Irish vs. Alcoa Pre-Game Summary Presented by “The General”

                                                             VS.

 CATHOLIC Irish (7-2/3-0)
at
ALCOA Tornadoes (8-1/3-0)
November 1, 2013
7:30 p.m.
Goddard Field

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SETTING THE SCENE – Catholic plays for the District 4AA championship… Irish qualified for the Class 4A playoffs with its 35-2 win over Scott…Irish are ranked ninth in this week’s AP Class 4A poll… Alcoa is ranked second in this week’s AP Class 3A poll…Irish have won 97 of their last 128 games…Jancek has 1,218 yards passing and 11 touchdowns… Martinez is a top target…Brown leads Irish rushing attack…Brown has back-to-back 100-yard rushing games…Catholic defense allowing 243 yards in total offense per-game…Hamilton leads team in tackles…Hamilton has 14 sacks on the season…Catholic has five interception returns for touchdowns this year…Martinez has four picks…Catholic is +14 in turnover margin…

THE RECORDS – Catholic is 7-2 in 2013, including a 3-0 mark in District 4AA. The Irish lost at Webb last week, 34-7. Alcoa is 8-1 overall this season and 3-0 in District 4AA. The Tornadoes won last week at home over Maplewood, 43-7.

ON THE SIDELINE – Steve Matthews is in his first year at the helm of the Irish. He also serves as Catholic’s offensive coordinator. Matthews comes to Catholic from Siegel 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. Matthews played collegiately at Tennessee and Memphis. His record at Catholic is 7-2.

DISTRICT FOES – Catholic is in Class 4A. The Irish are in District 4AA, which includes (playoff bracket in parentheses): Alcoa (3A), CAK (3A), Kingston (3A), and Scott (4A).

ASSOCIATED PRESS CLASS 4A TOP 10 – Catholic is ranked ninth in this week’s Associated Press Class 4A Top 10. Fulton is ranked first with 208 overall points and 19 first-place votes. The remainder of the Top 10 includes: 2. Greeneville (2/190); 3. Sullivan South (146); 4. Elizabethton (131); 5. Dyersburg (115); 6. Pearl-Cohn (96); 7. Carter (92); 8. Giles County (68); 9. Catholic (37); 10. White House (24).

ASSOCIATED PRESS CLASS 3A TOP 10 – Alcoa is ranked second in this week’s Associated Press Class 3A Top 10. CPA is ranked first with 21 first-place votes and 210 overall. The remainder of the Top 10 includes: 2. Alcoa (187); 3. Upperman (160); 4. Lewis County (135); 5. Fairview (134); 6. Lipscomb Academy (104); 7. Gatlinburg-Pittman (75); 8. Polk County (65); 9. Cascade (47); 10. East Nashville (20).

PICK SIX – Catholic’s defense has 19 interceptions this season and five have been returned for touchdowns. Will Martinez had a 33-yard return for six in Catholic’s 22-13 win over Notre Dame. Dominic Souder (27 yds.) and Augie Fortune (32 yds.) scored in Catholic’s 47-7 win at Coalfield. Chase Kuerschen had a 71-yard return for a score in Catholic’s 17-14 win over CAK. Harrison Huber had a 46-yard return for a score in Catholic’s 35-2 win over Scott.

TURNOVER MARGIN – Catholic is plus-14 in turnover margin this season. The Irish have lost seven fumbles and thrown six interceptions. Opponents have lost eight fumbles and thrown 19 interceptions.

RACK ’EM UP — Catholic has won 85 of its last 109 regular season games.

DISTRICT 4AA STANDINGS – Here’s a look at the 2013 District 4AA standings:
DISTRICT OVERALL
Alcoa 3-0 8-1
Catholic 3-0 7-2
CAK 1-2 3-6
Scott 1-3 7-3
Kingston 0-3 0-9

Last week’s results
Webb 34, Catholic 7
Alcoa 43, Maplewood 7
CAK 42, Livingston Academy 7
Sweetwater 31, Kingston 28
Scott 55, Cumberland Gap 28

Friday’s games
Catholic @ Alcoa
CAK @ Kingston
Open Date — Scott

COMMON OPPONENTS – Catholic and Alcoa have faced three common opponents this season. Here’s how each fared:
Opponent Catholic Alcoa
CAK W, 17-14 (OT) W, 51-17
Kingston W, 51-7 W, 70-13
Scott W, 35-2 W, 43-0

WEEK NINE – Catholic saw its overall record move to 7-2 as it fell in the annual “Battle of the Bluff” contest at Webb, 34-7. Elijah Brown posted his second consecutive 100-yard rushing effort with 109 yards on 23 carries. He also scored Catholic’s only touchdown, a seven-yard run in the fourth quarter. Erik Perfetto led the Irish defense with 18 tackles, while Brown had nine stops and his second interception of the season. Josh Silvey also had nine tackles for the Irish. Eric White also had his second interception of the year.

TEAM STATS — Catholic averages 315.1 yards per-game in total offense, including 169.7 yards on the ground and 145.4 yards through the air. Defensively, Catholic allows 243.0 yards per-game, including 157.3 yards on the ground and 85.7 yards through the air. Catholic averages 28.7 points per-game. Opponents average 17.6 points per-game.

INDIVUDUAL LEADERS – Here’s a look at Catholic’s statistical leaders in various categories:
Rushing: Elijah Brown (73 att., 507 yds, 7 TD)
Passing: Zac Jancek (85-151-5, 1,218 yds, 11 TD)
Receiving: Will Martinez (21 rec., 256 yds, 1 TD)
Interceptions: Will Martinez (4)
Scoring: Elijah Brown (54 points)
Tackles: David Hamilton (76.5)

CENTURY MARK – Catholic has had three individual 100-yard rushing efforts this season. Here’s a look:
Player Opponent Carries-Yards
Amari Rodgers Kingston 9-105
Elijah Brown Scott 9-165
Elijah Brown Webb 23-109

DOUBLE-DIGIT TACKLES – Here’s a look at Catholic’s double-digit tackle efforts in 2013:
Player Opponent Tackles
David Hamilton Tyner 18.5
Erik Perfetto Webb 18
David Hamilton Coalfield 13
Josh Silvey Tyner 12
Dawson Anderson Anderson Co. 12
Dominic Souder Anderson Co. 12
Eric White CAK 12
Josh Silvey Hardin Valley 11.5
Austin Rowan Anderson Co. 11
David Hamilton Hardin Valley 10
Erik Perfetto Hardin Valley 10

BEHIND THE LINE – Catholic has 42.5 tackles-for-loss and 28 sacks this season, David Hamilton leads the Irish in both categories with 10.5 TFL’s and 14 sacks.

ALL-PURPOSE MAN – Will Martinez has 613 all-purpose yards this season. The breakdown includes 256 receiving yards, 128 punt return yards, 210 kickoff return yards, and 19 rushing yards.

PREPXTRA PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Here is a list of players who have been nominated for PrepXtra Player of the Week this season:
Player Off./Def Opponent Stats
Will Martinez Defense Notre Dame 33-yd int ret for TD, 3 PBU
Dominic Souder Defense Coalfield 27-yd int ret for TD, 2 PBU (winner)
David Hamilton Defense CAK 8.5 tackles, 3.5 sacks

THE LAST GO ‘ROUND – Catholic’s 2013 roster includes 23 seniors. Included are Nick Lentz (QB/DB), Eric White (WR/LB), Elijah Brown (WR/DB), Jerome Rehmann (RB/DB), Harrison Huber (WR/DB), John Mark Broussard (RB/LB), Derek Connolly (WR/DB), Mike Devrnja (WR/DB), Morgan West (TE/DB), Erik Perfetto (RB/LB), Will Martinez (WR/DB), Michael Ernst (RB/LB), Wyatt Price (K), David Hamilton (WR/LB), Nicholas Natour (OL/DL), Joe Willenborg (OL/LB), Dwight Jessie (OL/DL), Evan Nelson (OL/DL), Corey Patton (OL/LB), Sean Nicholson (OL/DL), Matt Carroll (OL/DL), Patrick McFall (OL/DL), and Logan Irwin (OL/DL).

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 Tennessee Vol David Ligon adds commentary.

UP NEXT – Catholic will begin Class 4A playoff competition next week. Brackets are scheduled to be announced Saturday morning.