CCHS scores 51 unanswered to beat Hanson

Central Catholic scored 51 unanswered points to stun rival Hanson Memorial, 51-6, in District 7-1A play Thursday at Tiger Stadium.
Hanson (4-2, 1-2) struck on the first play of the game when junior quarterback Bo Barrilleaux tossed a strike to senior Royce Norton for a 79-yard touchdown. The Tigers two-point run attempt failed, and it was downhill from there for the visitors.
“They got a big play on us right out of the gate,” Central Catholic head coach Tommy Minton said. “He (Barrilleaux) had some open receivers early in the game, but as the pressure accumulated, it took its toll and he could no longer find his receivers.”
Central Catholic answered with a seven-play, 68-yard drive that sophomore quarterback Blake Byrne capped with a 4-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 6 at the 7:55 mark of the first quarter.
Special teams doomed Hanson on its next two possessions. The Tigers’ deep snapper sailed the ball over the punter’s head, and after a grounding penalty, the Eagles took over at Hanson’s 15-yard line.
Byrne hooked up with Samarick Paul for a 9-yard touchdown at 4:56. Matthew Barbier’s kick gave CCHS a 13-6 lead.
After another Hanson three-and-out, the Tiger’s punting woes continued. Senior punter Jeff Soulis had another snap sail over his head, and he dove from the end zone to give the ball back to Central Catholic at the 1-yard line.
Central Catholic junior standout running back Stefano Guarisco powered in from there to extend the lead to 19-6 with 2:57 remaining in the first quarter.
Guarisco, still nursing an ankle injury, carried 16 times for 103 yards and a touchdown. The junior has rushed for 573 yards on 113 carries with 11 touchdowns this season.
“We just turned the ball over too much,” Hanson Memorial head coach Brett Blakey said. “You can’t have that against good teams.”
Central Catholic opened the second quarter with another score when Byrne and Paul hooked up again for a 40-yard score at the 10:40 mark for a 25-6 lead.
Paul had four receptions for 70 yards and three touchdowns, all in the first half.
Central Catholic’s defense held Hanson on fourth-down to give the ball back to the red-hot offense.
Byrne continued his stellar passing, finding Jalen Johnson for a 26-yard score and a 32-6 lead with 4:12 remaining in the first half.
Special teams bit Hanson again on the next possession when Soulis miss-hit a punt for just eight yards.
The Eagles took over at Hanson’s 10-yard line, and Byrne found Paul again for a 13-yard touchdown run with 1:44 left in the half when Paul made a great catch on a tipped ball.
Byrne was 8-of-10 passing for 170 yards and four touchdowns in the game.
Central Catholic closed the half in spectacular fashion when T.J. Ruffin picked up a Barrilleaux fumble and raced 30 yards for a touchdown. Barbier’s kick gave the Eagles a 45-6 halftime lead.
Central Catholic opened the second half with freshman Demarcus Mitchell at quarterback as Byrne was on the sideline with ice on his shoulder.
“He has a bruise, and we had a big lead so we sat him,” Minton said. “It’s nothing.”
Central Catholic was able to get its young players in throughout the second half.
Defensive standouts for the Eagles included Ruffin, Tanner Wiggins, Charlie Solar and Greg Leger. Hanson had minus 51 yards rushing in the first half.
Freshman running back Chris Singleton closed out the scoring for Central Catholic with a 74-yard dash for a touchdown with 1:52 left in the game.
“We made some big plays tonight,” Minton said. “We threw the ball and caught it well, and we ran it when we had to. We need to keep putting that together if we want to get a high power ranking, get into the playoffs, and make a run at it.”
Central Catholic (4-2, 2-1) will continue district play Oct. 17 when it travels to face Ascension Episcopal (4-1).