Central Catholic to host Delhi Charter

No. 3 Central Catholic will open the Division IV postseason Friday when it hosts No. 14 Delhi Charter.
The Eagles (8-2) enter the game after a 41-14 victory against Gueydan in which the Eagles were able to get a lot of younger players in the ball game and rest running back Stefano Guarisco for nearly three quarters.
Despite his short night of work, Guarisco led Central Catholic with five carries for 103 yards and two touchdowns.
Quarterback Blake Byrne completed 7 of 11 passes for 159 yards and four touchdowns.
Jalen Johnson, Matthew Barbier, Samarick Paul and Tony Pennison all caught a touchdown pass. Johnson led the Eagles with four catches for 91 yards, while Barbier had one catch for 51 yards.
Chris Singleton also had 13 carries for 60 yards.
Defensively, Central Catholic limited Gueydan to 142 yards, all on the ground.
Central Catholic led 14-0 after the first quarter and 35-0 at the half.
The Eagles’ lead grew to as much as 41-0 after a touchdown on their first drive of the second half.
Gueydan added the game’s final two scores.
Meanwhile, Delhi Charter had a rough week 10 contest as the squad closed out District 2-1A action with a 46-0 defeat to Mangham, who on Sunday was announced as the No. 1 seed in the Class 1A playoff bracket.
Mangham rolled up 502 yards of offense, while limiting Delhi Charter to just 119.
Sophomore running back Kody Ellis led the Delhi Charter ground game with 17 carries for 72 yards.
Delhi Charter enters the postseason with a 6-4 overall mark and was 1-4 in District 2-1A.
While Delhi Charter won its first five games of the season, it won just one of its last five, a week seven contest against Tensas.
However, its last five games included Mangham, St. Frederick, last year’s Division IV runner-up; and Class 1A power Ouachita Christian.
“They play in a really tough district,” Central Catholic coach Tommy Minton said.
As for more on Delhi Charter, Minton said they are a big, physical team.
“That’s one of the first things that stands out when you watch the tape is how physical they are,” Minton said. “They got good size on the offensive line, and they want to run the football.”
Offensively, Minton said Delhi Charter runs out of the I-formation.
A key player for them on offense is senior tailback Christian Colvin, a 6-foot, 170-pound.
On defense, Minton said Delhi Charter uses a five-man front.
“(They) put a lot of pressure on you up front to try to take the run away,” he said.
Notable players on defense are senior lineman Mike Bell, who is 6-feet, 3-inches and 240 pounds, and sophomore linebacker Rodney Mitchell, who is 5-feet, 8-inches and 180 pounds.
As for Central Catholic, the Eagles have been led offensively by Guarisco, who has carried the football 242 times for 1,206 yards and 20 touchdowns. He also has caught 15 passes for 255 yards and three scores.
Freshman Chris Singleton also has rushed 47 times for 302 yards and three touchdowns.
Byrne has completed 75 of 156 passes for 1,158 yards with 16 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
The Eagles’ receiving corps is led by Johnson, who has caught 21 passes for 412 yards with four touchdowns, while Paul has hauled it 26 receptions for 326 yards and six scores. Matthew Barbier rounds out the top three with 19 catches for 298 yards and two touchdowns.
Entering the playoffs, Minton said his squad is a healthy one.
“By looking at us at practice this week, we’re fresh,” he said. “We look like we’re ready to go.”
Friday’s game will begin at 7 p.m.