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Raiders clinch another title

LAWRENCE — The outcome, an easy 49-14 romp over Lowell, was expected but it still held special meaning for Central Catholic and standout sophomore quarterback Bret Edwards Friday night.
The victory lifted Central to 6-1 heading into next week’s Division 1 playoffs and, more important, 4-0 in the MVC large, which clinched its fourth straight league title and third straight outright.
“We’ve never done that (won three straight) before so this is pretty special,” said Central coach Chuck Adamopoulos. “That was our motivation during the week.
“I’m thrilled that we could do this. At the beginning of the year, having lost all our lineman and our quarterback, I didn’t know what we had. I really wasn’t expecting this.”
Edwards, of course, has fit in quite nicely as the new QB and, as a Lowell resident, Friday night’s win was special for him.
“I was looking forward to it and this was definitely great to play against them and do so well,” said Edwards. “I know a lot of the kids on the team and until the eighth grade I always thought I’d be going to Lowell. But Central is a great fit for me.”
Edwards was 6 of 12 with two touchdowns and 75 yards, which aren’t great numbers but two passes were dropped and a 54-yard TD pass was called back by a penalty.
Besides, after a slow start in which the Raiders struggled on their first two possessions, they had plenty of other offense. Omar Deschamps rushed for 89 yards and two touchdowns (19 and 38 yards) and Robert Fitzgerald matched him with two TDs, one a 63-yard inside burst, and 77 yards on four carries.
Despite the slow start, Central led 21-0 after the first quarter, thanks partly to a recovered onside kick and a blocked punt by Matt Thomas that gave the ball to the Raiders on Lowell’s 1-yard-line.
Mathias Villafane had a 24-yard touchdown reception to open the scoring in the first quarter and his 38-yard punt return set up Central’s last score of the half, a 15-yard pass to Steven Jackson, which made it 35-0 at the intermission.
After the Raiders took a 42-0 lead after three quarters, the final frame was left for the reserves, which included backup quarterback Matt Horgan, who gained 22 yards on four carries and scored the last TD on a 6-yard scamper.
“We had a sluggish start, but I liked the way we played after that,” said Adamopoulos. “We’re pretty excited ... now it’s onto the playoffs and we’ll see how we do.”