Cathedral could not overcome a 16-point, first quarter deficit Friday night against top-rated and three-time defending state champion Center Grove, losing 45-38 in a driving rain at Butler University to conclude the high school football regular season. A failed Irish punt attempt resulted in a safety halfway through the first quarter. Trojans’ quarterback Tyler Cherry then completed scoring passes of 40 yards to Brevin Holubar and 63 yards to Noah Coy. Trailing 16-0 to start the second period, Cathedral quarterback Danny O’Neil capped an eight-play, 80-yard drive with a 54-yard touchdown pass to Keith Long. The Irish recovered a Center Grove fumble on the second half kickoff, which led to a Van Krisiloff 33-yard field goal, narrowing the margin to 16-10. On the next two Trojan possessions, Cherry tossed a 14-yard TD pass to Coy and sneaked into the end zone from a yard out. Behind 31-10, the Irish answered with a 58-yard O’Neil TD pass to Albren Johnson. Cathedral then recovered the ensuing onside kick. Jalen Bonds scored on a 4-yard run two minutes later, pulling to within one score, 31-24, in the final minute of the third quarter. On the first drive of the final period, Cherry connected with Coy for a third touchdown pass. Andrew Hennessy appeared to have sealed the CG victory on an 11-yard scoring run with just 1:52 remaining in the game. However, Cathedral drove 80 yards in just sixty seconds as O’Neil found Zack Meeks in the end zone for a 24-yard touchdown pass on the fourth play of the drive. Three plays and 19 seconds after recovering a second onside kick, O’Neil threw his fourth TD pass, a 25-yarder to Johnson, with 30 seconds to play. The Trojans gained a first down in the closing seconds to run out the clock and preserve the 7-point victory. O’Neil completed 23 of 42 passes for 331 yards. Meeks caught seven passes for a career-high 108 yards. Cherry connected on 19 of his 23 passing attempts for 336 yards. Coy gained 151 yards on eight receptions, while Holubar had 122 yards on six catches. Cathedral (6-3) will begin play in the 51st annual Indiana High School Athletic Association football state tournament in two weeks on October 27th when the Irish host winless North Central in a Class 6A Sectional 6 semi-final game. The Fighting Irish defeated the Panthers 49-6 earlier this season. Center Grove (8-1) opens tournament play at home against Franklin Central (4-5). The Trojans have eliminated the Flashes in sectional play five of the last six seasons. Cathedral and Center Grove could potentially meet again in the southern semi-state on November 17th.