CLEVELAND Blue Raiders (1-1)
at
CATHOLIC Irish (1-1)
September 7, 2018
Blaine Stadium/Hollin Field
7:30 p.m.

SETTING THE SCENE – Catholic returns to action following its first open date of the season…Irish play their first four games at home in 2018… Catholic leads the series with Cleveland, 3-0… Catholic won last year’s game, 33-7, in Cleveland…Catholic is ranked third in this week’s Associated Press Class 5A poll…Irish compete in Class 5A, Region 4… Cleveland competes in Class 6A, Region 2…Irish have posted five consecutive 10-win seasons…Irish have won 145 of their last 190 games…Jones had eight receptions for 97 yards and a touchdown in the win over Baylor…Jancek ran for 43 yards and two touchdowns in the win…Gregg passed for 145 yards and a touchdown in the win over Baylor… Winton leads the Irish in receiving…Quinones had 12 tackles, two interceptions, and a caused fumble in the win over Baylor… Duncan tops the tackle chart with 20… Catholic is plus-two in turnover margin…

 

THE RECORDS – Catholic is 1-1 in 2018. The Irish had an open date last week. Cleveland is 1-1 this year. The Blue Raiders defeated William Blount, 35-14, last week.

 

ON THE SIDELINE – Steve Matthews is in his sixth 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 10-11 record. He also served as QB/WR coach at Tullahoma, his high school alma mater, from 2004-2007. His overall record is 64-27, and his record at Catholic is 54-16. The Irish have reached the TSSAA Playoffs in each of Matthews’ seasons at Catholic. His playoff record is 15-3, and his 2015 (4A) and 2017 (5A) squads won TSSAA state championships. Matthews played collegiately at Tennessee and Memphis. He played professionally with the Kansas City Chiefs, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tennessee Oilers.

 

SEASON SCHEDULES – Here are 2018 schedules for both teams:

Catholic (1-1) Cleveland (1-1)

8/17 Maryville L, 31-10 8/17 Rhea County cancelled
8/24 Baylor W, 35-16 8/24 Bearden L, 28-20

8/31 Open Date 8/31 Wm.  Blount W, 44-21

9/7 Cleveland 9/7 @Catholic

9/14 Soddy-Daisy 9/14 Bradley Central

9/21 @Brentwood Academy 9/21 @Walker Valley

9/28 @Rhea County 9/28 @Heritage

10/5 @West Greene 10/4 @Maryville

10/12 Walker Valley 10/12 Open Date

10/19 Open Date 10/19 @Ooltewah

10/26 @Lenoir City 10/26 McMinn County

SERIES VS. CLEVELAND – Catholic leads the series with Cleveland, 3-0. Here’s a look:

2011: @Catholic 37, Cleveland 21

2012: Catholic 41, @Cleveland 26

2017: Catholic 33, @Cleveland 7

 

LAST YEAR VS. CLEVELAND – Catholic evened its record at 2-2 with its 33-7 win at Cleveland. The Irish posted a 2-0 lead late in the first quarter when a Blue Raider running back was tackled in the end zone for a safety. A 26-yard field goal from Paxton Robertson moved the Irish ahead, 5-0, early in the second stanza. The lead was short-lived, however, as Cleveland scored on a long touchdown run on the ensuing possession. The Blue Raider advantage would last just 1:45, as Jack Sompayrac passed 20 yards to Dashon Bussell to give Catholic a 12-7 lead. Catholic’s defense once again got in on the scoring, as Jack Jancek returned an interception 48 yards to paydirt to give the Irish a 19-7 advantage. A second Sompayrac-to-Bussell connection, this a 35-yarder, upped the halftime margin to 26-7. A one-yard run from Joe Fluker late in the third quarter capped the scoring.  Sompayrac was 15-of-27 passing for a season-high 249 yards. Bussell had five grabs for a season-high 110 yards and two scores. Cameron Blakely also had five receptions totaling 69 yards. DJ Mitchell led the Irish rushing attack with 55 yards on eight carries and also added a 49-yard pass reception. The Irish defense had a stellar outing, posting season lows for first downs allowed (9), rushing yards allowed (144), passing yards allowed (57), and total offense allowed (201). The Catholic defense also posted season highs for tackles-for-loss (ten) and sacks (six). Stiles Moore led the way with 13 tackles, including three TFL’s and two sacks. Jake Mahoney added ten stops, including 2 TFL’s. In addition to his interception, Jancek had eight tackles, including one TFL. Cody Duncan also posted eight tackles and one TFL. Ray Thompson had seven stops, while Cade Mays had six tackles, including two sacks and a TFL. Christopher Torres had six tackles, including one TFL and one sack. Both Mays and Torres had caused fumbles, as well.

ASSOCIATED PRESS CLASS 5A POLL – Catholic is ranked third in this week’s

Associated Press Class 5A poll. Fulton is ranked first with 140 overall points and 14 first-place votes. The remainder of the Top 10 includes: 2. Oak Ridge (119); 3. Catholic (99); 4. Clarksville Northeast (91); 5. South-Doyle (80); 6. Henry County (77); 7. Clarksville (44); 8. Summit (42); 9. David Crockett (37); t10. Daniel Boone (10); t10. Rhea County (10).

RACK ‘EM UP – Catholic has won 118 of its last 152 regular-season games.

FIVE FOR TEN – Catholic has posted five consecutive 10-win seasons. Here’s a look:

2013: 10-4

2014: 10-2

2015: 11-4

2016: 10-2

2017: 12-3

REGION 4-5A STANDINGS – Here’s a look at the 2018 Region 4-5A standings:

REGION OVERALL

Rhea County 1-0 2-0

Lenoir City 1-0 2-1

Catholic 0-0 1-1

Soddy-Daisy 0-1 1-1

Walker Valley 0-1 0-3

Last week’s results

Rhea County 49, Walker Valley 10

Lenoir City 34, Soddy-Daisy 31

 

Friday’s Games

Cleveland @ Catholic

Lenoir City @ CAK

Hixson @ Soddy-Daisy

Stone Memorial @ Walker Valley

Rhea County @ McMinn County

 

WEEK THREE – Catholic enjoyed an open date.

WEEK TWO – Catholic evened its record at 1-1 with its 35-16 home win over Baylor. Jack Jancek gave Catholic a 7-0 lead with his 17-yard run on the game’s opening possession. A 17-yard interception return from JT Quinones put the Irish ahead, 14-0, just a minute later. A 29-yard Jancek dash had the Irish ahead, 21-0, after the first quarter. A two-yard run from Drew Hicks late in the second quarter provided the Irish a 28-0 halftime lead. A seven-yard pass from Drew Gregg to Adam Jones midway through the third quarter pushed the Irish advantage to 35-0. A third-quarter safety and two fourth-quarter touchdowns provided Baylor’s points on the evening. Ray Thompson paced the Irish rushing attack with 49 yards on seven carries. Jancek added 43 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries. Gregg was 8-of-12 passing for 145 yards and a touchdown. Jones was the top target, grabbing eight balls for 97 yards and a score. Quinones led the Catholic defense with 12 tackles, two interceptions, and a caused fumble. Cody Duncan added nine stops, with Xavier Story collecting eight tackles.

WEEK ONE – Catholic opened its 2018 campaign with a 31-10 home loss to Maryville. The Irish scored on their opening possession of the season, marching 80 yards in 10 plays. Tommy Winton went in from nine yards to give the Irish a 7-0 lead just 3:32 into the game. Maryville tied the score with a touchdown of its own on the ensuing drive. Paxton Robertson gave Catholic its last lead of the contest midway through the second quarter with his 25-yard field goal. A Rebel touchdown, followed by a field goal as time expired in the second quarter, left them ahead, 17-10, at halftime. The Rebels scored two second-half touchdowns to account for the final margin. Jack Jancek was 14-of-25 passing for 139 yards on the evening. Jancek also led the Irish in rushing with 39 yards on 12 carries. Winton had nine receptions for 93 yards in addition to his (cont’d) touchdown run. Adam Jones led the Irish defense with 12 tackles, while Cody Duncan added 11 stops. Chris Torres had ten tackles, including one for-loss and a sack.

TEAM STATS – Catholic averages 307.0 yards per-game in total offense, including 128.5 yards on the ground and 178.5 yards through the air. Defensively, Catholic allows 294.5 yards per-game, including 162.5 yards on the ground and 132.0 yards through the air. Catholic averages 22.5 points per-game. Opponents average 23.5 points per-game.

TURNOVER MARGIN – Catholic is plus-2 in turnover margin in 2018. The Irish have thrown one interception and lost one fumble. Opponents have thrown four interceptions and lost no fumbles.

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS – Here’s a look at Catholic’s statistical leaders in various categories –

Rushing: Jack Jancek (20 att., 82 yds, 2 TD)

Passing: Jack Jancek (19-33-1, 199 yds, 0 TD)

Receiving: Tommy Winton (10 rec., 151 yds, 0 TD)

Interceptions: JT Quinones (2)

Scoring: Jack Jancek (12 points; 2 TD)

Tackles: Cody Duncan (20)

 

PLAYERS OF NOTE

 

3 – Jack Jancek (QB/DB, 6-4, 185, Jr.): 8 att, 43 yds, 2 TD (17, 29), 5-8-0, 60 yds, 3 tackles vs. Baylor…12 att, 39 yds, 14-25-1, 139 yds, 6 tackles vs. Maryville…

 

7 – Stiles Moore (DE, 6-3, 240, Jr.): 5 tackles, 1 TFL vs. Baylor…6 tackles vs. Maryville…

 

9 – Adam Jones (WR/DB, 6-3, 175, Sr.): 8 rec, 97 yds, 1 TD (7), 3 tackles vs. Baylor…1 rec, 16 yds, 12 tackles vs. Maryville…

 

13 – Ray Thompson (RB/DB, 6-0, 190, Sr.): 7 att, 49 yds, 1 rec, 3 yds, 4 tackles, 1 PBU vs. Baylor…7 att, 18 yds, 1 rec, 5 yds, 7 tackles vs. Maryville…

 

16 – Drew Gregg (QB/DB, 6-1, 170, So.): 5 att, 36 yds, 8-12-0, 145 yds, 1 TD (7) vs. Baylor…

 

24 – Tommy Winton (RB/DB, 5-10, 175, Fr.): 1 att, 4 yds, 1 rec, 58 yards vs. Baylor…3 att, 17 yds, 1 TD (9), 9 rec, 93 yds, 2 KOR, 57 yds vs. Maryville…

 

30 – Cody Duncan (RB/LB, 6-2, 215, Jr.): 2 att, 2 yds, 2 rec, 28 yds, 9 tackles vs. Baylor…6 att, 23 yds, 11 tackles vs. Maryville…

 

41 – JT Quinones (WR/LB, 5-10, 165, So.): 12 tackles, 1 FC, 3 PBU, 2 INT, 1 TD (17) vs. Baylor…6 tackles vs. Maryville…

 

45 – Paxton Robertson (K, 6-1, 200, Jr.): 5/5 XP vs. Baylor…1/1 XP, 1/1 FG (25) vs. Maryville…

 

53 – Chris Torres (LB, 6-1, 210, Sr.): 4 tackles vs. Baylor…10 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack vs. Maryville…

 

78 – Cooper Mays (C/DL, 6-3, 260, Jr.): 6 tackles, 1 TFL vs. Baylor…7 tackles, 1 TFL vs. Maryville…

 

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

Player Opponent Tackles

JT Quinones Baylor 12

Adam Jones Maryville 12

Cody Duncan Maryville 11

Chris Torres Maryville 10

 

THE LAST GO ‘ROUND – Catholic’s 2018 roster includes nine seniors. Included are Xavier Story (RB/LB), Adam Jones (WR/DB), Ray Thompson (RB/DB), Adam Margolis (RB/LB), Chris Torres (RB/LB), Alec Bindner (OL/DL), Jordan Natour (OL/DL), Max Suchomski (K), and Adam Price (WR/DB).

 

ON THE STAFF – Serving as assistant coaches for the Irish are: Justin Anderson (Offensive Line), Sam Brown (Running Backs), Rodney Ellison (Tight Ends), Drew Franklin (Wide Receivers), Kevin Lane (Co-Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Backs), Kris White (Co-Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers), Geraud Hall (Defensive Ends), John Brewster (Defensive Tackles), Don Coffey (JV) and Tyler Teague (JV).

 

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 celebrates Homecoming next Friday as it will play host to region foe Soddy-Daisy. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., at Blaine Stadium/Hollin Field.