Catholic @ Fulton Game Notes Presented by “The General” Jeff Patton

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CATHOLIC Irish (3-1/1-0)

at

FULTON Falcons (2-2/1-0)

September 15, 2016

7 p.m.

Bob Black Field

 

SETTING THE SCENE – Catholic and Fulton meet in a Region 2-4A contest…the series is tied, 5-5…Fulton won last year’s regular-season contest, while Catholic won in a second-round playoff game…tonight’s game is the fifth-consecutive road game for Catholic…Catholic is ranked first in this week’s Associated Press Class 4A poll, while Fulton is ranked sixth (tie)…Catholic won the 2015 TSSAA Class 4A state championship…Irish have posted three consecutive 10-win seasons…Irish have won 125 of their last 165 games… Cunningham has passed for 300-or-more first-half yards in each of the previous three games…Cunningham has passed for 924 yards and 9 TD’s over the past three games… Rodgers has posted 100-plus receiving yards in all four games this season…Catholic has suffered just two turnovers this season…Irish are plus-14 in turnover margin…Catholic has collected 11 interceptions this year…Irish averaging 440.3 yards and 52.8 points per-game…Mahoney, Scott leads the Irish in tackles…

 

THE RECORDS – Catholic is 3-1 in 2016, including a 1-0 mark in Region 2-4A. The Irish won at Notre Dame, 54-9, last week.  Fulton is 2-2 this year, including a 1-0 record in Region 2-4A. The Falcons lost at home to Austin-East, 20-13, 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 44-21, and his record at Catholic is 34-11. 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 (3-1)                                                Fulton (2-2)

8/20     @Mo. West    W, 63-30 (forfeited)   8/20     @Mo. East                  W, 67-7
8/26     CPA (at Vanderbilt)   W, 45-0           8/27     Maryville                    L, 29-45

9/2       @Central                    W, 49-19         9/2       @Anderson Co.          W, 42-21

9/9       @Notre Dame             W, 54-9           9/9       Austin-East                 L, 13-20

9/15     @Fulton                                             9/15     Catholic

9/23     Belfry (Ky.)                                        9/23     Gibbs

9/30     Anderson County                                9/30     @Carter

10/7     Open Date                                           10/7     Open Date

10/14   @Carter                                              10/14   @Union County

10/21   Cloudland                                           10/2l    West

10/28   Union County                                     10/28   @Central

SERIES VS. FULTON –   The series between Catholic and Fulton is tied, 5-5. Here’s a look:

2005: Fulton 38, @Catholic 9 (reg. season)

2005: @Catholic 21, Fulton 20 (playoffs/second round)

2006: Catholic 27, @Fulton 14 (reg. season)

2006: Fulton 18, @Catholic 13 (playoffs/quarterfinals)

2007: @Catholic 27, Fulton 0

2008: Catholic 28, @Fulton 3

2013: @Fulton 41, Catholic 34 (playoffs/semifinals)

2014: @Fulton 51, Catholic 14 (playoffs/second round)

2015: Fulton 34, @Catholic 23

2015: Catholic 28, @Fulton 25 (playoffs/second round)

 

LAST YEAR VS. FULTON – Catholic concluded a three-game homestand with its 34-23 loss to Region 2-4A foe Fulton. After spotting Fulton a 14-0 lead, the Irish got on the board late in the first quarter when Chase Cunningham connected with Amari Rodgers on a 31-yard scoring pass. A 25-yard field goal from Jake Poczobut cut the margin to 14- 10, then Cunningham again connected with Rodgers, this a 18-yarder, to give Catholic a 17-14 lead. The advantage was short-lived, however, as Fulton regained the lead less than a minute later. Fulton added another touchdown late in the third quarter to up its margin to 28-17. A third Cunningham-to-Rodgers strike, covering 18 yards, left Catholic trailing, 28-23 late in the contest. After holding Fulton on downs, the Irish had one last opportunity, but Cunningham’s pass on the last play of the game was intercepted and returned 68 yards for a touchdown. Cunningham was 15-of-41 passing for 322 yards and three touchdowns. Chase Kuerschen, playing his first game of the season, grabbed 10 balls for 200 yards. Rodgers had four grabs for 92 yards and three touchdowns. Morgan Ernst led the Irish rushing effort with 56 yards on nine carries. Augie Fortune had 20 tackles for Catholic, including six for-loss. Ernst had 12 stops, while Kuerschen had seven tackles and an interception.

 

LAST YEAR VS. FULTON (Playoffs) – Catholic won at region foe Fulton, 28-25, in the second round of the TSSAA Class 4A Playoffs. Bolstered by a 51-yard return from Chase Kuerschen on the opening kickoff, the Irish moved 24 yards in three plays. Joshua Brown scored from 15 yards just 1:07 into the contest. Brown scored again from 15 yards just a minute later to up Catholic’s lead to 13-0. An 86-yard strike from Chase Cunningham to Amari Rodgers midway through the opening stanza moved Catholic ahead, 19-0. A 32-yard pass from Cunningham to Kuerschen less than three minutes later gave Catholic a 26-0 lead after the first quarter. Fulton answered with three second-quarter touchdowns to cut Catholic’s halftime margin to 26-19. On Fulton’s opening possession of the second half, Augie Fortune blocked a Falcon punt into the end zone, where Fulton fell on the ball for a Catholic safety. The Falcons scored a touchdown midway through the quarter to account for the final points of the evening. Cunningham was 10-of-27 passing for 183 yards and two touchdowns. Brown led the Irish rushing attack with 67 yards on 15 carries, while Rodgers had three receptions for 103 yards. Fortune led the Irish defense with 17 tackles, including three TFL’s and a sack. Cade Mays had 8.5 tackles, including three TFL’s, and a fumble recovery.

RACK ‘EM UP – Catholic has won 103 of its last 134 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 151 overall points and 12 first-place votes. The remainder of the Top 10 includes: 2. Greeneville (2/135); 3. Marshall County (2/134); 4. Pearl-Cohn (94); 5. Jackson North Side (66); t6. Ridgeway (60); t6. Fulton (60); 8. East Hamilton (50); 9. Sullivan East (45); 10. Haywood County (23).

 

TEAM STATS – Catholic averages 440.3 yards per-game in total offense, including 135.0 yards on the ground and 305.3 yards through the air. Defensively, Catholic allows 236.3 yards per-game, including 87.5 yards on the ground and 148.8 yards through the air. Catholic averages 52.8 points per-game. Opponents average 14.5 points per-game.

 

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

Rushing: Jeffery Wood – 33 att., 192 yds., 4 TD

Passing: Chase Cunningham – 59-88-1 1,204 yds., 13 TD

Receiving: Chase Kuerschen – 19 rec., 395 yds., 4 TD

Scoring: Amari Rodgers – 54 pts (9 TD’s)

Tackles: Jake Mahoney, Tony Scott – 30

Tackles for loss: Joe Fluker – 8

Sacks: Charlie Connors, Nick Lovely, Tony Scott – 1

Interceptions: Chase Kuerschen, Jeffery Wood – 3

 

 

PLAYERS OF NOTE

 

3 – Amari Rodgers (WR/DB, 5-10, 200, Sr.): 3 rec, 134 yds, 2 TD (70, 50) vs. Notre Dame…6 rec, 205 yds, 2 TD (81, 17) vs. Central…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, 11 yds, 1 TD (1), 1 KOR, 74 yds vs. Notre Dame…5 att, 5 yds, 1 TD (5), 2 rec, 6 yds, 8 tackles, 1 TFL, 5 PBU, 2 INT (35/TD) vs. Central…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.): 3 rec, 30 yds vs. Notre Dame…4 rec, 31 yds vs. Central…4 rec, 87 yds vs. CPA…1 rec, 7 yds vs. Morristown West…

 

10 – Jack Sompayrac (QB/DB, 6-1, 185, Jr.): 2 att, 10 yds, 1-2-0, 11 yds, 6 tackles vs. Notre Dame…4 tackles, 1 PBU vs. Central…1 att, 35 yds, 9 tackles, 1 TFL vs. CPA…8 tackles vs. Morristown West…

 

 

16 – Chase Cunningham (QB, 5-10, 160, Sr.): 14-23-0, 316 yds, 4 TD (70, 20, 54, 50) vs. Notre Dame…16-20-1, 308 yds, 2 TD (81, 17) vs. Central…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 vs. Notre Dame…11 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 Sack, 1 PBU vs. Central…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.): 6 att, 63 yds, 1 TD (4), 8 tackles, 3 TFL vs. Notre Dame…4 tackles vs. Central…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.): 5 att, 27 yds, 1 TD (9), 2 tackles vs. Notre Dame…3 att, 38 yds, 1 TD (19), 3 tackles, 1 PBU vs. Central…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.): 6 rec, 146 yds, 2 TD (20, 54), 2 tackles, 1 INT vs. Notre Dame… 3 rec, 53 yds, 5 tackles, 1 INT (55/TD) vs. Central…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.): 9 tackles, 1 TFL vs. Central…2 tackles, 1 TFL vs. CPA…9 tackles, 3 TFL, 1 PBU vs. Morristown West…

 

45 – Jake Mahoney (LB, 5-11, 195, Jr): 12 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 FC, 1 FR, 2 PBU, 1 INT vs. Notre Dame…4 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 FR, 1 PBU vs. Central…5 tackles, 1 TFL vs. CPA…9 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT vs. Morristown West…

 

60 – Charlie Connors (DE, 6-2, 255, Sr.): 4 tackles, 1 TFL vs. Notre Dame…4 tackles, 1 TFL vs. Central…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 3,935 career passing yards. Chase Kuerschen has 2,720 career receiving yards, and Amari Rodgers has 2,655 career receiving yards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

REGION        OVERALL

Catholic                     1-0                   3-1

Fulton                         1-0                   2-2

Carter                          1-0                   2-2

Central                        0-1                   1-2

Anderson County        0-1                   0-4

Union County             0-1                   0-4

 

Last week’s games

Catholic 54, Notre Dame 9

Carter 14, West 12

Austin-East 20, Fulton 13

Halls 50, Union County 6

Oak Ridge 48, Anderson County 34
Central – Open Date

 

Thursday’s Game

Catholic @ Fulton

 

Friday’s Games

Central @ Carter

Anderson County @ Union County

 

WEEK FOUR – Catholic came out victorious in the fourth-annual “Irish Bowl” with its 54-9 win at Notre Dame. Following a 74-yard opening-kickoff return from Jeffery Wood, the Irish hit paydirt with a nine-yard run from Joshua Brown just 1:07 into the contest. Chase Cunningham connected with Amari Rodgers on a 70-yard score later in the quarter. Cunningham then hit Chase Kuerschen with a 20-yard scoring strike to leave Catholic ahead after one quarter, 21-0. Joe Fluker, who led Catholic on the ground with 63 yards on six carries, moved the Irish ahead, 28-0, with his four-yard run early in the second stanza. Following a safety and a touchdown from Notre Dame, Cunningham again connected with Kuerschen, this a 54-yarder, to move the Catholic margin to 35-9. A 50-yard Cunningham-to-Rodgers connection had Catholic ahead at halftime, 41-9. Wood found the end zone from one-yard in the third quarter to move the advantage to 48-9. Bryce Nicely recovered a fumble in the end zone to account for Catholic’s final score of the evening. Cunningham was 14-of-23 passing for 316 yards and four touchdowns, helping pace Catholic’s 459 yards of total offense. Kuerschen had six receptions for 146 yards, while Rodgers had three grabs for 134 yards. Jake Mahoney sparkled on defense for Catholic, registering 12 tackles, intercepting a pass, and both causing and recovering a fumble. Fluker had eight tackles, including three for-loss. Kuerschen also grabbed an interception for the Irish.

 

 

 

WEEK THREE – Catholic opened Region 2-4A play with a 49-19 win at Central. The early-game Chase Cunningham to Amari Rodgers connection occurred again in this contest, as Rodgers took a short toss from Cunningham and raced 81 yards to the end zone less than four minutes into the game. Jeffery Wood snagged an errant Central pass less than a minute later and motored 35 yards to paydirt to give Catholic a 14-0 lead. Wood tallied on the offensive side three minutes later with his five-yard rushing jaunt. Following a Central score, Hunter Kountz went in from two yards to give the Irish a 28-7 lead after the first quarter. Cunningham passed 17-yards to Rodgers early in the second stanza to move Catholic ahead, 35-7. Chase Kuerschen had Catholic’s second pick-six of the evening, a 55-yarder, midway through the quarter, leaving Catholic ahead at the break, 42-7. Joshua Brown capped Catholic’s scoring with his 19-yard run early in the third quarter to up the Irish margin to 49-7. Cunningham was 16-of-20 passing for 308 yards on the evening. Rodgers had six grabs for 205 yards. Cameron Blakely had four receptions for 31 yard, while Kuerschen added three grabs for 52 yards. Tony Scott led the Catholic defense with 11 tackles, including two for-loss, and a sack. Beau Hollin had nine stops, including one for-loss. Wood, who was nominated for PrepXtra Player of the Week, had eight tackles, five pass break-ups, and two interceptions. Kuerschen had five tackles to go along with his interception. 

 

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 (cont’d) 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 seven scoring drives lasting less than one minute this season. Four of those scoring drives were of the one-play variety.

 

TURNOVER MARGIN – Catholic is plus-14 in turnover margin this season. The Irish have thrown one interception and lost one fumble. Opponents have thrown 11 interceptions and lost five fumbles.

 

PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Catholic has had two players 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

Jeffery Wood              Central                        8 tackles, 1 TFL, 5 PBU, 2 INT (35/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 six 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

Amari Rodgers           Central                        6-205-2

Chase Kuerschen        Notre Dame                6-146-2

Amari Rodgers           Notre Dame                3-134-2

 

 

 

250-YARDS PASSING – Chase Cunningham has four 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

Central                        16-20-1, 308 yds., 2 TD

Notre Dame                14-23-0, 316 yds, 4 TD

 

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

Player                         Opponent                   Tackles

Joe Fluker                   Morristown West        10

Tony Scott                  Central                        11

Jake Mahoney             Notre Dame                12

 

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 TV – Tonight’s game is the Rivalry Thursday game on MyVLT.

 

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 plays its first home game of the 2016 season as it plays host to Belfry (Ky.). Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., at Blaine Stadium/Hollin Field.

 

Categories: Game Notes