Tonight, the Trojans will be faced with their biggest challenge of the year. They are up against the only team ranked above them in the state, Cathedral. Both teams are undefeated at 8-0, and this game will undoubtedly decide who the No. 1 team in the state is going into the postseason.

“Both teams are undefeated so far this season,” said senior running back Carson Steele. “Their number one in 5A [and] we’re number one in 6A so this week has a big impact since the whole state is watching.”

This season the Trojans have won every game with an average point differential of 37.25. Last week they improved to 8-0 with a 28-13 win over Lawrence North, securing their spot as undefeated MIC champions. This is a feat that has only been accomplished one other time: the 2015 season, in which the Trojans won the state championship. In the past two weeks particularly, the Trojans have proven that they can handle being put in tough situations. Against Pike, they trailed 14-7 early after a big kick return and blown coverage. Against Lawrence North they went down 13-0 at half. In both of these games, the Trojans rallied back to win handily, beating Pike by 43 and Lawrence North by 15.

“We need to commit to playing sound football,” said senior safety Braytton Spetter. “We need to play physical and play our game.”

Cathedral, led by senior quarterback Nathan McCahill, is undefeated, as well. Ranked No. 1 in the state, the Irish have an average point differential of 24. McCahill is a former Trojan, as he attended Center Grove for the first couple of weeks of school in 2019. As Cathedral’s starting quarterback this year, he has thrown for 2147 yards, with 26 touchdowns and only four interceptions. Overall, this Cathedral team should prove to be a tough matchup for the Trojans.

“We need to shut down their key weapons,” said senior linebacker Sam Hesser. “They have a good quarterback, good receivers, and a good safety that we call a linebacker who we need to shut down. As long as we do what we do we’ll be fine.”

A win this week means that the Trojans will not only have their first undefeated season since 2015, but they will also secure the No. 1 ranking in the state going into the playoffs. Basically, a win sparks momentum for the upcoming postseason.

“Cathedral is just one of those teams,” said senior wide receiver Ben Balsley. “It’s a big rivalry game, so it gets heated. It’s [going to] be a tough one but hope to keep the undefeated streak alive.”