HISTORY OF CENTRAL CATHOLIC FOOTBALL

usnikefootball — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 22:40:43 GMT

The Central Catholic Vikings have a long, rich football tradition. The school was founded in 1927 and has fielded a football team for 81 years. There have been many standout teams and players over the years. Some of those teams included the undefeated teams of 1951 and 1964. Many players went on to the NFL including Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino, ’79; quarterback Marc Bulger (currently of the St. Louis Rams) ’95; Jeff Dugan ’99 currently with the Minnesota Vikings, Justin Kerpeikis ’97; who was a member of the Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots in 2005; and John Babinecz ’68 who played for the Dallas Cowboys. Although Central has had great success in the past, having won the Catholic League titles and a state championship in 1988, the period from 2000 to 2007 has produced success that is unparalleled in school history. The Vikings have an overall record of 90-14 and have claimed three WPIAL Quad A championships, (2003, 2004, and 2007). They have also won 2 state titles (2004 and 2007) and have been runner-up once in 2003. They have won consecutive conference championships. Along with that success has come a great deal of recognition both statewide and nationally. Central has been ranked nationally for 6 consecutive years and is the only WPIAL team ever to achieve such a lofty status.
The 2004 team finished as the #6 ranked team by USA Today and was also selected as the American Football Monthly Private School National Champions. They were the first team in Pennsylvania history to post a 16-0 record. Locally, the Vikings have been ranked in the Top 10 for all 8 of those years in the top 10 in the state for 7 of those 8 years including being ranked #1 for 44 total weeks from 2004-2007.

Individually the program has produced we All State players during that span; 15 BIG 33 players (Pennsylvania VS. Ohio All Star game); 16 Division I players; 4 All Americans; three Post-Gazette players of the year, and has dominated the All Conference teams with 76 players chosen overall. Current head coach Terry Totten has also been named Coach of the Year twice.

With all that success has come great expectations and this year is no exception. The bar has been set high for the program and the 2008 team will do all it can to meet the challenge of defending the tradition. This year’s squad returns only 3 starters on defense and 1 on offense. They will attempt to overcome that youth and inexperience by continuing to play the brand of football that has become Central’s trademark. On defense, more commonly known as the “chain gang”, they will seek to play an aggressive, swarming style that emphasizes speed and physical toughness. The offense may not be as high powered as in recent years, but expect them to come out with a balanced, ball control style that is efficient and opportunistic with the ability to still make the big play and capitalize on their opponents’ weaknesses. After leading the league in points and total offense last year, look for them to once again put points on the board.

The entire Central Catholic community is looking forward to another exciting season. Hopefully with a lot of hard work, this team will continue to improve and eventually be a force in the playoffs.

CENTRAL VS. USC – WHY IT’S A RIVALRY

usnikefootball — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 22:46:55 GMT

It’s a big rivalry because it pits two of the most successful Quad A programs over the past 20 years. Between the two schools there have been 7 WPIAL titles and 5 PIAA state titles. Most recently, USC was the 2006 state champion while Central claimed the title in 2007, so you’ve got a lot of pride and tradition at stake as the state champions of the past 2 years square off for bragging rights.

The 2 teams also share a personal history, having matched up against one another in many big games over the years. In 1988, USC defeated Central 7-0 in the championship game but decided not to participate in the state playoffs. Central advanced to win the state championship that year. The Vikings returned the favor in 2003, beating USC by a score of 42-10 in the championship game.

In a class match-up in 2004, Central defeated USC 21-13 in the semi-finals before going on to win their second straight WPIAL Quad A title.

Coach Jim Render of USC is the winningest coach of all time in the QPIAL Quad A classification. It’s always a challenge to go against the best and this year’s version of the Central Catholic Vikings, although young and inexperienced, will put everything on the line to defend the tradition and represent the entire Central Catholic community with pride and honor.

US Nike Football

HISTORY OF CENTRAL CATHOLIC FOOTBALL

CENTRAL VS. USC – WHY IT’S A RIVALRY