The Grand Rapids Catholic Central Cougars entered Saturday one win away from returning to Ford Field. After four quarters of play, they left Frankenmuth without any points, and they accomplished their mission. This Thanksgiving weekend, Grand Rapids Catholic Central will be playing for a State Championship. They advance to the title bout after a 35-0 shutout.
In the first quarter, GRCC saw a pair of aerial strikes go for points. First, Connor Wolf and Jami Williams linked up for an 11-yard touchdown toss. Later in the frame, Wolf aired it out to Kellen Russell-Dixon for the 7-yard score. This gave the Cougars an early 14-0 edge. Neither team would score in the second stanza, giving GRCC the same advantage heading into halftime.
Early in the third quarter, Russell-Dixon added to the lead. He powered across the goal line from 3 yards out, extending the margin to 21 points. This tally would reach 28 points after Wolf and Mill Coleman III teamed up for a dynamic 33-yard touchdown connection.
Ahead 28-0, the Cougars had one more scoring play up their sleeve. In the opening minute of the fourth quarter, Russell-Dixon broke free on a 24-yard touchdown run. This moved the score to its conclusion, 35-0 in favor of Grand Rapids Catholic Central.
The Cougars outgained Frankenmuth by just 53 yards in this victory, 303-248. Connor Wolf finished the day 12/18 passing for 183 yards and three scores. He added 69 rushing yards, while Russell-Dixon finished with 49. This win allowed Grand Rapids Catholic Central to advance to the State Championship next weekend against Corunna. This is the fourth trip in five seasons, and the tenth time in program history (1978, 1987, 2005, 2010, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023). Next weekend, they will look for their latest State Championship when they battle 13-0 Corunna.
