Cardinal Ritter, Cathedral win state football titles

Top: The football team of Cathedral High School in Indianapolis poses with the Indiana High School Athletic Association Class 5A trophy after its 42-18 victory in the state championship game on Nov. 29 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. (Submitted photo by Rolly Landeros) Bottom: The football team of Cardinal Ritter Jr./Sr. High School in Indianapolis poses with the Indiana High School Athletic Association Class 2A trophy after its 56-6 win in the state championship game on Nov. 30 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. (Submitted photo by Joe DeFabis)

By John Shaughnessy

The joy of a state championship season will be savored for a long time by the football programs of Cardinal Ritter Jr./Sr. High School and Cathedral High School, both in Indianapolis.

The feeling is even more satisfying considering the challenges that each team had to overcome during the season, according to their head coaches.

The Raiders of Cardinal Ritter—the archdiocesan interparochial high school for the Indianapolis West Deanery—earned a 56-6 win over Tipton High School on Nov. 30 for the Class 2A championship of the Indiana High School Athletic Association.

The Irish of Cathedral—a private Catholic high school—won its fourth straight state football championship with a 42-18 victory over Westfield High School on Nov. 29 in the Class 5A game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

The mood was set for Ritter’s convincing win shortly after the team participated in a pre-game Mass, according to head coach Ty Hunt.

“After Mass, we talked about the commitment level they displayed during the offseason and throughout the season,” Hunt said. “We had a couple of bumps in the road during the season with losses, but they continued to get better each week. With each week, they displayed that they were going to excel.”

That sentiment was echoed by Cathedral head coach Rick Streiff.

“This team was special in many ways because of the obstacles they had to overcome,” Streiff said. “Many injuries and tough losses in the regular season really forced kids to focus and be the next man up. They all came together and formed a pretty strong bond that allowed them to succeed.”

Dan Fesenmeier, a senior at Cardinal Ritter, was named the Class 2A Mental Attitude Award winner.

Jake Purichia, the Raiders’ quarterback for the past four seasons, finished his high school football career with a state record of 142 touchdown passes.

Hunt seemed to sum up the championship feeling for players, coaches and fans at both Cardinal Ritter and Cathedral.

“There is a great amount of exultation, and a feeling of pride for the seniors,” he said. “The senior class deserves a lot of credit for staying together and believing in each other and their coaches.

“It’s a great relief that it all paid off in the end. I told them, ‘This is something you will always remember.’ ” †