Defense is unquestionably the strong suit of the 2020 Muskegon Catholic Central football team.
It showed again Friday night as the second-ranked Crusaders posted their fifth-straight shutout. They blanked visiting Harrison, 28-0, in a Division 6 second-round district game.
The only questions now: Which district finals opponent will MCC (8-0) be unleashing that defense against next week at Kehren Stadium? And who will be playing quarterback for the Crusaders?
MCC will face the winner of Saturday’s battle of unbeatens between Montague and Clare, set for 1 p.m. at Montague.
In this file photo, Muskegon Catholic Central coach Steve Czerwon talks to his team during a game against Holton Friday, Oct. 23, 2020, at Kehren Stadium in Muskegon, Mich. Scott DeCamp | MLive.comScott DeCamp | MLive.com
“The defense played well again. Their time of possession was pretty strong on us, but we ended up with a shutout again so that was positive. The defense played awfully well,” MCC coach Steve Czerwon said in a phone interview, after his team extended its points scored/points allowed margin to 341-18.
The Crusaders' fast, flowing defense is responsible for allowing only six of those 18 points.
Friday night against Harrison (5-3), MCC allowed 164 yards of total offense, 157 on the ground by the run-heavy Hornets. Conversely, the Crusaders rushed for 236 yards and amassed 311 in total offense.
Junior Joe Waller led MCC with 12 carries for 112 yards, including a 23-yard touchdown run that opened the scoring with 4:24 left in the first quarter. Seniors Tommy Kartes and Max Price both scored on 1-yard runs, and junior Dane Rutz had a 21-yard TD reception from Price for the Crusaders, who led 21-0 at halftime.
Price left the game late in the first half after he suffered an injury. He did not return, and his status for the district finals is uncertain, according to Czerwon.
Junior Elliot Riegler stepped in at QB for MCC. Voted as the MLive Muskegon Chronicle player of the week in a fan poll, Riegler completed his only pass for 33 yards.
Defensively, sophomore Sam Kartes paced MCC with seven tackles, while senior Richie Ward had six. Tommy Kartes and senior Gunner Stout made five stops apiece, while junior Nick Powell made four tackles, including a sack, for the very balanced Crusader squad.
For Harrison, Logan Yost rushed 16 times for 84 yards. Hunter Davis completed 1 of 6 passes for 7 yards. Ethan VanAntwerp paced the Hornets defense with eight tackles.
The next opponent is anybody’s guess, although many people locally have been anticipating a No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown between Montague and Muskegon Catholic Central.
“To be honest with you, I haven’t spent a whole lot of time on either team,” said Czerwon, who has seen Clare on film recently in his scouting of Harrison, which is a Jack Pine Conference rival of the Pioneers. “I know Clare’s a little more spread and Montague’s more downhill – the big line and the big quarterback.”
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