Central Catholic “rolled The Tribe”, Friday night, dishing the Antonian Apaches their first loss of the season 40-21, at West Avenue. The game was an even match until mid-way through the third quarter where Central tied the game at 21 a piece; from there the Buttons tacked on 19 offensively, as the Apaches were held scoreless by a stingy and determined Central Catholic defense. 

The Buttons offense was rolling, Friday, as they racked up 431 total yards of offense. Momentum wise, the Buttons  came away with an answer for every Antonian touchdown. As the game continued, Central didn’t lift the foot off of the pedal, as they scored 26 points in the second half alone. Central’s star running back, Caleb Salinas, glistened on Friday; he stomped his way to 173 yards rushing and two touchdowns and lead Central towards 211 rushing yards overall. The Buttons’ QB, Jacob Nava, and wideouts, Thomas Palomera and Julian Oviedo, were an unstoppable trifecta on Friday night. The trio would combine for 147 of Central’s 220 passing yards and both of Central’s passing TDs. Overall, the Buttons offense put the petal to the metal and left the Apaches in the dust.

Through two and a half quarters it looked as though Central was in for shoot out; but after a 45 yard touchdown pass from Jake Smith the Buttons flipped the switch and Antonian hit a brick wall. After practicing all week for a strong inside run game and for a deep threat pass attack Central found a way to close out their rivals. The bug-a-boo of Central’s defense this season has been the recurring cycle of fading in the fourth quarter. This was so much the case,  that Coach Green made the theme of the season: “Finish Strong”. This theme was more than apparent as the Buttons’ defense finished almost perfectly against their rival, allowing the Apaches only seven points in the entire second half.

When a 3-5 team takes on a 8-0 team, it would be practically common sense to side with the 8-0 team. After all, “you are what your record says you are” (Bill Parcells). What is always the case, though, is that in rivalry games, anything can happen. Coach Green said it best on Wednesday: “When rivalry games come up, the record goes out the window”. The best thing about coming out of non-district play at 2-5 is the fact that people will dismiss what looks to be a dismal team. The quality of football, like in life, is that a book is not to be read by its cover. The Buttons played arguably their most difficult schedule in recent years to prepare them for the playoffs, and after beating St. Joseph and Antonian, Central is sitting  on top in the district. The roles have now switched as they will be facing a team in St. Anthony that is 0-2 in district play. Central’s best option is to avoid the head-to-head complications and finish the season with no doubt that they are the best team in the district.  The St. Anthony Yellowjackets, who are out of contention for District, are the last team on the schedule as the Buttons look to clinch District for the second year in a row.