CM cruises past BC High
McGowan shines in QB debut
DORCHESTER — Catholic Memorial head coach John DiBiaso was in need of a quarterback as his No. 1 Knights prepared to play BC High. He knew where to turn.
Providing a spark in the Knights’ passing game, senior captain Owen McGowan stepped in under center for the first time in his career and threw for 161 yards and totaled two touchdowns as Catholic Memorial cruised to a 35-7 win over BC High on Saturday afternoon in Dorchester.
Catholic Memorial will take on Xaverian for the Catholic Conference title next Saturday in West Roxbury.
Knowing the Knights were going to need to open it up at times on Saturday afternoon, DiBiaso spent all week prepping McGowan with passing reps with the first-team offense. McGowan still played the first three-and-ahalf quarters at his usual middle linebacker position and appeared at fullback.
“The game is so much different than practice because everything moves faster,” McGowan said. “Last year they really packed the box and stopped the run so we knew we were going to have to open it up and throw. I settled in after my first incompletion and our receivers made plays.”
Defensively, the Knights (3-0) were equally as explosive as they were on offense as Zach Mitchell, Jaden Skeete and Darius LeClair all came up with interceptions. Mitchell’s interception came with 4 minutes remaining in the second quarter and CM nursing a 7-0 lead. The Knights’ senior captain stepped in front of a Bobby Wiesenhahn pass over the middle and returned it 26 yards for a pick-six to increase CM’s lead to 14-0.
“I thought our secondary played terrific,” DiBiaso said. “We got pressure on them and we know (Wiesenhahn) is a good quarterback. We did not want to let him set his feet and our secondary came up big.”
The Knights forced a BC High punt before the half and got good field position. McGowan and the Knights’ offense took full advantage as the captain got BC High to bite on a fake bubble screen and then threw a 46-yard
pass to Tommy Leonard for a score to give CM a 21-0 advantage at the break.
BC High’s lone touchdown came midway through the third quarter courtesy of a 68-yard catch-and-run by Trevor Larnard that trimmed the deficit to 28-7. CM, however, salted the game away, going on a 14-play, 68-yard drive all on the ground, capped off by a Carson Harwood 2-yard touchdown run to push the advantage back up to 28 with 8 minutes left.