Catholic Central Adds Crestview to Schedule as Roster Issues Reshape OHC Slate

The Irish will host Ashland Crestview on Sept. 25 after cancelling a third straight game, while Ohio Heritage Conference teams are freed to seek new opponents.

Catholic Central's football season continues to shift because of roster shortages, and the Irish now have a replacement matchup set. Ashland Crestview will visit for a home game on Friday, Sept. 25, filling the slot that had been reserved for Madison-Plains.

Catholic Central told Madison-Plains on Sept. 17 that it intended to call off this week's game, citing safety concerns, according to Madison-Plains athletic director Scott Brickner. It marked the third contest in a row the Irish opted out of, following scrapped dates with West Liberty-Salem on Sept. 11 and West Jefferson on Sept. 18. Those moves came after Catholic Central, then 0-2, forfeited the second half of a Sept. 4 game at Triad.

Another change is already in motion beyond Friday. Southeastern, which was slated to face the Irish on Oct. 2, has arranged a replacement game against New London, a Division VII school in Huron County. Madison-Plains had also reached out to Crestview about playing this week but was declined over similar safety concerns, per Brickner.

The Ohio Heritage Conference voted last week to release every team still scheduled to meet Catholic Central from those commitments. South Division schools may line up different opponents or keep their original schedules, according to commissioner Steve Conley, who said he knew of no games currently on Catholic Central's calendar. The Irish have told conference counterparts they intend to look for matchups they believe would not raise the same safety issues. Attempts to reach Catholic Central for comment were unsuccessful.