Crusaders build confidence for next season
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STEUBENVILLE -- Even though the 2020 season was not one of the more successful in the storied history of Catholic Central football, it will not soon be forgotten.
For starters, the Crusaders were able to play a 10-game schedule (the slate did undergo massive changes, as contests with Columbus Whetstone, Ashtabula St. John, Cleveland John Hay and Pittsburgh Carrick were scrapped due to COVID-19) in the allotted time period. With the coronavirus pandemic, getting in a full season proved to be a feat in itself.
Second, on Oct. 10, Central made history when it played the first varsity football game on Leo Buffone Field (contests with Bridgeport, Zanesville Bishop Rosecrans and Buckeye Local were staged inside the Michael Carapellotti Crusader Sports Complex). The Crusaders earned both of their victories on sun-splashed Saturday afternoons at the facility.
Central's season ended last Friday with a tough 14-10 road loss at Morgantown Trinity Christian. Four turnovers and a tipped pass for a touchdown were the difference in the Crusader defeat.
"Obviously, we are very thankful that we were able to play an entire 10-game schedule," second-year head coach Anthony Agresta said. "At the onset of the season, we did not know if we were even going to play one game. So, the fact that we played 10 was great.
"Our young and inexperienced kids were fortunate enough to get in a full season. That is going to pay a lot of dividends for our program in the years to come."
Due to a rash of injuries and other issues, Agresta found himself needing to play a number of sophomores and freshmen. Heading into the Trinity game, 17 of Central's original 22 starters were not on the field.
"A lot of the younger kids we had on the field play interior positions (sophomores Tate McKenna and Jerome Coniker were regulars on the line as freshmen)," Agresta said. "We are going to need some people to step up at the skilled positions -- that is something we are thinking about. The question is who will step into those positions next season.
"Isaac Hough started for us as a receiver and defensive back as a senior, but he had never played football before. Ryan Anderson came in for us as a junior midway through the season and showed some growth and all sorts of potential. He will need to be a player next year who can make some plays for us. We feel confident in terms of what we have going on from tackle to tackle on both sides of the football, but we will need to have some people step up at the skilled positions as we move forward."
From a stat standpoint, senior quarterback Ryan Gorman finished with 960 passing yards and threw for six touchdowns. Gorman played football for the first time as a junior and missed part of last season with an injury.
Senior Vince Carapellotti led the team in receiving with 29 catches for 316 yards and two scores. He missed the final two games with an injury. Carapellotti played as a freshman but did not participate during his sophomore and junior years. Junior Primo Toriscelli hauled in 18 Gorman aerials, and Hough finished with 15 grabs. Sophomore Andrew Dorsey, a two-way starter, recorded 14 receptions.
Senior Isaiah Mullins was Central's top rusher with 436 yards. He found the end zone four times. Mullins, who transferred from Big Red, played in just five games due to OHSAA transfer rules. Gorman added 325 rushing yards, while junior Tim Lamantia contributed 190. Another two-way starter, Lamantia was injured early in the Buckeye Local game and missed the season finale.
Agresta praised his senior class for "stepping forward and contributing to the program."
"Deep in every senior's heart, they want to have some memories to take with them," he said. "They made memories of their own, and there are a few memories that we let them carry with them.
"What I hope they will realize as the years pass is they were part of the foundation that we will use to build some things for the future. I hope they take a lot of pride in the fact that they were the pillars and footers that we are able to build our program on."