Irish vs DeKalb County (1st Round Playoff Edition) pre-game summary presented by “The General”

VS

DeKALB COUNTY Tigers (6-4)
at
CATHOLIC Irish (7-3)
November 8, 2013
7 p.m.
Blaine Stadium/Hollin Field
TSSAA Playoffs – First Round

SETTING THE SCENE – Catholic returns to the TSAAA playoffs…Irish make their 21st appearance in the playoffs, and first since 2010…eight Catholic opponents made the playoff field, including four number-one seeds…Irish are ranked tenth in this week’s AP Class 4A poll… Irish have won 97 of their last 129 games…Jancek has 1,218 yards passing and 11 touchdowns… Martinez is a top target…Brown and Lacey lead Irish rushing attack… 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 +11 in turnover margin…

THE RECORDS – Catholic is 7-3 in 2013, including a 3-1 mark in District 4AA. The Irish lost at Alcoa last week, 49-7. DeKalb County is 6-4 overall this season and finished 4-2 in District 8AA. The Tigers lost at Smith County last week, 35-31.

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 7-3.

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).

IN THE PLAYOFFS – Catholic makes its 21st appearance in the TSSAA Playoffs and first since the 2010 season. Prior to that, the Irish had been in the playoffs every season since 1999. The Irish have posted a 20-19 record in the TSSAA Playoffs and won the Class AAA state championship in 2008.

OPPONENTS IN THE PLAYOFFS – Eight Catholic opponents from this season made the TSSAA playoff field, including four who earned number one seeds. Here’s a look:
Opponent (record) Class Quad Seed
Notre Dame (7-3) 3A 2 3
Coalfield (7-3) 1A 1 1
CAK (4-6) 3A 1 6
Tyner (4-6) 3A 2 5
Anderson County (9-1) 5A 1 1
Scott (7-3) 4A 1 6
Webb (8-2) DII E/M 1
Alcoa (9-1) 3A 1 1
ASSOCIATED PRESS CLASS 4A TOP 10 – Catholic is ranked tenth in the final Associated Press Class 4A Top 10 poll of the season. Fulton is ranked first with 189 overall points and 18 first-place votes. The remainder of the Top 10 includes: 2. Greeneville (1/171); 3. Elizabethton (38); 4. Dyersburg (121); 5. Pearl-Cohn (108); 6. Sullivan South (100); 7. Giles County (73); 8. Carter (50); 9. Trezevant (23); 10. Catholic (16).

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-11 in turnover margin this season. The Irish have lost ten fumbles and thrown six interceptions. Opponents have lost eight fumbles and thrown 19 interceptions.

RACK ’EM UP — Catholic has won 85 of its last 110 regular season games.

DISTRICT 4AA STANDINGS – Here’s a look at the 2013 District 4AA standings:
DISTRICT OVERALL
Alcoa 4-0 9-1
Catholic 3-1 7-3
CAK 2-2 4-6
Scott 1-3 7-3
Kingston 0-4 0-10

Last week’s results
Alcoa 49, Catholic 7
CAK 42, Kingston 14
Open Date — Scott

Friday’s games (TSSAA Playoffs – 1st round)
DeKalb County @ Catholic
York @ Alcoa
CAK @ Gatlinburg-Pittman
Scott @ Elizabethton

DISTRICT 8AA STANDINGS – Here’s a look at the 2013 District 8AA standings:
DISTRICT OVERALL
Upperman 6-0 10-0
Smith Co. 5-1 6-4
DeKalb Co. 4-2 6-4
Livingston 3-3 3-7
Macon Co. 2-4 3-7
York 1-5 4-6
Cannon Co. 0-6 1-9
DEKALB COUNTY RESULTS — Here’s how DeKalb County fared this season en route to its 6-4 record: DeKalb County 20, Warren County 7; DeKalb County 21, Stone Memorial 13; DeKalb County 35, Livingston Academy 28; White County 46, DeKalb County 21; DeKalb County 39, Cannon County 0; Trousdale County 23, DeKalb County 21; DeKalb County 34, York 0; DeKalb County 35, Macon County 16; Upperman 61, DeKalb County 14; Smith County 35, DeKalb County 31.

WEEK TEN – Catholic concluded its regular season with a 7-3 overall record and a 3-1 mark in District 4AA following its 49-7 loss at Alcoa. Logan Lacey, who gained 98 yards rushing on ten carries, scored Catholic’s only touchdown on a three-yard run in the second quarter. Josh Silvey led the Irish defense with 12 tackles, while David Hamilton and Eric White added ten stops each.

TEAM STATS — Catholic averages 297.1 yards per-game in total offense, including 160.3 yards on the ground and 136.8 yards through the air. Defensively, Catholic allows 261.0 yards per-game, including 173.8 yards on the ground and 87.2 yards through the air. Catholic averages 26.5 points per-game. Opponents average 20.7 points per-game.
INDIVUDUAL LEADERS – Here’s a look at Catholic’s statistical leaders in various categories:
Rushing: Elijah Brown (78 att., 511 yds, 7 TD)
Passing: Zac Jancek (85-151-5, 1,218 yds, 11 TD)
Receiving: Will Martinez (23 rec., 296 yds, 1 TD)
Interceptions: Will Martinez (4)
Scoring: Elijah Brown (54 points)
Tackles: David Hamilton (86.5)

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
Josh Silvey Alcoa 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 Alcoa 10
Eric White Alcoa 10
David Hamilton Hardin Valley 10
Erik Perfetto Hardin Valley 10

BEHIND THE LINE – Catholic has 45.5 tackles-for-loss and 28 sacks this season, David Hamilton leads the Irish in both categories with 11.5 TFL’s and 14 sacks.

ALL-PURPOSE MAN – Will Martinez has 656 all-purpose yards this season. The breakdown includes 296 receiving yards, 131 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 (98.7-FM). John Wilkerson handles play-by-play, while former Tennessee Vol David Ligon adds commentary.

UP NEXT – Should Catholic win tonight, it would face the winner of the Marshall County (4-6/8 seed)-Signal Mountain (7-3/1 seed) contest next Friday. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.