Lake County Sentinel
Perry Handles Canton Central Catholic, Awaits Undefeated Garrettsville Garfield
BY KEN KRIZNER
STAFF
(PERRY, OH) - During the regular season, Perry Head Coach Bob Gecewich described Division 5, Region 17 as being loaded with many high quality football programs. In fact, five of the top 12 ranked teams in Division 5 reside in Region 17.
After dispatching ninth-seeded Canton Central Catholic, 37-0, Friday night in a Region 17 quarterfinal matchup at Alumni Stadium, the Pirates can turn their attention to those quality programs in what they hope is a long playoff run.
First up, Garrettsville Garfield. The G-men defeated Conneaut, 48-14, in their Region 17 quarterfinal, setting up a battle of 11-0 teams next Friday at Perry.
Against Central Catholic, a program with three state championships in five title game appearances in its history, the Pirates put up a dominating performance, getting contributions from all three phases of the game.
The Crusaders (7-5) were in the regional quarterfinals after the Ohio High School Athletic Association disqualified first-round opponent Youngstown Liberty from the playoffs for using an ineligible player. They came into the game winners of six of their last seven games.
But Central Catholic could not take advantage of the second chance as Perry effectively took control of the game within a 60-second span of the first quarter when it scored 16 points.
The Pirates took the opening kickoff and methodically moved the ball 70 yards downfield. They relied mostly on the running game, using senior Carter Hopkins and junior Traxton Richards to pick up 55 yards. Senior quarterback Nate Trefzger contributed four pass completions as the Pirates gained five first downs on the drive. Trefzger’s 10-yard touchdown pass to senior fullback Michal Niedzwiecki, on the 12th play of the drive, put the Pirates ahead, 7-0.
Following the kickoff, the Crusaders took over at their own 19 yard line, but a facemask penalty on junior running back Kenny Stroud set them back to the 11 yard line. On the next play, junior quarterback Brock Brourquin, playing with bruised ribs as a result of an injury last week against Youngstown Liberty, dropped back to pass and was promptly tackled in the end zone by junior Mason Bilicic for a safety.
It immediately got worse for Central Catholic.
On the ensuing freekick, Richards took the ball at his own 40 yard line near the sideline, moved toward the middle and through Crusaders’ defenders, going 60 yards for the touchdown and a 16-0 lead.
Special teams rose up again for Perry soon after. After a Central Catholic possession went for little yardage, the Crusaders decided to punt. But junior Axel Estrada’s punt was blocked and the Pirates were set up on the Central Catholic 20 yard line.
Three plays later, Hopkins went in from three yards, and the Pirates were ahead 23-0 after one quarter.
Gecewich praised his special teams, which blocked two punts, setting up two touchdowns, and scoring one on its own.
“They were big for us,” he said. “They set our offense up in good position all night.”
On the defensive side of the ball, Perry was dominant. Central Catholic picked up only two first downs in the first half and did not cross the 50 yard line until there was about a minute left in the third quarter when the game was long out of reach. Bourquin was forced to throw early or scramble away from an aggressive Pirates pass rush. In the secondary, Crusaders’ wide receivers had difficulty finding open lanes.
The Perry offense gets a lot of the headlines, but its defense has made a name for itself this season. The defensive performance against Central Catholic continued an impressive streak for the Pirates. In the last nine games, the defense has given up only 35 total points recorded six shutouts.
“Our defense has been extremely well-prepared all season,” Gecewich said. “They tackle very well and do a good job of what it is they are supposed to do. The execution level has been very high.”
After Central Catholic turned the ball over on downs midway through the second quarter, the Pirates struck again. Niedzwiecki scored his second touchdown of the night from 17 yards, carrying a number of Crusaders’ defenders with him on his way to the end zone.
In the third quarter, Niedzwiecki almost had a third touchdown as he broke through and had the Pirates’ second blocked punt of the night. But he lost his balance at the Central Catholic 25 yard line. It was left to Richards to hit paydirt, going in for a 17-yard touchdown to complete the scoring.
As usual, Perry had a number of offensive players with runs and catches. Trefzger was especially happy with the running game, which picked up 177 yards in 26 attempts, led by Hopkins with 62 yards on 11 carries.
“We kept it on the ground and did what we had to do,” he noted. “It was a great win for us.”
Gecewich said Central Catholic used some defensive schemes the Pirates have not seen this season “that gave us some trouble” and forced the offense to have long, sustained drives.
“We haven’t seen enough of those (long drives) this season, so it was good for us,” he pointed out.
Looking forward to Garrettsville Garfield, Gecewich says the G-men present a unique physical offense that is hard to prepare for.
Perry has seen it firsthand. In 2023, as the Pirates were on their way to the Division V state championship, they met Garrettsville Garfield in the playoffs. While Perry won the game 42-14, Gecewich says the G-men presented some challenges that the Pirates had to overcome. They will get new chance next week.
“We have another week to play,” Gecewich said. “At this time of the year, that’s all that counts.”
POSTED 11/07/2026 00:35
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Perry defenders Jack Camper and Nick Gustin sack Canton Central Catholic quarterback Brock Bourquin during the Pirates 37-0 win on Firday night.
Photos by Ken Krizner
