MEDFORD – David, meet Goliath.

No. 1 seed Catholic Memorial flexed its proverbial muscle, defeating previously undefeated Winchester, 49-0, at Hormel Stadium to advance to the Division 2 state championship.

The prevailing thought entering the game was that fourth-seeded Winchester would struggle with the multifaceted CM offense, and that is precisely what happened. With the victory, CM (8-2) returns to the Super Bowl looking to win back-to-back titles – and their third in the past four years.

“We respect Winchester very much, and our goal was to play very well early so they didn’t get their confidence,” said CM coach John DiBiaso. “We made it tough for them to come back.”

Led by senior quarterback Kise Flannery, CM was unstoppable in the first half. The Knights compiled 292 yards to Winchester’s 114, scoring on their first five drives of the game.

Flannery (4-4, 100 yards, five carries, 58 yards, 3TDs) found an answer for everything the Winchester defense threw at him. That began on the opening drive, where he punctuated a five-play, two-minute drive with an 18-yard touchdown run.

“My O-line is great and they deserve a lot of credit,” said Flannery. “They’re well coached by coach (Michael) Milo, and they’re so tough.”

Senior defensive back David Vadnais caused a fumble eight plays into the next drive, curtailing any chance Winchester had of evening the score. Christian Simmons extended the lead for CM with a 34-yard touchdown sprint, making it 14-0 with 4:18 to play in the opening quarter.

Winchester (9-1) punted on the next possession, pitting CM on its own 23 yard line. Powered by a 23-yard dash from senior running back Ibrahim Kaba and a 24-yard pass from Flannery to senior receiver Caleb Garrity, CM senior back Jayden Martinez rushed for a 12-yard score – which built the lead to 21-0.

The CM defense then forced a quick three-and-out, setting up Flannery, who threw a 35-yard bullet to Garrity before bulldozing his way into the end zone for a 28-0 lead. Flannery finished the masterpiece of a half with a 37-yard TD pass to sophomore Ramar Thomas, giving the Knights a commanding 38-0 lead at the half.

“Flannery is different from every other quarterback in our division,” said Boston College-bound offensive lineman Marcelino Antunes. “And he is so good under pressure. We take a lot of pride on the O-line, and we’re all about accountability. We work every single day, and we push each other to go harder.”

CM scored in the third quarter when Kaba rushed for his second touchdown of the game, then pushed the lead to 49-0 in the fourth when junior Aman Messiah ran for a 32-yard score.

“We hear everyone say we should be in D1, and we take that as fuel for every single game,” said Flannery. “We want to win no matter who we play.”

Winchester was carried by senior captain Gianni DePrimeo (24 carries, 157 yards). As hungry as Winchester was to win this game, they were simply overpowered by their opponents.

“CM is a heck of a team,” said Winchester coach Wally Dembowski. “We struggled with their size, and they were very talented defensively. Our guys competed … but it wasn’t good enough in this one.”

There is plenty of noise that CM should be competing in Division 1, where they could have a state title showdown with Catholic Conference rival St. John’s Prep. But the Knights are focused on the task at hand–and relish remaining poised under pressure, both of which are staples of a DiBiaso-coached team.

“Before the game, we got video messages from Boubacar Traore, who is at Notre Dame, and Devon Marshall, who plays for North Carolina State, wishing the kids well and telling them to uphold the CM tradition,” said DiBiaso. “We’re at that point where we have such a great tradition that no one wants to let anyone down.”