Central Catholic starts quickly, pulls away from Norwin in Class 6A matchup

By: Josh Rizzo
Thursday, October 9, 2025 | 11:16 PM

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Norwin’s football team needed a fast start to put pressure on Central Catholic on Thursday at Gesling Stadium. The Vikings didn’t allow the Knights any traction.

Central Catholic forced a three-and-out to open the game and scored on its second play from scrimmage, a 65-yard touchdown by Jayden Alexander, en route to a 35-6 Class 6A Conference win.

Vikings coach Ryan Lehmeier wants his team to be stepping on the gas from the opening whistle.

“I think any time we play, we want to start fast,” Lehmeier said. “I thought the pass rush and the pressure we were able to put on (Norwin quarterback Tristyn Tavares), we were able to apply that right off the jump.”

The Vikings clinched a playoff spot and are unlikely to lose their position atop the section.

Central Catholic (7-1, 4-0) extended its lead in the first half to 21-0 on a pair of touchdown passes from quarterback Owen Herrick to Colsen Gatten. Gatten, a Duke commit, hauled in scoring passes of 41 and 16 yards.

Norwin coach Mike Brown was unhappy with the start. But liked how the Knights didn’t allow things to get out of control.

“A team like that, you are going to get down quick,” Brown said. “I’m glad the kids kept fighting. In the past, that would have turned into a quick, 21, 28 or 35. I’m happy the kids settled themselves in an atmosphere like this.”

Norwin had opportunities to put some pressure on Central Catholic late in the first half.

Trailing 21-0, the Knights (5-3, 2-2) forced a pair of turnovers that put them in Vikings territory.

The Knights took over inside the Vikings 35 after recovering a muffed punt. But Norwin turned the ball over on downs.

Michael DeFazio gave Norwin another chance with 14 seconds left in the first half. He intercepted Herrick on a diving effort along the sideline.

Tavares fired a pass to Potter Brozeski, who was open by the front corner of the end zone, but the ball floated past his fingers during a diving effort.

“It’s killing our season, missing opportunities and turning the ball over,” Brown said. “We’re going to watch the film, learn from it and, hopefully, next week we can count on those plays being made.”

Brozeski got separation again late in the third quarter. Tavares found him down the sideline for a 51-yard score to cut the lead to 21-6 with 3 minutes, 35 seconds left in the quarter.

Central Catholic didn’t let Norwin sustain the momentum.

Roman Thompson scored on a 52-yard run 13 seconds later to stretch the lead back to 22 points. He added a 2-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

“It’s the guys up front,” Thompson said. “I hit the right hole, and they set up the blocks the perfect way. I’ll just take it to the house.”

Central Catholic struggled to move the ball because of penalties. The Vikings had two touchdowns called back. But Lehmeier said Norwin’s strategy changes in the second half caused them some issues.

“I thought Mike (Brown) did a hell of a job in the second half and gave us different looks there,” Lehmeier said. “He does a great job of defense. He changed the fronts and coverages, and we had to adjust.”

Tags: Central Catholic, Norwin