General | August 23, 2018 | 23:51

DETROIT — Keegan Koehler heard plenty of talk about all of the Division I recruits at Walled Lake Western.
 
He made sure the hype was silenced Thursday — even if it were for one night.
 
The senior running back from perennial state powerhouse Detroit Catholic Central rushed for a career-best 243 yards on 25 carries and two touchdowns in leading the Shamrocks to a convincing 28-7 victory over Walled Lake Western at the 14th annual Xenith Prep Kickoff Classic at Wayne State University.
 
Koehler earned Most Outstanding Player honors with his sterling performance. Senior lineman Mike Harding shined on the defensive side, helping the Shamrocks (1-0) silence the Warriors' highly-touted offense.
 
"We had a lot to prove," smiled Koehler. "I think we played with a little bit of chip (on our shoulders). They have a ton of talent, some of them live (in Walled Lake), and we wanted to prove that we are a good team."
 
Harding had a pair of sacks and spearheaded the defensive effort.
 
"They might have all of those Division I kids, but we play as a team, and that's what makes us (successful)," said Harding.
 
Catholic Central never trailed, scoring on its third and fifth drives of the first half to take a 14-0 lead.
 
Bryson Trantham scored on a 10-yard sprint with 4:27 left in the opening frame, while Koehler added a 6-yard scamper with 7:27 remaining in the second quarter.
 
Jonathan Brewer converted all four extra points for Catholic Central.
 
"I thought Keegan ran like a man tonight," said CC coach Dan Anderson. "He ran awfully tough out there tonight. We saw it our scrimmage a little bit, and he really showed what he's capable of doing in this game.
 
"We don't get that many D-I kids here. Maybe 1-2 here or there, but we have some great kids who play good together," added Anderson. "We did a great job of slowing them down tonight."
 
Walled Lake Western, which boasts eight Division I recruits, finally got untracked in the second period when Kevin Jackson scored on a 5-yard run with 1:21 left in the half, and Aiden Jennings nailed his PAT to close the gap to 14-7.
 
Western did not convert again.
 
Boston College-bound quarterback Sam Johnston was held to an uncharacteristic 10-for-25 passing night for 132 yards. Western MOP Abdur Yaseen had eight catches for 127 yards for the Warriors, which totaled 231 yards of offense.
 
Meanwhile, Catholic Central chalked up 308 yards, including 262 on the ground.
 
The Shamrocks converted two more scoring drives in the second half.
 
Jack Birks scored on a 1-yard run with 2:05 remaining in the third, while Koehler capped the scoring with 5:05 remaining in the game on a 17-yard touchdown run.
 
Walled Lake Western coach Alex Grignon wasn't too pleased with his team's debut, as the Warriors missed two first-quarter field goals and routinely misfired on passes.
 
"We made a lot of mistakes and you can't do that against a team like CC," sighed Grignon. "We dropped a lot of passes, we let them get to Spencer Brown way too much, had a ton of penalties. We need to get better going forward. You can't have that many mistakes and expect to win."
 
BOX SCORE
WALLED LAKE WESTERN 7
DETROIT CATHOLIC CENTRAL 28
 

	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	F
WLW	0	7	0	0	7
DCC	7	7	7	7	28

SCORING DRIVES
1st Quarter
NDCC — Bryson Trantham 10-yard run (4:27), Jonathan Brewer PAT, 7-0
2nd Quarter
NDCC — Keegan Koehler 6-yard run (7:27), Brewer PAT, 14-0
WLW — Kevin  Jackson 5-yard run (1:21), Aiden Jennings PAT, 14-7
3rd Quarter
NDCC — Jack Birks 1-yard run (2:05), Brewer PAT, 21-7
4th Quarter
NDCC — Koehler 17-yard run (5:05), Brewer PAT, 28-7
 
RECORDS — Novi Detroit Catholic Central 1-0; Walled Lake Western 0-1