Eagles look to revive running game against Hanson

After an uneven offensive performance in Friday’s 29-22 loss to No. 6-ranked Vermilion Catholic, Central Catholic hit the ground running Thursday against Hanson Memorial.
For much of the night, the Screaming Eagles shut down the Eagles’ run game.
Central Catholic standout running back Stefano Guarisco was limited to 15 carries for four yards, but he did catch four passes for 23 yards and a touchdown. The junior has carried 97 times for 470 yards and 10 TDs on the season. Guarisco has also caught 12 passes for 192 yards and three touchdowns.
As a team, CCHS had -28 yards rushing.
“We couldn’t run the ball at all and that forced us to be one-dimensional,” Central Catholic head coach Tommy Minton said. “And that allowed VC to force turnovers.”
Vermilion Catholic used Central Catholic’s predictable offense to steal five turnovers via interception.
Quarterback Blake Byrne finished the night 14-of-35 for 183 yards and three touchdowns with five interceptions. He has completed 56-of-124 attempts for 774 yards with eight touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Jalen Johnson led CCHS with four catches for 93 yards and a TD while Samarick Paul had four receptions for 43 and a score, while Matthew Barbier had a catch for 20 yards and Tony Pennison had one catch for four yards.
Johnson leads CCHS with 13 catches for 239 yards and two TDs on the season while Paul has 16 catches for 191 yards with two TDs and Barbier has nine catches for 112 yards and a TD.
“Offensively, we just didn’t help our defense out at all,” Minton said. “But we challenged our offensive line to be more aggressive this week in practice and they responded; running the football is a mindset.”
The Eagles defense played well against Vermilion Catholic, especially in the secondary. Charlie Barron recorded two interceptions in the loss, while John Parker had another.
“We also got good pressure on the quarterback, and I would like to see that continue,” the coach said.
If any team can get Central Catholic’s (3-2, 1-1 District 7-1A) focus off last week’s tough loss, it’s longtime rival Hanson Memorial.
“It’s a district game and a rivalry game, so we need to handle our business,” Minton said. “The kids all know each other and interact on social media, so intensity was up this week in practice.”
Hanson (4-1, 1-1 District 7-1A) comes into Thursday’s game off a 25-20 win over Lafayette Christian Friday.
“They like to give the ball to their running back (Jeff) Soulis,” Minton said. “He has good size and runs hard. Then after they establish the run, they’ll go to play-action and try to get the ball to 15 (Royce Norton) and 80 (Jacob Stewart).”
Kickoff is 7 p.m.