FREMONT - The bar got a little higher for Central Catholic last night and once again the Fighting Irish cleared it with ease.
Central (12-1), ranked 10th in Ohio, moved on to the Division II state football semifinals with a convincing 35-14 victory over top-ranked Avon Lake at Don Paul Stadium in Fremont.
"How often do you get the chance to play the No. 1 team," Irish coach Greg Dempsey said. "That's a great opportunity to have, and that's the way our kids saw it. Luckily tonight, we made some big plays and took advantage of it."
No previous Central team had advanced beyond the second round in the postseason, but this Irish squad is showing no signs of slowing down.
Central likely will play Dayton Carroll (13-0) Friday at a site to be determined. Carroll topped Springboro 20-7 in another regional final.
The winning formula was about the same for the Irish as in prior playoff wins over Tiffin Columbian (24-10) and Mansfield Madison (42-14). Aggressive defense, a few big plays, a 4-0 edge in turnovers, plus a whole lot of do-it-all junior standout Dane Sanzenbacher.
Sanzenbacher scored three touchdowns, intercepted two passes, recovered a fumble and, for good measure, recovered a late onside kick by the Shoremen (12-1). In three playoff wins, he has five TDs and five interceptions.
"I think he was selling 50-50 tickets at halftime," Dempsey joked. "He did everything else tonight. He made big plays at big times, and what else can you say. It seems like he does it every week."
The most dazzling play by Sanzenbacher in this game came when he turned his second pick into a TD.
That came with 6:56 left in the game when he leaped to make a one-hand grab of Shoremen quarterback Andy Peterson's pass at the Irish 3, braced himself to keep from touching a knee down, then streaked 97 yards down the left sideline for Central's final TD and a 35-7 lead.
Sanzenbacher (four catches, 98 yards) also scored the game's first TD on a 47-yard catch-and-run play on a pass from senior QB Kevin Jansen 2:22 into the second quarter, and added a 15-yard score on a third-and-11 pass from Jansen 1:06 into the fourth.
"We knew we couldn't be intimidated," said Jansen (6-of-11, 113 yards). "We had to come out and stick it to them right away. We were focused all week in practice, and we just wanted to come out here and make a statement. I think we did that."
Both Sanzenbacher TD catches followed Avon Lake turnovers - the first after he picked off a Brian Pettys pass at his 4 and returned it 23 yards, the second on an Aaron Peterson interception of Andy Peterson with a return to the Shoremen 14.
"In the playoffs, every game is the next level," Sanzenbacher said of elevating his play, "so you've got to take it up. It's the intensity of the games, all the pressure and all the people here. You've got to step up.
"We came out knowing we had something to prove state-wise. They were the No. 1 team and nobody had beat them, so we wanted to do that."
Sanzenbacher also set up Central's second TD, a one-yard plunge by tailback Chris Willis for a 14-0 Irish lead 4:02 before halftime. When Shoremen Scott Nealon muffed Brodie Wagener's punt, Sanzenbacher recovered at the Avon Lake 14.
Central's other TD came one play after a 29-yard Jansen-to-Sanzenbacher hookup.
On his only carry, Kevin Boyle ran for seven yards and appeared to be stopped before breaking free to complete a 35-yard TD run with 2:06 left in the third quarter.
This was a backbreaker for the Shoremen, who appeared to have gained some momentum from Chris Rau's 16-yard TD run just 65 seconds earlier.
"We believe we're going to make plays," Irish linebacker Lee Marquette said. "Even when something bad happens, we just bounce back and try to make a play to spark the fire and keep it going."
Rau (11 carries, 107 yards) also scored Avon Lake's final TD on a seven-yard run with 1:55 remaining.
"You can't have fumbles, interceptions, and penalties in a playoff game, because the teams are too good and they take advantage of those things," Avon Lake coach Dave Dlugosz said.
The loss denied the Shoremen a third straight trip to the state semis.
Contact Steve Junga at:
sjunga@theblade.com
or 419-724-6461.
First Published November 19, 2005, 12:00 p.m.
