Lake Catholic coach Marty Gibbons was less than thrilled with the way his team ended the first half against visiting Padua on Oct. 4. The Cougars built a 17-0 lead in the second quarter, only for the Bruins to cut it to 17-10 going into the half. Lake Catholic heard its coach’s halftime message loud and clear, and dominated the second half on its way to a 46-17 homecoming victory. The Cougars improved to 7-0 for the first time since 2005. Even their state semifinalist teams of 2009 and 2010 were only 6-1 at this point in the season. Ironically, Padua upset that 2005 Cougars team the next week, 22-21. @LCCougarFB senior QB Frankie Trinetti, who passed for 313 yards and four touchdowns (to 3 different WRs, Ace Peterlin had 2) reviews Lake Catholic’s 46-17 homecoming win over Padua pic.twitter.com/cjLF52hPJO — Jay Kron (@TownCenter2) October 5, 2024 “It’s awesome,” Lake Catholic senior QB Frankie Trinetti said of the Cougars’ 7-0 start. “Starting out like this is wonderful, but it’s honestly just the start.” The Cougars’ passing game, led by Trinetti, made things tough on the Bruins all night. Trinetti passed for 313 yards and four touchdowns, connecting with three different receivers. The Lake Catholic defense was just as troublesome for the visitors and standout senior running back Roderick Love. Love, who rushed for 257 yards and four touchdowns in Padua’s win over North Royalton last week, was limited to 37 yards rushing and 18 receiving by the swarming Cougars’ defense, before leaving in the third quarter with an injury, although he did reach the end zone just before halftime. After a scoreless first quarter, Lake Catholic went ahead, 17-0, after a 23-yard field goal by Harley Forkins and Trinetti scoring passes of 41 yards to Patrick Radigan and 29 to Cross Nimmo. @LCCougarFB senior WR Patrick Radigan, who caught four passes for 100 yards, including a 41-yard touchdown, talks about Lake Catholic’s 46-17 homecoming win over Padua pic.twitter.com/wLJMgs1cJy — Jay Kron (@TownCenter2) October 5, 2024 “We had a slant and flag to the boundary,” Radigan said of his scoring play. “The corner sat, the linebacker expanded and I went right over him, and it was a wide-open field in the middle.” An interception by Ace Peterlin led to the scoring drive that ended with the pass to Nimmo. Lake Catholic quarterback Frankie Trinetti throws Oct. 4 against Padua. (Brian Fisher – for The News-Herald) Padua cut into the lead with a 32-yard field goal by Caleb Zolkowski on a drive that was aided by a personal foul on the Cougars. The Bruins cut their deficit to seven before the half on a 12-play, 78-yard drive in which QB Nick Barker completed six passes, the last of which was an 11-yarder to Love for the score that made it 17-10. @LCCougarFB Coach Marty Gibbons discusses Lake Catholic’s 46-17 homecoming win over Padua and 7-0 start to the season pic.twitter.com/fXbYq9QZ9c — Jay Kron (@TownCenter2) October 5, 2024 “The second half was a lot better, but we just had a few lapses in the second quarter  that I’m not happy with,” Lake Catholic coach Marty Gibbons said. “We have to get that cleaned up if we want to do the things that we want to do.” Lake Catholic scored on each of its first four possessions in the second half. Passes of 32 and 11 yards from Trinetti to Peterlin, and runs of 36 yards by Jimmy Gibbons and 3 yards by Michael Valentino were the end results of those drives that put the game out of reach. @LCCougarFB senior RB/LB Jimmy Gibbons, who had a 36yd TD run and was in on many plays defensively, breaks down Lake Catholic’s 46-17 homecoming win over Padua pic.twitter.com/77xtlC757S — Jay Kron (@TownCenter2) October 5, 2024 “It was just coming out in the second half and showing that we could play a lot better than we did in the first half,” said Jimmy Gibbons, who also had a couple sacks and a pair of TFLs at linebacker. Although he had a pair of interceptions, including one thrown to Nick Biondolillo, Barker did what he could to keep Padua (4-3) in the game with its rushing attack shut down, throwing for 170 yards. @paduabruinsfb Coach Kevin Kubit goes over Padua’s 46-17 loss at Lake Catholic pic.twitter.com/bELWpoLMv1 — Jay Kron (@TownCenter2) October 5, 2024 “Against a good team like Lake Catholic, you don’t have to play perfect, but you have to maintain the momentum for four quarters,” Padua coach Kevin Kubit said. “We wanted to carry what we did at the end of the first half into the second, but it just didn’t happen.” Both teams will play at home Oct. 11. Lake Catholic will host Elyria Catholic, and Padua will play archrival Holy Name. “We just want to take it one game at a time, and focus on being the best that we can be,” Coach Gibbons said in reaction to the Cougars’ 7-0 start. “Pursuing excellence, enjoying our relationships and challenging each other every week.” THE SCORE Lake Catholic 46, Padua 17