The Grand Rapids Catholic Central Cougars and the Ottawa Hills Bengals met on Friday night in an old-school, City League showdown. In the end, the GRCC offense was way too much, as the team was en route to a 47-7 thrashing of the Bengals.
In the first quarter, the offense was slow. John Passinault was on in relief after Joey Silveri went down due to injuries. Midway through the quarter, he found Nolan Ziegler for a 51-yard touchdown strike. This gave GRCC a 7-0 lead, which they never relinquished.
In the second quarter, the offenses exploded on both sides. GRCC flexed their muscle with five touchdowns in the second frame. Passinault found Ronin Russell-Dixon on the first two scores, as he capped off 8 and 11 yard scoring plays. Ottawa Hills would finally get on the board with an Anthony George touchdown run.
The scoring onslaught continued, as Passinault found Zeigler and Russell-Dixon for scored. Jack Rellinger made it across the goal line as well, with a 1-yard plunge. This gave the Cougars a 40-7 lead at halftime.
In the second half, there was just one touchdown. With 10 minutes go, Carter Meerman reeled off a trick-play, bringing the game to its final tally of 47-7 Cougars.
John Passinault was brilliant in relief of Joey Silveri. He finished this game 15/20 for 228 yards and 5 touchdown. Nolan Ziegler led the receivers with 107 yards, while Ronin Russell-Dixon added 93.
Next week, the Cougars and their 28-game winning streak will see quite a challenger in Wayland. For Ottawa Hills, the Bengals are now 3-2. They will now take on Forest Hills Eastern.
