CATHOLIC Irish (10-3)

FULTON Falcons (13-0)

November 29, 2013

                                                7 p.m.

Bob Black Field

  TSSAA Playoffs – Semifinal Round 

View Larger Map and Directions to Fulton

SETTING THE SCENE – Catholic enters the semifinal round of the TSAAA playoffs…Irish are making their 21st appearance in the playoffs…eight Catholic opponents made the playoff field, including four number-one seeds…Catholic and Fulton meet for the first time since 2008…Irish were ranked tenth in the final AP Class 4A poll…Fulton was ranked first… Irish have won 100 of their last 132 games…Kuerschen had 10 receptions for 115 yards in last week’s win at Hixson…Jancek has 1,847 yards passing and 14 touchdowns… Kuerschen and Martinez aretop targets… Brown and Lacey lead Irish rushing attack… Hamilton leads team in tackles…Hamilton has 15 sacks on the season…Lacey had 20 tackles in last week’s win at Hixson…Catholic has five interception returns for touchdowns this year…Martinez has four picks…Price is 42-of-44 on extra-points and 8-of-11 on field goals this season…Catholic is +12 in turnover margin… 

THE RECORDS – Catholic is 10-3 in 2013, including a 3-1 mark in District 4AA. The Irish won at Hixson last week, 14-13. Fulton is 13-0 overall this season and finished 5-0 in District 3AA. The Falcons won at home over Greeneville last week, 40-20. 

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 10-3.  

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 23-19 record in the TSSAA Playoffs and won the Class AAA state championship in 2008. 

SERIES VS. FULTON – Catholic leads the series with Fulton, 4-2. 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 

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    This week

Notre Dame (7-3)                    3A       2          3          Season over

Coalfield (7-3)                          1A       1          1          vs. South Pittsburg

CAK (4-6)                               3A       1          6          Season over

Tyner (4-6)                              3A       2          5          Season over

Anderson County (9-1)           5A       1          1          Season over

Scott (7-3)                               4A       1          6          Season over

Webb (8-2)                              DII      E/M     1          Open; Championship game next week

Alcoa (9-1)                              3A       1          1          vs. Upperman 

ASSOCIATED PRESS CLASS 4A TOP 10 – Catholic was 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 20 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-12 in turnover margin this season. The Irish have lost 13 fumbles and thrown eight interceptions. Opponents have lost 13 fumbles and thrown 20 interceptions. 

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

DISTRICT 4AA STANDINGS – Here’s a look at the final 2013 District 4AA standings, including current overall record:

                        DISTRICT                OVERALL

Alcoa               4-0                               12-1

Catholic          3-1                               10-3

CAK               2-2                               6-7

Scott                1-3                               7-4

Kingston         0-4                               0-10

 

Last week’s results

Catholic 14, Hixson 13

Alcoa 42, CAK 14 

Friday’s games (TSSAA Playoffs – Semifinal round)

Catholic @ Fulton

Upperman @ Alcoa 

DISTRICT 3AA STANDINGS – Here’s a look at the final 2013 District 3AA standings, including current overall record: 

                                    DISTRICT                OVERALL 

Fulton                         5-0                               13-0 

Carter                          4-1                               9-2 

Gatlinburg-Pittman     3-2                               8-3 

Pigeon Forge               2-3                               6-6 

Union County             1-4                               3-7 

Austin-East                 0-5                               1-9 

FULTON RESULTS — Here’s how Fulton fared this season en route to its 13-0 record: Fulton 46, Powell 0; Fulton 52, Bearden 0; Fulton 63, Austin-East 0; Fulton 55, Farragut 7; Fulton 62, Gatlinburg-Pittman 8; Fulton 69, Central 14; Fulton 61, Pigeon Forge 0; Fulton 74, Union County 0; Fulton 61, Christian County (Ky.) 28; Fulton 69, Carter 0; Fulton 74, Unicoi County 0; Fulton 41, Sullivan South 19; Fulton 40, Greeneville 20. 

WEEK 13 (Playoffs – Quarterfinal Round) – For the second consecutive week Catholic stopped a two-point conversion run and went on to defeat Hixson, 14-13. Hixson led, 7-0, heading into the final quarter. A ten-yard run by Zac Jancek, followed by the extra-point kick from Wyatt Price, capped a 14-play, 76-yard drive and tied the game with 10:22 remaining. Following a Hixson fumble on its ensuing drive, the Irish marched 41 yards in six plays. Logan Lacey went in from one yard and, following the extra-point from Price, the Irish held a 14-7 lead. Hixson scored on its ensuing drive to cut the margin to one with 2:12 remaining. The failed two-point conversion attempt followed.Jancek was 18-of-26 passing for 173 yards on the evening. Chase Kuerschen had 10 receptions for 115 yards, both season-high’s for the Irish. Lacey was also a stalwart on defense for Catholic, collecting 20 tackles. Josh Silvey had 18 tackles, including three TFL’s and a sack. Silvey also had a caused fumble. Erik Perfetto had 14 stops, while Elijah Brown and Dominic Souder each had ten tackles. David Hamilton had 9.5 tackles, including three for-loss and a half-sack. Hamilton also had two fumble recoveries. Tony Scott also recovered a fumble for the Irish. 

TEAM STATS — Catholic averages 308.8 yards per-game in total offense, including 155.1 yards on the ground and 153.8 yards through the air. Defensively, Catholic allows 281.5 yards per-game, including 204.2 yards on the ground and 77.3 yards through the air. Catholic averages 28.6 points per-game. Opponents average 20.8 points per-game. 

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

Rushing: Elijah Brown (116 att., 714 yds, 11 TD); Logan Lacey (121 att., 603 yds, 7 TD) 

Passing: Zac Jancek (131-222-7, 1,847 yds, 14 TD) 

Receiving: Will Martinez (34 rec., 465 yds, 4 TD); Chase Kuerschen (34 rec., 440 yds., 1 TD) 

Interceptions: Will Martinez (4) 

Scoring: Elijah Brown (84 points) 

Tackles: David Hamilton (120.5) 

CENTURY MARK – Catholic has had four 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

 Elijah Brown               Signal Mtn.     21-104

 DOUBLE-DIGIT TACKLES – Here’s a look at Catholic’s double-digit tackle efforts in 2013:

 Player                         Opponent        Tackles

 Augie Fortune              Signal Mtn.      23 

Josh Silvey                  Signal Mtn.      23 

Logan Lacey                Signal Mtn.      21 

Logan Lacey                Hixson             20 

Josh Silvey                  Hixson             18 

David Hamilton            Signal Mtn.      17 

Corey Ostrowski          Signal Mtn.      17 

Erik Perfetto                Hixson             14 

Elijah Brown                Signal Mtn.      14 

Dominic Souder           Signal Mtn.      14 

Austin Rowan              Signal Mtn.      11 

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 

Elijah Brown                Hixson             10 

Dominic Souder           Hixson             10 

David Hamilton           Alcoa               10 

Eric White                    Alcoa               10 

David Hamilton            Hardin Valley  10 

Erik Perfetto                Hardin Valley  10 

BEHIND THE LINE – Catholic has 65.5 tackles-for-loss and 32.5 sacks this season, David Hamilton leads the Irish in both categories with 15.5 TFL’s and 15 sacks. 

ALL-PURPOSE MAN – Will Martinez has 928 all-purpose yards this season. The breakdown includes 465 receiving yards, 156 punt return yards, 288 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 WOKI, 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 Giles County-Trezevant winner in the 2013 Class 4A state championship game, Dec. 7, at Tennessee Tech. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. (Eastern)