Dominic Theado receives a 52 yard pass from quarterback Drew Bellisari to score in the 4th quarter of the Eagles’ State Championship win over Toledo Central Catholic. (Press Pros Feature Photos By Julie McMaken Wright).
In rematch of last year’s state final, the Eagles overcame a slow start to capture program’s third championship.
Canton, OH – Despite a start that was painfully slow by its own standards, Watterson stuck to its game plan—and stayed confident—throughout the Division III state championship game Friday against Toledo Central Catholic at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
Veteran central Ohio columnist Jarrod Ulrey writes the OCC and sports at large for Press Pros
The Eagles, limited to just 44 yards of offense and two first downs in the first half but facing just a seven-point deficit, scored on each of their first three second-half possessions.
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During what became the final scoring drive of a 19-14 victory, Watterson combined the hard-nosed running of senior Zack Weber with a pair of long passes before a 9-yard touchdown run by junior quarterback Drew Bellisari with 1 minute, 29 seconds remaining capped it.
It was the kind of balance that proved necessary for Watterson to finally get by the Fighting Irish, who won the 2022 Division II state title and beat the Eagles 27-7 in last year’s Division III final—Watterson’s last defeat.
“I felt like we started to wear on them a little bit, we got some momentum and I thought we just built on it,” Eagles coach Brian Kennedy said. “What you guys saw out there, especially in the second half, was indicative of the seniors and what they’ve done, just their dedication and perseverance. They’re incredible. It was a team win. We battled through adversity and I just couldn’t be prouder of them. … We just had to get the offense going, and I go back to the seniors, the leadership, and believing—just not giving up, continuing to fight. Obviously, it paid off.”
Quarterback Drew Bellisari rushes for a nine-yard touchdown in Watterson’s win over Toledo Central Catholic.
Watterson, which previously won state titles in 2004 and ’10 and completed a 16-0 season with the win, had only been held under 30 points two times all season and won its state semifinal 56-21 over London.
Central Catholic, which was coming off a 7-6 win over Youngstown Ursuline in a state semifinal and finished 14-2, made it 7-0 on a 4-yard run by quarterback Ali Beydoun with 3 minutes, 58 seconds left in the opening quarter. On the fourth-down play, it was ruled on the field that Beydoun reached over the goal line for the score. Although it appeared on the replay that Beydoun was out of bounds before crossing the plane, the call stood on review.
Watterson, meanwhile, punted on each of its first four possessions without producing a first down. The Eagles punted on their fifth possession as well after getting the ball back following a Ben Uhlenhake interception.
Central Catholic drove to the Watterson 6 during the closing seconds of the first half, but kicker Blake Moody missed a 23-yard field goal.
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“We had the lead at the half, and they got their running game going in the second half,” said Greg Dempsey, who has guided Central Catholic to five state titles in 25 seasons as coach. “It was a hard-fought battle by two great football teams. They were obviously going to be geared up to stop the run, and our red-zone offense really hurt us tonight. There were definitely a couple critical times we could have gotten a yard.”
Watterson’s Zack Weber ran for 134 yards.
Central Catholic drove to the Watterson 9 on the opening drive of the third quarter, but on fourth-and-3, Beydoun was stopped for a 1-yard loss.
Weber, who entered the game with 1,733 yards and 13 touchdowns rushing, ran it eight times on the ensuing drive—including sprinting in from 28 yards with 1:06 left in the third quarter to tie it at 7.
Then on the ensuing kickoff, the Irish’s Jeremiah Fuller burst through a hole and sprinted 86 yards down the sideline to give his team a 14-7 lead.
“Especially if you watch the game from last year (against Central Catholic), we were not able to run the football,” Weber said. “We kind of flipped the script this year, and that’s a credit to our offensive line and our coaches. It’s us playing as 11 guys. We had confidence. We’d run the football well all year and we were able to do it.”
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Watterson began its second scoring drive at its own 24 with 42 seconds left in the third quarter and scored on the sixth play of the possession when junior quarterback Drew Bellisari hooked up with senior tight end Dominic Theado for a 52-yard touchdown. The extra point was blocked as the Irish held on to a 14-13 lead.
Toledo Central Catholic Fighting Irish show their dejection as the clock runs out.
The Eagles forced a punt on Central Catholic’s next possession and then went back to work offensively, this time marching 80 yards on 15 plays.
On fourth-and-13 from the Watterson 40, Bellisari hooked up with Theado downfield for an 18-yard reception.
“We lined up empty formation, I saw there was a little space in the middle and I was just trying to find that,” Theado said. “I look up and the ball is in the air. It was a one-on-one jump ball, and (I want to) win those, so I just went up and got it.”
Zack Weber celebrates his touchdown….and the Eagles’ Div. III state title.
Bellisari connected with senior wide receiver Tommy Haley for 20 yards to move to the Central Catholic 9 to set up his scoring run on the next play.
The Eagles’ two-point conversion pass failed, but Central Catholic didn’t get past midfield on its final possession.
“We talk a lot about pursuit and pursuing the football,” said Weber, who also was a three-year starter at linebacker. “Whether that’s going to the back pile-on in case they break a tackle or a defensive lineman running down the line on a swing play, it’s the little things that matter. It’s a credit to our defense because we were able to execute tonight. It’s obviously good when they don’t have the ball in their hands a lot, so it’s also a credit to our offensive line.”
Weber finished with 134 yards on 28 carries and Bellisari rushed for 63 yards on 13 attempts while also throwing for 88 yards to lead the Eagles’ offense. 
Beydoun completed 15 of 22 passes for 158 yards. Senior Isaiah Fox, who spent most of the season as the starter before going down late in the season with an injury, stepped in at quarterback during the final drive and completed three of his five attempts for 19 yards but was sacked for a 9-yard loss by sophomore defensive lineman Michael Boyle with 55 seconds remaining.
Watterson has gone 61-30 in eight seasons under Kennedy, but that included a 2-8 finish during his first season at the helm in 2017.
“Coach Kennedy these past four years has been able to make us buy in,” Weber said. “We’d do anything for coach Kennedy, and that’s the same thing for all the other coaches. We play for them.”
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