Central Catholic Stuns Xaverian 52-51 on Drew O'Keefe's Last-Second Field Goal

Caden Smith accounts for six touchdowns as the Raiders answer a late Xaverian score and knock off the three-time defending Massachusetts Division 1 champion.

Central Catholic quarterback Caden Smith (5), a Bentley commit, passed for 245 yards, rushed for 162 yards and six total touchdowns. His team needed every one to knock off Xaverian, 52-51. | Photo courtesy of shot.by.luis

Central Catholic and Xaverian spent nearly four quarters trading touchdowns Friday night.

Drew O'Keefe finally settled it with his right foot.

O'Keefe kicked the go-ahead field goal with five seconds remaining as Central Catholic knocked off three-time defending Massachusetts Division 1 champion Xaverian 52-51 in Westwood.

Final: Central Catholic 52, Xaverian 51

Caden Smith 6 total TDs and Drew O’Keefe the winning 29-yard FG with 5 seconds left.

Raiders win an absolutely wild one in thrilling fashion @GlobeSchools @CCRaider_sports @CCRaider_FBall @drewokeefe7 pic.twitter.com/CXP1JcC8DA

— Trevor Hass (@TrevorHass) October 3, 2026

The kick capped a wild fourth quarter in which the lead changed hands five times and gave the Raiders a much-needed victory after entering the game 1-2.

Central Catholic quarterback Caden Smith accounted for six touchdowns, completing 11 of 13 passes for 165 yards and five scores in the first half alone. He finished with 245 passing yards and added 162 on the ground.

Xaverian quarterback and Penn State commit Will Wood answered throughout the night, helping the Hawks erase a seven-point halftime deficit and take the lead twice in the final five minutes.

Smith, Wood Trade Scores in Wild First Half

Xaverian struck first when Wood found Sargent Chizmadia for a 7-yard touchdown.

Smith responded by leading Central Catholic to the Xaverian 24 and connecting with Jeremiah Mateo Mora for the tying score.

The quarterbacks continued trading big plays in the second quarter.

Wood escaped pressure and found Michael Kimmelmann for a 27-yard touchdown. Smith answered with a 46-yard touchdown run, and Wood responded less than three minutes later with a 45-yard scoring run of his own.

Smith's 26-yard touchdown pass to Athaniel Urena tied the game at 21 before Jonathan Santosuosso returned the ensuing kickoff 96 yards for an Xaverian touchdown.

Central Catholic still wasn't finished.

Smith found Mateo Mora for a 28-yard touchdown to make it 28-28. The Raiders then recovered a fumbled snap at the Xaverian 35, and Smith connected with O'Keefe for another touchdown on the next play.

That sent Central Catholic into halftime leading 35-28.

Neither offense had punted until the second half.

Fourth Quarter Turns Into a Shootout

After neither team scored in the third quarter, Xaverian opened the fourth with a 33-yard field goal to cut Central Catholic's lead to 35-31.

The Hawks then took their first lead of the second half when Wood found tight end Richie Edgehill for a 26-yard touchdown, making it 38-35.

It lasted only moments.

Cody Arsenault returned the ensuing kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown to put Central Catholic back ahead, 42-38.

Wood answered again.

The Xaverian quarterback scrambled away from pressure and connected with Kimmelmann for a 58-yard touchdown, giving the Hawks a 45-42 lead with less than five minutes remaining.

Smith then broke a 41-yard run to move Central Catholic into the red zone before finding Peter Thomas for a touchdown that put the Raiders back in front, 49-45, with approximately 90 seconds remaining.

Xaverian needed only about half of that time to respond.

Wood hit Chizmadia for a 51-yard touchdown with 56 seconds left, putting the Hawks ahead 51-49. Central Catholic blocked the extra-point attempt, keeping the deficit at two.

That block proved critical.

O'Keefe Wins It for Central Catholic

Central Catholic had one final possession and 56 seconds to get into field-goal range.

The Raiders reached the Xaverian 29 before first-year coach John Dubzinski used his final timeout.

O'Keefe came on for the field-goal attempt and converted, putting Central Catholic ahead 52-51 with five seconds remaining.

Xaverian was unable to answer.

The victory moved Central Catholic back into the win column after consecutive losses and handed Xaverian its second defeat of the season.

For the Raiders, it was a signature road victory over the program that has won the past three Massachusetts Division 1 state championships.

Smith finished with 407 yards of total offense and six touchdowns, while O'Keefe delivered the final three points in a game filled with them.