Covington Catholic is currently 70% of the way through their 2026 regular season and are sitting on a 4-3 record. While their record may not be what they hoped, their young team is still working with more than a few VERY strong performers. Despite the team’s 38-20 loss to Highlands in their first game of district competition last Friday, sophomore RB Kiyan Miller logged his fifth 100+ yard rushing game against the Bluebirds. He’s tallied over 1,043 all-purpose yards this season, and in his first 7 varsity starts he’s already registered 19 touchdowns and has averaged 115 yards per game on the ground. Junior QB Dylan Courtney, a 61% passer, has thrown for over 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns in 7 starts, while junior LB Cash Myers has quietly tallied 32 solo tackles on the defensive side of the ball, leading the Colonels defense in tackles for a second-straight season.

While Cov Cath is almost assured to finish their regular season with a winning record, they will be fighting to finish out their non-district schedule on Friday while still hanging onto a winning record for the regular season. That’s not going to be a walk in the park, with the Colonels heading 2 hours up I-74 to Indianapolis to take on the Cathedral Irish, currently ranked 7th in the Hoosier State.

Cathedral, who lost 17-10 to the Colonels last year in Park Hills, will host on Friday at Butler University’s Bud & Jackie Sellick Bowl. The Irish are also currently sitting on a 4-3 record, with a 33-27 loss to Ben Davis High School in Week 1 (currently ranked #15 in Indiana), a 33-19 loss to Loyola High School in Week 2 (currently ranked #1 in Illinois), and a 17-10 overtime loss in Week 6 to Trotwood-Madison (currently ranked #12 in Ohio). Their marquee win for the season came in Week 4 when they beat crosstown rival Bishop Chatard High School 16-14. The Chatard Trojans are currently 8th-ranked in Indiana, and that win stands just a step above the 30-21 Irish victory over the St. Xavier Bombers in Cincinnati the week before. The Bombers, currently ranked 22nd in Ohio, turned around two weeks later and handed Elder High School their first loss of the season, beating the Panthers 31-29 at The Pit. Elder is also the team who beat Covington Catholic 56-20 back in Week 2 of the season.

The Cathedral offense has a very balanced 49% passing, 51% rushing attack. Senior RB Xavier Dangerfield, who hold offers from the University of Toledo, Miami University, and Dartmouth College, is currently averaging 97 yards per game rushing while senior WR Evan Johnson, a Lindenwood University commit, is averaging 80 yards per game receiving. Dangerfield did not see action against Covington Catholic last year, while Johnson had a 17-yard and a 19-yard reception against the Colonels last year.

Cathedral’s offense is has had a two-headed attack behind center, with junior QB Luke Finn, a 70% passer, racking up 80 yards per game through the air, and sophomore QB Emmet Knowles, a 55% passer who’s racked up about 70 passing yards per game of his own. Finn, Cathedral’s QB2 last year, came into the game against Covington Catholic early in the second quarter after starting QB Cameron Koers left the game with a shoulder injury following a sack by Jonny Lind. Finn went 11-22 passing for 111 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT in the subsequent 3 quarters of football against the Colonels.

The Irish defensive charge is led by linebacker Caden Nelson, who’s averaged 8 solo tackles per game this season. Nelson tallied 7 solo tackles against Covington Catholic last year, including 3 tackles for loss. Junior defensive back Tim Onghetich, a University of Toledo, and Miami University recruit, has also logged 22 solo tackles and 2 interceptions this season.

What are your predictions for the game this Friday?

It looks like this one will be livestreamed thanks to the Indiana Sports Radio Network. They archive their past broadcasts on their YouTube channel, but the livestreams are available on their website:

Covington Catholic (KY) vs Cathedral @ Butler Bowl | 2026 IHSAA Football | IndianaSRN

Transitive property in athletics doesn't always work but Cathedral>St. X>Elder does not look promising.

An offense like this with a big OL, a D1 back and D1 receiver is going to have a lot of success vs the Colonel defense.

Hoping for a bounce back after last week and maybe a couple turnovers to go our way to make this interesting in the 4th.

Cathedral takes this one.

I'm worried about my Colonels in this match up. Not sure if the DLine will be capable enough?

Go Colonels! Have a safe bus ride to Indy!

Massey Ratings have Cathedral winning 41-21.