Lucas Griffith recorded six quarterback sacks on Friday, and the No, 5 seed Trinity Catholic Celtics posted their third shutout in four games by beating No. 12 Plainville 20-0 in the first round of the Class 1A playoffs.
It was the third straight year the Celtics won their playoff opener.
Griffith was part of a sensational defense effort that didn’t allow the Cardinals any trips inside the red zone. Plainville was limited to 152 yards of offense, including just 63 yards on 35 carries.
Luke Kerns provided all three Trinity touchdowns, including the opener on a 4-yard run on Trinity’s first drive of the game.
In the second quarter, Isaac Hammersmith blocked a punt, leading to a short field for the Celtics. Kerns capped the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run with 6 minutes, 59 seconds before halftime. Kaid McElgunn ran in the two-point conversion, and the Celtics led 14-0 at halftime.
The Celtics had another big special teams moment early in the fourth quarter when McElgunn returned a Plainville punt from midfield to the Plainville 25-yard line. Two plays later, Kerns scored again from 15 yards out.
Kerns capped one of his best games of the season with 85 yards rushing.
The Celtics will head to No. 4 Republic County next Friday for the second round.
