Defense paves way for GR Catholic Central’s win over Marine City

Grand Rapids Catholic Central has one yet another, this time defeating Marine City by the score of 31-7. It was actually a defensive showdown, as the score was 10-7 with 0:19 left in the 3rd until Catholic Central really opened it up. This is Catholic Central’s 3rd state championship victory in a row and Marine City’s first appearance since 2013. As things go with these articles, I’ll list some stats, highlight the top players, and give a final word on each team’s season. <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Quick Stats</span></strong> <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 105px;"> <tbody> <tr style="height: 21px;"> <td style="width: 33.3333%; height: 21px;"></td> <td style="width: 33.3333%; height: 21px;">Marine City</td> <td style="width: 33.3333%; height: 21px;">Grand Rapids Catholic Central</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 21px;"> <td style="width: 33.3333%; height: 21px;">Passing</td> <td style="width: 33.3333%; height: 21px;">138 yards, 1TD</td> <td style="width: 33.3333%; height: 21px;">221 yards, 2TD’s, 1 INT</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 21px;"> <td style="width: 33.3333%; height: 21px;">Rushing</td> <td style="width: 33.3333%; height: 21px;">77 yards</td> <td style="width: 33.3333%; height: 21px;">7 yards, 1TD</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 21px;"> <td style="width: 33.3333%; height: 21px;">Third-Down conversions</td> <td style="width: 33.3333%; height: 21px;">4/14</td> <td style="width: 33.3333%; height: 21px;">6/12</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 21px;"> <td style="width: 33.3333%; height: 21px;">Time of Possession</td> <td style="width: 33.3333%; height: 21px;">28:57</td> <td style="width: 33.3333%; height: 21px;">19:20</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Standout Athletes </span></strong> <strong>Grand Rapids Catholic Central ’22 LB/WR [player_tooltip player_id="30137" first="Nolan" last="Ziegler"]</strong> The Notre Dame commit has impressed yet again, totaling 136 yards receiving with 2 touchdowns and 7 receptions while posting an amazing 13 tackles on defense. He’ll now go on to Notre Dame after putting a nice cap on his high school career. Here are his thoughts on the game and his future. https://youtu.be/dX0e5LUAPoI <strong>Grand Rapids Catholic Central LB <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11259651/Jack-Klafeta">Jack Klafeta  </a></strong> Klafeta did his job incredibly well against a team who ran the ball quite a lot. His reaction time was stellar and he always finished his tackles. Klafeta totaled 9 tackles with a 34-yard fumble return, and he undoubtedly played a huge role in helping GRCC win yet another title. <strong>Marine City DB ’22 <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/10215287/Scott-Kretzschmar">Scott Kretzchma </a></strong> This guy had a great game and made a huge late interception that seemed to have turned the momentum to Marine City for a fleeting moment. With good awareness and general DB skills, Kretzchma should be proud of his last high school performance. <strong>Marine City MLB ’22 <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/8438083/Wyatt-Walker">Wyatt Walker </a></strong> Walker was a force on defense today helping Marine City hold GRCC to just 10 points until very late in the 3rd quarter. He finished with 9 total tackles with 1TFL and 1 pass breakup. Like Kretzchma, Walker should be extremely proud of the fight and effort he put into his final high school snaps. <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Grand Rapids Catholic Central</span></strong> The absolute most dominant program in Michigan High School Football over the past few years. They practically walked their way to the state title game and ended up running away from this one late. The main difference I saw between the teams is GRCC changed it up quite a bit, trying out different formations, schemes, etc, while Marine City changed less, thus the results didn’t follow. <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Marine City</span></strong> They played their hearts out. Under the lights, the effort did not waiver and the results were there for 3 whole quarters. at At 10-7, the game was in their grasp but that GRCC offense suddenly found life and when they did, they were unstoppable. After the game, I had the pleasure of asking Head Coach Daryn Letson about the experience. Here’s what he had to say. https://youtu.be/MWf38H1fNqI