Cathedral, coming off a top 10 win in week 1, was not afforded any time to rest leading into week 2. Tonight the Irish will square off against number 1 in the state Brownsburg High School at 7pm at Brownsburg. This will certainly be the game of the week with Brownsburg being number 1 in the state and Cathedral moving up to number 3 after week 1. 

The Irish fought through a defensive battle to pull out a week 1 victory against Ben Davis. An 8-0 game that might not have been the prettiest offensively, showed what the Cathedral defense is capable of. Defense has been a staple of Cathedrals for years but the Irish defense was stifling against Ben Davis.

The Giants had not been held scoreless since 2010 before not getting on the board last Friday. One of the best moments came from an interception from class of 2026 outside linebacker Houston Dinwiddie. “I’d say we performed well and all had each other’s backs. When their was a big play on us we stuck together and made things right.” 

On the other side, Brownsburg also had a dominating win over the number one ranked team in Maryland, Archbishop Spaulding, 36–23. The 2024 6A state champs return most pieces from a team that was dominant on their way to Lucas Oil. One of those important returning players is junior quarterback Oscar Frye. Frye is a highly recruited player across the country who the Irish defense will have to contain to pull off the upset on Friday.

Dinwiddie said, “We will have to stick together, fight through adversity, and execute our plays in order to stop Brownsburg.”

Just like the Ben Davis series, the Cathedral-Brownsburg game has proved to be very competitive over the last couple of seasons. Starting in 2022 Brownsburg defeated the Irish before Cathedral won their first 6A regional championship ever against Brownsburg in a classic regional game. The series has continued to be close as Brownsburg has taken the last two games in very tight matchups. This season looks to produce another close game.

With the game being played at Brownsburg, the crowd will play a huge factor. The Bulldogs stadium is a very impressive stadium that will be very hostile for Cathedral as the Irish look for the victory.  This game has all the signs pointed to it to be a marquee game of the season between two teams that will certainly be favorites to win their class’ state championship. Number 1 in 6A vs Number 1 in 5A, not much more to ask for in high school football in Indiana.

Dinwiddie said, “I’m definitely exited to play in this game with my brothers. It’s going to be a challenge, but we are all ready for it!”