By Mukala Kabongo
NEFJ Correspondent

LAWRENCE – John Dubzinski started his tenure on a high note, scoring his first victory as Central Catholic’s head coach, leading the team to a 34-0 victory over Boston College High.

“I told the kids it’s very hard to win a football game; it takes a lot of work,” Dubzinski said.

After taking a year-long hiatus, Dubzinski returned to coaching after his success for many years at North Andover. And it was clear that he returned to the sidelines with the same enthusiasm and passion that helped him become a championship coach in the years prior.

That began with the kids upfront and transitioned all the way through the rest of the team, which was apparent as they shut out Boston College High.

“I thought our kids upfront did an excellent job against their kids,” Dubzinski explained.

The Raiders set the tone on their opening drive as quarterback Caden Smith orchestrated an 80-yard drive with a mixture of run and pass before punching it in from three yards out to give the Raiders a 6-0 lead. But BC High was able to hold strong, blocking the extra point.

“We saw they were really light in the box,” Smith said. “They kind of Apex those outside backers and that one middle backer out there; we knew we could take advantage of it.”

Central’s defense gave the Eagles fits all game with their physical play. On the Eagles’ first offensive possession of the game, facing a third down, defensive back Anthony Garcia sacked BC High quarterback Liam Polis to force the punt.

And then, the offense once again marched down the field, finding success in the run game with Smith punching it in once again, but this time from two yards out to give the Raiders a 13-0 lead.

They continued to add to their score from there.

Coming out of the half, the Raiders once again marched down the field; Smith, who rushed for 137 yards on the day, broke loose for a 45-yard run to get into Eagles territory.

A few plays later, fellow captain Drew O’Keefe weaved through the defense for a 33-yard touchdown run, his first of two touchdowns on the day.

“I got the ball, great blocks from Peter Thomas, I saw the safety coming out so I just put my foot down and put it back,” O’Keefe explained.

With the game out of reach, junior running back Cody Arsenault put the icing on the cake with a 64-yard touchdown run that sent the Raiders faithful into a frenzy.

“We have a lot of good players in the program who can do a lot of things,” said Dubzinsk.

But while they cruised to victory this week, things won’t get easier for the Raiders as next week they welcome rival St. John’s Prep to Veterans Memorial Stadium.