d started off with a touchdown right there.”
Central (10-1) got another touchdown late in the second quarter on a 19-yard pass by Edwards to senior Omar Deschamps to make it 14-0 at halftime.
Then, after receiving the opening kickoff of the third quarter, Central scored again after Deschamps capped off a 10-play drive with a 3-yard touchdown to make it 21-0.
Lawrence caught a big break on its next drive after Central was called for pass interference on a 4th and 4 play. Looking to take advantage, Jenkins hit Cabrera for a 30-yard completion, only a penalty nullified the big gain and moved Lawrence back to midfield.
No matter. On the very next play, Jenkins went right back to Cabrera, only this time for a 50-yard touchdown. Central blocked the ensuing kick, keeping it at 21-6 with 5:02 to play in the third.
Lawrence (3-8) had a chance to pull within one score early in the fourth, driving all the way to Central’s 28 on a drive that featured two big catches by Cabrera, one on 4th and 7 and the other on 3rd and 15. But once again, Lawrence couldn’t punch it in, as Central senior defensive back Mike Mercuri came up with an interception.
From that point on, all Central needed to do was run the clock out, and though their first attempt ended in a quick three and out, Lawrence couldn’t move the ball on it’s last possession, allowing Central to hold on for the win.
It was the Raiders’ 18th straight win over LHS, which hasn’t beaten Central since 1985.
“When you play good teams like this, you can’t make mistakes, you’ve got to take care of the ball,” said Lawrence coach Mike Yameen. “You can’t turn the ball over against a team like this, they’re too good.”
Central started the game shorthanded, losing three starters to suspension, which will also keep them out of next Saturday’s Division 1 state championship game vs. unbeaten Xaverian at Gillette Stadium.
Central suffered another loss in the second quarter after promising sophomore tailback Max Faro suffered what appeared to be an upper body injury. Faro had to be taken off on a stretcher, but he was able to stand on his own power before sitting down and being carried off.
Adamopoulos didn’t have any details on Faro’s injury after the game, but said it appeared serious enough that he’ll likely miss the title game.