CANTON — The Columbus Bishop Watterson High School football team and Toledo Central Catholic played a classic in the second game of Day 2 of the 2024 OHSAA football state championships Friday afternoon. They met for the Division III title at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
In a rematch of last year’s Division III state final won by TCC, Watterson rallied to win a thriller in the second of three high school football championship games today. Games continue Friday night and Saturday at the stadium.
Here’s how the game unfolded through our live updates on the game.
After going scoreless in the first half, Bishop Watterson turned up the engine. With multiple scores and decisive defensive stops, Bishop Watterson overtook Toledo Central Catholic’s lead, winning the game 19-14.
Bishop Watterson came up with the stop on fourth down, all but securing the win for the team. Toledo Central Catholic attempted a backwards lateral to extend their run, but Bishop Watterson defenders were there to stop it. Score is 19-14 Bishop Watterson.
On third down, Bishop Watterson delivered a crucial sack to the quarterback, making for an unfavorable fourth and long scenario for Toledo Central Catholic. A failed conversion here could mean the ball game. 44 seconds remain.
After a reception by Tommy Hailey led Bishop Watterson to first and goal, Drew Belisari found the end zone for a touchdown. Bishop Watterson went for a two-point conversion, and appeared to complete it, but an offensive pass interference call brought it back. They replayed the conversion, and they failed. Bishop Watterson is back on top, with the score being 19-14 Bishop Watterson.
Bishop Watterson did well moving the ball during their drive, but they began to run into trouble near midfield. On a third and long, they were met with a strong defensive stop, bringing them to fourth down. With less than four minutes on the clock, they go for it on fourth down, and on the pass, they manage to convert with a long ball down the field. A little over two minutes remain in the game, with Bishop Watterson on a crucial drive. Score remains 14-13 Bishop Watterson.
Toledo Central Catholic did not score on their next drive, as they opted to punt on fourth down. It landed in the end zone, resulting in a touchback. Bishop Watterson will start on the 20. The score remains 14-13 Toledo Central Catholic.
On fourth down, Bishop Watterson decided to go for it. On the pass, Dominic Theado was wide open. The ball fired in his direction, and he caught it, taking it all the way to the end zone. The point after attempt fails, as Antonio Elizondo blocked the PAT attempt, bringing the score to 14-13 Toledo Central Catholic, anybody’s ball game.
After an eye-catching kick off return led to the end zone for Toledo Central Catholic, Bishop Watterson is back with the ball. Going into the fourth quarter, the score remains 14-7 Toledo Central Catholic.
What a twist! Following Bishop Watterson’s score, they kicked the ball over to Toledo Central Catholic. Jeremiah Fuller received the ball, and found his way through defenders for an 87-yard run to the end zone. Things are heating up as Toledo Central Catholic reclaims the lead, 14-7 Toledo Central Catholic.
Bishop Watterson had a energetic offensive drive in the final minutes of the third quarter. The team moved the ball up to around the 28-yard line, where Zack Weber found an opening in a run up the middle, scoring a touchdown for Bishop Watterson. The point after attempt is good, tying things up at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, 7-7.
Neither team appears to be letting up defensively, but Toledo Central Catholic put up a long drive down to the other side of the field. They got held up around the 20-yard line. With, multiple attempts at a first down conversion and an offensive holding call, a third and long scenario was brewing. After a defensive personal foul, Toledo Central Catholic’s field position improved, but they were unable to convert on fourth and short. The result is a turnover on downs. Toledo Central Catholic leads 7-0 with 5:21 left in the third quarter.
Bishop Watterson kicked the ball off to start the third quarter in their championship matchup with Toledo Central Catholic. They will start their drive near the 28-yard line.
With five seconds left in the second quarter, it was fourth down for Toledo Central Catholic within field goal range. On the attempt, the field goal missed, and going into halftime, the score remains 7-0 Toledo Central Catholic.
After Bishop Watterson held Toledo Central Catholic to a fourth down punt, they received the ball, which slipped away from the Bishop Watterson receiver following contact, and Toledo Central Catholic ended up recovering the ball. The result of the play is a first down for Toledo Central Catholic. Less than two minutes remain in the half.
Following the interception, Bishop Watterson’s drive failed to find the end zone, as they punted the ball away, landing near the 7-yard line. Toledo Central Catholic still leads 7-0.
After a strong drive from Toledo Central Catholic, Bishop Watterson’s Ben Uhlenhake intercepted the ball, resulting in a potentially pivotal turnover for Bishop Watterson. Less than 7 minutes remain in the half.
The officials took another timeout for Lavelle Stokes, who was down by the sideline after a Toledo Central Catholic pass was good for a first down. He was able to walk off the field as well. Play is about to resume.
Toledo Central Catholic’s Michael Besteda was down after a play during Bishop Watterson’s drive. He was able to walk off the field, and play resumed. Following the injury, Bishop Watterson failed to convert on third down and punted the ball back to Toledo Central Catholic.
The first quarter nearly ends with Toledo Central Catholic punting the ball following their drive. With a few seconds on the clock, Bishop Watterson gets a play off before time expires. Their drive will continue to start the second quarter. The score at the end of the first is 7-0 Toledo Central Catholic.
After a personal foul on Bishop Watterson, Toledo Central Catholic right tackle Braylen Whitney appeared to be emotionally charged with a member of the Bishop Watterson defense on the ground, resulting in another personal foul, this time on the offense. This cost Toledo Central Catholic 15 yards on their drive.
Following a somewhat controversial touchdown by Toledo Central Catholic, Bishop Watterson received the ball once again, and after a third and long pass attempt rendered incomplete, they kicked the ball away, landing around the 31-yard line. Score remains 7-0 Toledo Central Catholic.
The ruling of the touchdown stood its ground, according to officials. Toledo Central Catholic has scored the first touchdown of the game. The point after attempt is good, bringing the score to 7-0 Toledo Central Catholic. 3:58 remains in the first quarter.
A productive drive led Toledo Central Catholic to a red zone scenario well into the first quarter. However, Bishop Watterson didn’t quit. Their defense on the run led to a third and goal scenario for Toledo Central Catholic. On the third down play, Bishop Watterson stuffed up the run once again, leading to fourth and goal. On the fourth down play, quarterback Ali Beydoun kept the ball and made a break for it and dived for the end zone. The call on the field was a touchdown, but the play is under review.
Both teams seem to have put up a considerable effort on defense. Toledo Central Catholic produced another third down stop, leading to another punt from Bishop Watterson.
Toledo Central Catholic was unable to find the end zone on their first drive as well. The drive showed some energy, as quarterback Ali Beydoun scrambled down the field for some yards, but ultimately the drive ended in a punt after a pass on a third down conversion was incomplete. Score remains 0-0.
Toledo Central Catholic kicked the ball to start the game. It was received and brought down to the 17-yard line. After a strong defensive start from Toledo Central Catholic, Bishop Watterson punted the ball away.
Watterson defeated London 56-21 in a state semifinal.
Toledo Central Catholic held off Youngstown Ursuline 7-6 in a state semifinal.
Watterson enters the weekend with a perfect 15-0 record for the first time in the history of the program. The Eagles have outscored opponents 620-97 this season and has had a running clock in 13 of their games. Watterson is hoping to win this rematch of the 2023 state title game. Toledo Central Catholic won that game 27-7. Watterson is in the state finals for a seventh time and has won two state titles. The Eagles have a record of 54-25 in the playoffs.
Toledo Central Catholic is looking for its third straight state championship. The second came in 2023 against Watterson 27-7. This is the only rematch from 2023 this weekend. TCC would become the 12th team to win three consecutive state championships if the Fighting Irish are able to make it happen. Irish head coach Greg Dempsey is in his 25th year and has a record of 266-54.
TCC forced three turnovers and limited Watterson to just 139 yards of total offense on the way to a 27-7 win in last year’s OHSAA Division III state championship game. It was the 31st consecutive win overall for the Irish, who had won the 2022 Division II state title. The Irish used an interception, a fumbled punt return and a botched snap on a punt attempt by the Eagles to score 21 points en route to the 2023 title. Running back Marquan Braswell ran for 169 yards on 22 carries with two touchdowns to lead the TCC offense.
The Division III state title game will be televised on Spectrum News 1. Kickoff is at 3 p.m.
OHSAA state finals: Ohio high school football state championships predictions, breaking down OHSAA finals
In addition to airing on TV on Spectrum News 1, the game can be streamed using the Spectrum News App or via OHSAA.tv.

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