SALISBURY, Md.  – The Catholic football team takes its second road trip of the season on Saturday afternoon when they take on 12th-ranked Salisbury at 1 pm on Sea Gull Stadium. This will be the second consecutive season the two programs have squared off on the gridiron.

DIII SERIES HISTORY: Salisbury leads 6-2

This is a series that dates back to 26-6 Salisbury victory on September 22, 1979 before Catholic responded with a 31-7 win on October 4, 1980. The Seagulls have won the last three meetings against the Cardinals, including a convincing 55-6 victory last season. 

Last season's matchup was the first time since 2004 that the Seagulls and Cardinals squared off and this will be the first time Catholic takes the trip to Salisbury since 2003. In the history of the matchup, Salisbury is 3-1 against Catholic when playing at home.

LAST TIME OUT

The Cardinals are coming off a 31-17 defeat against Franklin and Marshall in week three, after falling in a 24-0 hole in the first half. Catholic responded strongly however and cut the deficit down to seven with 17 unanswered points, aided by a pair of touchdown passes from Brady McBride, which were both hauled in by Wade Farrar. Catholic was stopped on a fourth and one on the plus side of the field in the fourth quarter and the Diplomats responded with a touchdown to secure the win. 

Catholic outgained F&M 326-254 in the contest and held it to just 86 yards rushing and 2.8 yards per carry as Evan Chromy led the team in tackles with six while Billy Turner and Maximus Desir each finished with five. Matt Ragusa also added a sack and Chromy and Daniel Mooore picked up half a sack.

It was once again a career-day for a couple Cardinals as Hunter Boyd made his first career start and hauled in nine passes for 136 yards to lead the team in both categories. It was the most receptions in a game by a Catholic receiver since 2023 (Preston Jeffrey, 11). McBride also topped his career-high in passing yards from the previous week, finishing with 302 on 37 completions, which was also a career-high.

CONFERENCE LEADERS

McBride continues to be one of the top passers in the Landmark this season as his 704 yards and eight touchdowns both rank second in the league. He also leads the conference in completions with 76 which ranks seventh in the country. McBride is also 14th in the nation in touchdown passes thus far. His main target this season has been Farrar who has 16 receptions for 164 yards and six touchdowns. He is tied for the most catches in the conference and leads in receiving touchdowns while also sitting at third in yards. Farrar's six touchdown receptions ranks third in the country. 

The Cardinals are currently second in the Landmark in rushing defense this season, allowing just 2.7 yards per carry over the first three games. Turner remains in the top five in the conference in tackles with 27 on the season. Chromy comes in just behind him as his 24 tackles ranks sixth in the league. Conor Jennings is tied at fourth in the Landmark with 3.5 TFL's.
SCOUTING SALISBURY 

Salisbury remained unbeaten with a 43-13 victory over Washington and Lee last Saturday at Sea Gull Stadium. The Sea Gulls overcame a tightly contested first half before taking control after halftime, scoring 27 unanswered points in the second half. Salisbury finished with 473 yards of total offense, including 345 rushing yards, while holding the Generals scoreless over the final 30 minutes. Dario Belizare led the Sea Gull offense with 90 rushing yards and 112 receiving yards, including a 67-yard touchdown reception. Malachi Dokes scored three rushing touchdowns, while SyRus McGowan accounted for a pair of touchdowns. 

Salisbury comes in as a run heavy team, ranking 11th in the country in rushing offense as they average 262 yards on the ground per game. Despite running the triple option, the Seagulls do still create explosive plays in the passing game as they average 23.3 yards per completion which is the third-best mark in the nation. 

Defensively, the Seagulls have been tough to score on over their first two games, allowing just 6.5 points per game which is the fifth-best in the country. In total defense, Salisbury ranks in the top 50. 

A NEW REGIME

2026 marks the beginning of a new era for Catholic football as Head Coach Kory David will take the reins of the program in his first season as a head coach. David joins Catholic after spending the previous two seasons as the Defensive Coordinator and Linebackers Coach at Eastern University. During the 2025 season, David coordinated a defense that led the MAC Freedom in scoring, rushing, passing and total defense, helping the program earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Playoffs with the first MAC Championship in program history. The Eagles came away with a 28-24 victory over Franklin and Marshall to advance to the Sweet 16 which was the first postseason victory for the program. David along with the rest of the Eastern staff was named the 2025 MAC Coaching Staff of the Year after putting together a 10-2 season.

David also brings along two new coordinators with him in Shawn Glosek and Drew Ehrlich who both come to the district from Washington and Jefferson. Both coaches helped the Presidents to an 8-3 record last season with a PAC championship and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. 

PRESEASON POLL

The Cardinals were picked to finish fifth in the Landmark in this season's preseason poll, earning 14 points coming in front of Moravian and Juniata. 

The reigning three-time conference champion Susquehanna were picked to once again win the Landmark crown, capturing 34 points in the poll and four of the possible six first place votes. Lycoming finished second in the poll and received two first place votes while Wilkes rounded out the top three with 29 points.