CATHOLIC Irish (1-1/0-0)

at

CENTRAL Bobcats (1-1/0-0)

September 2, 2016

Dan Y. Boring Stadium/Joel Helton Field

7:30 p.m.

 

SETTING THE SCENE – Catholic plays its first Region 2-4A contest of the season…tonight’s game is the home-opener for Central…Central won last year’s game, 28-10… Catholic leads the series, 2-1…Catholic is ranked first in this week’s Associated Press Class 4A poll…Central is ranked ninth in that same poll…Catholic won the 2015 TSSAA Class 4A state championship…Irish have posted three consecutive 10-win seasons…Irish have won 123 of their last 163 games… Cunningham passed for 300 yards and three TD’s last week…Cunningham has 3,311 career passing yards…Kuerschen has 2,521 career receiving yards…Rodgers has 2,316 career receiving yards…Rodgers has posted 100-plus receiving yards in both games this season…Catholic has yet to suffer a turnover this season…Irish have returned a punt for a touchdown in both games this year…Irish averaging 54 points per-game…Fluker and Sompayrac lead the Irish in tackles…

 

THE RECORDS – Catholic is 1-1 in 2016. The Irish defeated CPA, 45-0, last week in a game played at Vanderbilt Stadium.  Central is also 1-1 this year. The Bobcats lost at Campbell County, 17-13, last week.

 

ON THE SIDELINE – Steve Matthews is in his fourth year at the helm of the Irish. He also serves as Catholic’s offensive coordinator. Matthews came to Catholic from Seigel High School in Murfreesboro, where he served as offensive coordinator from 2010-2012. He was head coach at Moore County in 2008 and 2009 and posted a 10-10 record. He also served as QB/WR coach at Tullahoma, his high school alma mater, from 2004-2007. His overall record is 42-21, and his record at Catholic is 32-11. Matthews played collegiately at Tennessee and Memphis. He played professionally with the Kansas City Chiefs, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tennessee Oilers.

 

SEASON SCHEDULES – Here are 2016 schedules for both teams:

Catholic (1-1)                                                Central (1-1)

8/20     @Mo. West    W, 63-30 (forfeited)   8/20     @South Doyle            W, 7-32
8/26     CPA (at Vanderbilt)   W, 45-0           8/26     @Campbell Co.          L, 13-17

9/2       @Central                                            9/2       Catholic

9/9       @Notre Dame                                     9/9       Open Date

9/15     @Fulton                                              9/16     @Carter

9/23     Belfry (Ky.)                                        9/22     @Morristown West

9/30     Anderson County                                9/30     Union County

10/7     Open Date                                           10/7     @Halls

10/14   @Carter                                              10/14   Anderson County

10/21   Cloudland                                           10/21   Powell

10/28   Union County                                     10/28   Fulton

 

 

SERIES VS. CENTRAL – Catholic leads the series with Central, 2-1. Here’s a look:

2011: Catholic 21, @Central 14

2012: @Catholic 35, Central 0

2015: Central 28, @Catholic 10

 

LAST YEAR VS. CENTRAL – Catholic saw its record drop to 1-2 overall and 0-1 in Region 2-4A with its 28-10 home loss to Central. After spotting Central a 7-0 lead after one quarter, the Irish evened the score late in the first half. Augie Fortune took a Jack Sompayrac pass and rambled 33 yards to even the score. A 31-yard field goal from Jake Poczobut as time expired in the second quarter gave the Irish a 10-7 lead at halftime. The Bobcats scored three touchdowns in the second half to account for the final margin. Sompayrac was 14-of-23 passing for 204 yards on the evening. Amari Rodgers had four receptions for 72 yards, while Cameron Blakely also had four grabs for 45 yards. Fortune had three grabs for 58 yards, with Jeffery Wood adding three receptions for 55 yards. Fortune led the Irish defense with 12 tackles, including one in the backfield. Sompayrac had eight tackles and also grabbed his second interception of the season.

 

RACK ‘EM UP – Catholic has won 101 of its last 132 regular-season games.

 

REGION FOES – Catholic participates in Region 2-4A. Region foes for the Irish include Anderson County, Carter, Central, Fulton, and Union County.

 

ASSOCIATED PRESS CLASS 4A POLL – Catholic is ranked first in this week’s

Associated Press Class 4A poll with 131 overall points and 13 first-place votes. The remainder of the Top 10 includes: 2. Marshall County (1/118); 3. Fulton (115); 4. Greeneville (99); 5. Lexington (80); 6. Ridgeway (66); 7. Pearl-Cohn (51); 8. East Hamilton (26); 9. Central (24); 10. Jackson North Side (16).

 

TEAM STATS – Catholic averages 475.5 yards per-game in total offense, including 185.5 yards on the ground and 290.0 yards through the air. Defensively, Catholic allows 247.5 yards per-game, including 79.5 yards on the ground and 168.0 yards through the air. Catholic averages 54.0 points per-game. Opponents average 15.0 points per-game.

 

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS – Here are Catholic’s leaders in various individual categories:

Rushing: Jeffery Wood – 21 att., 176 yds., 2 TD

Passing: Chase Cunningham – 29-45-0 580 yds., 7 TD

Receiving: Chase Kuerschen – 10 rec., 196 yds., 2 TD

Scoring: Amari Rodgers – 30 pts

Tackles: Joe Fluker, Jack Sompayrac – 17

Tackles for loss: Joe Fluker – 5

Sacks: Charlie Connors, Nick Lovely – 1

Interceptions: Tony Scott – 2

 

 

 

PLAYERS OF NOTE

 

3 – Amari Rodgers (WR/DB, 5-10, 200, Jr.): 4 rec, 133 yds, 2 TD (50, 27) vs. CPA…5 rec, 103 yds, 2 TD (60, 32); 1 punt ret., 63 yds (TD) vs. Morristown West…

 

4 – Jeffery Wood (RB, 5-9, 160, Sr.): 7 att, 33 yds, 1 TD (7) vs. CPA…14 att, 143 yds, 1 TD (57); 1 rec, 13 yds, 5 tackles, 1 INT vs. Morristown West…

 

8 – Cameron Blakely (WR/DB, 6-4, 190, Jr.): 4 rec, 87 yds vs. CPA…1 rec, 7 yds vs. Morristown West…

 

10 – Jack Sompayrac (QB/DB, 6-1, 185, Jr.): 1 att, 35 yds, 9 tackles, 1 TFL vs. CPA…8 tackles vs. Morristown West…

 

16 – Chase Cunningham (QB, 5-10, 160, Sr.): 13-17-0, 300 yds, 3 TD (50, 14, 27) vs. CPA…16-28-0, 280 yds, 4 TD (60, 32, 28, 36) vs. Morristown West…

 

21 – Tony Scott (LB, 6-2, 195, Sr.): 6 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT vs. CPA…7 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 PBU, 1 INT vs. Morristown West…

 

22 – Joe Fluker (LB, 5-9, 175, Jr.): 7 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 FC, 1 FR, 1 PBU vs. CPA…10 tackles, 3 TFL, 1 PBU vs. Morristown West…

 

31 – Joshua Brown (RB/LB, 6-2, 205, Jr.): 3 att, 27 yds, 1 TD (9), 2 tackles vs. CPA…6 att, 43 yds, 2 TD (21, 3); 8 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT (33/TD) vs. Morristown West…

 

36 — Chase Kuerschen (WR/DB, 6-1, 205, Sr.): 3 rec, 59 yds, 2 punt ret, 50 yds, 1 TD (52), 4 tackles, 1 PBU vs. CPA…7 rec, 137 yds, 2 TD (28, 36), 4 tackles, 1 INT vs. Morristown West…

 

43 — Beau Hollin (LB, 6-3, 190, Sr.): 2 tackles, 1 TFL vs. CPA…9 tackles, 3 TFL, 1 PBU vs. Morristown West…

 

45 – Jake Mahoney (LB, 5-11, 195, Jr): 5 tackles, 1 TFL vs. CPA…9 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT vs. Morristown West…

 

60 – Charlie Connors (DE, 6-2, 255, Sr.): 3 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 FC vs. CPA…6 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 sack vs. Morristown West…

 

CAREER NUMBERS – Three Irish players are accumulating impressive career numbers. Chase Cunningham has 3,311 career passing yards. Chase Kuerschen has 2,521 career receiving yards, and Amari Rodgers has 2,316 career receiving yards.

 

REGION 2-4A STANDINGS – Here’s a look at the 2016 Region 2-4A standings:

DISTRICT     OVERALL

Catholic                     0-0                   1-1

Central                        0-0                   1-1

Fulton                         0-0                   1-1

Anderson County        0-0                   0-2

Carter                          0-0                   0-2

Union County             0-0                   0-2

 

Last week’s games

Catholic 45, CPA 0

Jefferson County 40, Carter 22

Heritage 21, Anderson County 16

Claiborne 26, Union County 0

Campbell County 17, Central 13

Maryville 45, Fulton 29

 

Friday’s Games

Catholic @ Central

Fulton @ Anderson County

Carter @ Union County

 

WEEK TWO – Catholic posted its first shutout of the season with its 45-0 win over CPA. The game, which ended with 9:32 remaining in the third quarter because of lightning, was played at Vanderbilt Stadium. The Irish got on the board on their first play from scrimmage, as Chase Cunningham connected on a 50-yard scoring strike to Amari Rodgers. Hunter Kountz was on the receiving end of a 14-yard Cunningham toss midway through the first quarter to up the margin to 14-0. A 28-yard Paxton Robertson field goal gave the Irish a 17-0 lead, and a second Cunningham-to-Rodgers connection, this a 27-yarder, put the Irish ahead after one, 24-0. Chase Kuerschen gave the Irish a 31-0 advantage with his 52-yard punt return early in the second quarter. A seven-yard dash from Jeffery Wood left the Irish ahead at halftime, 38-0. Joshua Brown capped Catholic’s first (and only) possession of the second half with his nine-yard scoring run. CPA ran one play on the ensuing possession before lightning halted, and eventually ended, play. Cunningham, who was nominated for PrepXtra Offensive Player of the Week, was 13-of-17 passing for 300 yards and three touchdowns. Rodgers had four receptions for 133 yards and two scores. Cameron Blakely had four grabs for 87 yards, while Kuerschen had three receptions for 59 yards. Jack Sompayrac led the Catholic defense with nine tackles, including one for-loss. Joe Fluker had seven stops, including two for-loss. Fluker also both caused and recovered a fumble. Tony Scott had six tackles and collected his second interception of the season. Charlie Connors had three tackles and caused two fumbles.

 

 

 

WEEK ONE – Catholic opened its season with a 63-30 win at Morristown West. The Irish later forfeited the win because of the participation of an ineligible player. Amari Rodgers opened the scoring for Catholic with his 63-yard punt return early in the contest. Less than a minute later, Chase Cunningham found Rodgers on a 60-yard scoring strike to up the margin to 15-0. A second Cunningham-to-Rodgers connection, this a 32-yarder, gave the Irish a 22-0 lead midway through the first quarter. A West touchdown trimmed Catholic’s margin to 22-7 after the first stanza. Cunningham tossed a 28-yard strike to Chase Kuerschen early in the second quarter to advance the score to 29-7. Following a West touchdown, Jeffery Wood rambled 57 yards to paydirt to give Catholic a 36-14 halftime advantage. Early in the third quarter Cunningham connected with Kuerschen on a 36-yard strike to up the margin to 43-14. A West score left the Irish lead at 43-22 after three quarters. Following the lead of Rodgers’ three scores in a quarter, Joshua Brown made repeated trips into the end zone in the final quarter. Brown had scoring runs of 21 and three yards and also returned an interception 33 yards to paydirt. Cunningham was 16-of-28 passing for 280 yards and four touchdowns. Kuerschen had seven grabs for 137 yards and two scores. Rodgers had five receptions for 103 yards and two touchdowns. Wood gained 143 yards on 14 carries. Joe Fluker led the Irish defense with ten tackles, including three for-loss. Jake Mahoney had nine tackles and an interception, with Beau Hollin also recoding nine stops, including three for-loss. Kuerschen and Tony Scott also had picks for the Irish.

 

MAKE IT QUICK – Catholic’s offense has had two scoring drives lasting less than one minute this season. Both of the scoring drives were of the one-play variety.

 

TURNOVER MARGIN – Catholic is plus-8 in turnover margin this season. The Irish have thrown no interceptions and lost no fumbles. Opponents have thrown six interceptions and lost two fumbles.

 

PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Catholic has had one player nominated as PrepXtra Player of the Week this season. Here’s a look

PLAYER                    OPPONENT              STATS

Chase Cunningham    CPA                            13-17-0, 300 yds., 3 TD

 

 

100-YARD RUSHERS – Catholic has had one 100-yard rushing effort in 2016. Here’s a look:

PLAYER                    OPPONENT              ATT-YDS-TD

Jeffery Wood              Morristown West        14-143-1

 

 

CENTURY MARK – Catholic has had three 100-yard receiving performances this season. Here’s a look:

Player                         Opponent                   Rec-Yds-TD

Chase Kuerschen        Morristown West        7-137-2

Amari Rodgers           Morristown West        5-103-2

Amari Rodgers           CPA                            4-133-2

 

 

250-YARDS PASSING – Chase Cunningham has two 250-yard passing games this season. Here’s a look:

OPPONENT              STATISTICS

Morristown West        16-28-0, 280 yds., 4 TD

CPA                            13-17-0, 300 yds., 3 TD

 

DOUBLE-DIGIT TACKLES – Catholic has had one double-digit tackle effort this season. Here’s a look:

Player                         Opponent                   Tackles

Joe Fluker                   Morristown West        10

 

THE LAST GO ‘ROUND – Catholic’s 2015 roster includes 18 seniors. Included are Amari Rodgers (WR/DB), Jeffery Wood (RB/DB), Hunter Kountz (RB/DB), Nick Lovely (QB/LB), Chase Cunningham (QB/DB), Tony Scott (WR/LB), Baxter Bryan (RB/DB), Chase Kuerschen (WR/DB), Lucky Depersio (RB/LB), Beau Hollin (WR/LB), Andrew Henderson (OL/DL), Jonathan LeBlanc (OL, LB), Jake Coffey (OL, LB), Diego Carvajal (OL/DL), Charlie Connors (OL/DL), Joseph Healy (OL/DL), Josh Sanger (OL/DL), and John Kerbyson (OL/DL).

 

ON THE STAFF – Serving as assistant coaches for the Irish are: Les Greer (Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers), Justin Anderson (Offensive Line), Sam Brown (Running Backs), Drew Franklin (Wide Receivers), Marcus McDonald (Defensive Line), Daniel Hood (Outside Linebackers), Kris White (Defensive Backs), Steve Wright (Nose Tackles), and J.D. Gambil (Offensive Line assistant).

 

ON THE RADIO – Tonight’s game is being broadcast on WNML, The Sports Animal (99.1 FM). John Wilkerson handles play-by-play, while former Catholic quarterback and 1999 Mr. Football winner Rob Demastus adds commentary.

 

UP NEXT – Catholic visits Notre Dame for the annual “Irish Bowl” next Friday. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., in Chattanooga.