#7 Cathedral vs #1 Ben Davis: Game Preview Friday, August 23, 7:00 p.m. Giant Stadium at Ben Davis High School Radio Broadcast: 6:30 p.m. Online at https://foxsports1260.iheart.com/ iHeart Radio App https://ww.iheart.com/live/fox-sports-1260-am-905/ The 2024 Indianapolis Cathedral football team makes its debut tonight when the Fighting Irish kick off the school’s 106th season at Class 6A reigning state champion Ben Davis. The Giants eliminated the Irish from the tournament in the regional round last year, 27-24, on their way to a 10th football title. Ben Davis has won the previous 15 meetings against Cathedral, which last defeated the Giants in 1987. Ben Davis graduated Indiana Football Coaches Association (IFCA) Top 50 All State performers quarterback Thomas Gotkowski and linebacker Nylan Brown. Returning are IFCA Top 50 defensive back selection Mark Zachery, who has committed to Notre Dame, and 6A junior all-state running back Alijah Price. The schedule doesn’t get much easier after tonight as the Irish will face the top four teams in the IFCA Class 6A preseason poll. A week two matchup with third-rated Brownsburg precedes a visit to Ohio power Cincinnati St. Xavier the following week. The Bombers return to the Irish calendar after a three-year absence. Week four, Cathedral will battle Class 3A two-time reigning champion Bishop Chatard for the 50th time in a series that began in 1970. A homecoming matchup with Indianapolis North Central leads into an open week, followed by games against number two Center Grove, which moves from week nine to week seven, rival Roncalli, and fourth-rated Warren Central. The Warriors return to the schedule for the first time since 2014. Opponents Lafayette Jeff, Penn, Lexington Frederick Douglass, and Cincinnati La Salle, all Irish wins in 2023, are not on this season’s schedule. Irish opponents for the upcoming campaign produced a combined 64-33 record (.660) last season, which is better than the 66-39 (.629) mark compiled by Cathedral’s regular season adversaries a year ago.