LAFAYETTE — A plea for aggression from Central Catholic coach Brian Nay was answered as he learns the strengths and weaknesses of his program that graduated 14 seniors.
That group of seniors included veteran captains quarterback Bobby Metzger, linebacker Jackson Cain, wide receivers Hudson Gutwein, Ray Clayton Jr. and offensive lineman Will Spencer.
With Nay toying with ideas of implementing a new offense in years past, it was still up for the rising sophomores and juniors to answer the intensity level Nay was accustomed to seeing.
“Like with any new football season, you’re going to lose guys from the past years, and you have to know what you have coming up to make the right adjustments to help get them in positions to get them to do what they do well,” Nay said. “The goal of our offense is going to remain the same: It’s to move the chains, finish in the end zone, get points on every possession and it’s a pretty simple game.”
Nay’s calls were met as Central Catholic enters the 2025 season atop the Lafayette area high school football power rankings.
Even with the graduated offensive and defensive production from 2024, Central Catholic talent-wise is still as good as ever.
Central Catholic returns leading rusher from 2024 Mason Meister (997 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns) and sophomore 6-foot-2 linebacker and potential power-4 conference product Eli Thompson (17 tackles, five sacks).
What’s in store for Central Catholic? Here’s a dive into the new-look Knights of 2025.
Who will be the starting quarterback?
Sophomore Tatum Adriano is expected to take a majority of the snaps, but don’t count out junior Joey Metzger, the younger brother of Bobby Metzger, or freshman Dru Stapleton.
Adriano is showing signs he could be a dual-threat quarterback as Meister is expected to be the focal point of the Knights’ offense.
With the role Adriano has assigned, he explained how he’s taking the learning curve in stride after becoming a key starting pitcher for Central Catholic’s baseball team just five months ago.
“We’re progressing a lot,” Adriano said. “There might be a little pressure, but I can handle it. I think I’m ready.”
Who is another player to watch on defense besides Thompson?
Junior 6-foot-2 Dominic Delgatto is ready to leave his mark, following in the footsteps of his older twins, AJ and Ryan Delgatto.
AJ was voted the Journal & Courier Small Schools Defensive Player of the Year in 2024.
With the younger Delgatto’s size as a defensive end, he shares the same high knowledge for the game shared as his older brothers.
Delgatto outside of drills was working with younger underclassmen on how to properly get their hands and feet set from a 3-point stance.
“We have some new freshmen that were linebackers coming to becoming defensive ends,” Delgatto said. “Just trying to be a good teammate and get them to be the best they can be.”
Can Central Catholic still throw the ball?
Central Catholic’s offense might be predicated around finding running holes for Meister, but don’t expect the Knights to completely abandon the passing game.
Junior wide receiver Wyatt Williams developed into one of the best athletes as Clayton Jr. nursed a hamstring injury last season.
Williams finished with 15 receptions, 191 yards and three touchdowns.
“Every year is a reloading year, and we always have some dogs,” Williams said. “People step up and make plays.”
Ethan Hanson is the sports reporter for the Journal & Courier in Lafayette. He can be reached at ehanson@jconline.com, on Twitter at EthanAHanson and Instagram at ethan_a_hanson.
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This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Lafayette area high school football 2025 power rankings small schools: No. 1 Central Catholic
Reporting by Ethan Hanson, Lafayette Journal & Courier / Lafayette Journal & Courier
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