In 2011, the football team nearly won the MIAA Division 4A State Championship, but lost due to a controversial official's call which overturned a potential game-winning touchdown in the final minutes. Midway through the 4th quarter, Cathedral trailed Blue Hills by a score of 16-14 in the Division 4A State Championship game. With approximately six minutes remaining in the game, Cathedral quarterback Matt Owens raced around the right side of the line and split the defense for a potential 56-yard game-winning touchdown run. At around the 20-yard line, Owens raise one of his arms in celebration before crossing the goal line. The referees threw a flag on the play and called an unsportsmanlike penalty on Owens, which negated the touchdown and moved the Panthers back fifteen yards from the original line of scrimmage. On the next play, Cathedral turned the ball over to Blue Hills, and they eventually ran the clock out to secure a 16-14 win over Cathedral. In the aftermath, Boston mayor Thomas Menino was critical of the call and invited the entire Cathedral football team to lunch. Furthermore, Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith debated the controversial call on ESPN TV series, First Take on December 6, 2011. The story made national headlines and was covered by sources across the nation. The following season in 2012, the Panthers returned to the Division 4A State Championship game, where they defeated Madison Park by a score of 22-20 in overtime.