Seventh-rated Cathedral trailed fourth-ranked Center Grove, 45-35, entering the final quarter Friday night, but the Fighting Irish scored 14 unanswered points in the final six minutes to defeat the Trojans, 49-45, in high school football. It’s the first time in school history that Cathedral has won a game in which an opponent has scored more than 40 points. After returning the opening kickoff to the 36-yard line, Xavier Dangerfield ran 64 yards on the first play from scrimmage to give the Fighting Irish a 7-0 lead. On its first possession, Center Grove drove to the Cathedral 3-yard line. On third and goal, Zyon Hill intercepted Gabe McWilliams’ pass at the one and returned it to the Trojans’ 39-yard line. Six plays later, Van Krisiloff kicked a 37-yard field goal. Nolan Rees’ 80-yard touchdown run on the first play of the next Center Grove drive trimmed the deficit to 10-7. The Irish responded with quarterback Cam Koers completing a 72-yard TD pass to Devaughn Slaughter. In the closing seconds of the opening period, the Trojans’ Drake McClurg ran 22 yards for a touchdown, cutting the Irish lead to 17-14. Following Cathedral’s only punt of the night, Dallas Cornpropst ended a 12-play, 72-yard Center Grove drive with a score-tying 23-yard field goal midway through the second quarter. Seconds later, the Trojans recovered a fumble at the Irish 27-yard line, which led to a McClurg 3-yard scoring run. Koers’ 42-yard touchdown pass to Albren Johnson tied the score 24-24. McWilliams threw a 33-yard scoring pass to Tristan Baxter with just 31 seconds remaining in the first half. However, Cathedral moved the ball 33 yards in just three plays to setup Krisiloff’s career-long 44-yard field goal with two seconds to go, pulling the Irish to within 31-27 at the intermission. A failed onside kick attempt to start the second half allowed Center Grove to start at its own 49-yard line. Six minutes and 13 plays later, McWilliams sneaked one yard into the end zone to give the Trojans an 11-point lead. The Irish answered with Dangerfield’s second touchdown, a 4-yard run, and a two-point conversion pass from Koers to Slaughter, narrowing the score to 38-35. In the final minute of the third quarter, McWilliams tossed a 13-yard scoring pass to Dominick Barry, increasing the Trojans’ lead to ten points. Koers ended a 14-play, six-and-a-half minute, 64-yard drive with a 1-yard sneak for a TD in the middle of the final period. Jack Lockhart then covered an onside kick at the Trojans’ 43-yard line. Five plays later, Dangerfield ran 24 yards for his third score, moving Cathedral ahead 49-45. Center Grove had two more chances to regain the lead in the final four-and-a-half minutes, but both possessions ended with McWilliams’ interceptions by Lockhart and Aden Chase. Chase’s takeaway came with just 35 seconds to play. The two teams combined for 1,004 yards of total offense. Cathedral totaled 466 yards, while Center Grove gained 538 yards. However, the Irish defense limited the Trojans to just 22 yards and two of 11 passing in the fourth quarter. Dangerfield rushed for 196 yards on 29 attempts. He has run for 100 or more yards in each of his last four games. Koers completed 14 of 16 passes for a career-high 255 yards. Slaughter caught three passes for 117 yards. It’s the senior’s first 100-yard receiving performance in his 21 varsity games. McWilliams completed 23 of 36 passes for 317 yards increasing his season total to 1,972 yards, which ranks him among the top five Indiana high school quarterbacks for most passing yards this season. Center Grove still leads the all-time series with Cathedral eight games to six. With the end of their five-game winning streak, the Trojans fall to 5-2. The Fighting Irish have now won their three-in-a-row and take a 4-2 record into Friday’s 46th all-time meeting with Roncalli. The Irish have won their last 13 outings against the Royals.