CLOUDLAND Highlanders (4-5)

at

CATHOLIC Irish (7-1)

October 21, 2015

Blaine Stadium/Hollin Field

                                                                                                7 p.m.

Featured Player: Charlie Connors

SETTING THE SCENE – Catholic plays its final non-region contest…Catholic is ranked first in this week’s Associated Press Class 4A poll…Catholic won last year’s contest, 45-23… Irish have scored on their first possession seven times this season, including three times on their first play from scrimmage… Cunningham has 12 touchdown passes covering 50 or-more yards this season…both Kuershen and Rodgers have more than 3,000 career receiving yards…both also have more than 1,000 all-purpose yards this year…Catholic has outscored its opponents 178-21 in the first quarter this season…Catholic has suffered just three turnovers this season…Irish are plus-24 in turnover margin… Scott leads the Irish in tackles…Connors, Fluker lead in TFL’s… Irish have won 129 of their last 169 games…Irish have posted three consecutive 10-win seasons…Catholic won 2015 TSSAA Class 4A state championship…

 

THE RECORDS – Catholic is 7-1 in 2016, including a 4-0 mark in Region 2-4A. The Irish won at Carter, 55-14, last week. Cloudland is 4-5 this year. The Highlanders won at Hancock County, 40-8, 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 10-11 record. He also served as QB/WR coach at Tullahoma, his high school alma mater, from 2004-2007. His overall record is 47-22, and his record at Catholic is 37-11. 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 (7-1)                                                Cloudland (4-5)

8/20     @Mo. West    W, 63-30 (forfeited)   8/19     @Northview Acad.     L, 38-41
8/26     CPA (at Vanderbilt)   W, 45-0           8/26     Happy Valley              L, 0-45

9/2       @Central                    W, 49-19         9/2       Oakdale                       W, 44-20

9/9       @Notre Dame             W, 54-9           9/9       @Avery Co. (NC)      L, 34-35

9/15     @Fulton                      W, 69-42         9/16     @Concord Christian   W, 68-7

9/23     Belfry (Ky.)                W, 45-20         9/23     Hampton                     L, 38-42

9/30     Anderson County        W, 55-16         9/30     Unaka                          W, 72-6

10/7     Open Date                                           10/7     Sullivan East               L, 22-30

10/14   @Carter                      W, 55-14         10/14   @Hancock County     W, 40-8

10/21   Cloudland                                          10/2l    @Catholic

10/28   Union County                                     10/28   Regular season concluded

LAST YEAR VS. CLOUDLAND – Catholic celebrated Homecoming and Senior Night with a 45-23 win over Cloudland. Chase Cunningham passed 56 yards to Amari Rodgers on Catholic’s third play from scrimmage to open the scoring. Less than two minutes later Hunter Kountz went in from three yards to up the margin to 14-0. Cunningham connected with Chase Kuerschen on a 56-yarder later in the quarter, and a 47-yard Cunningham-to-Rodgers strike made the score 28-0 after one quarter. A 23-yard field goal by Jake Poczobut opened the second-quarter scoring, followed soon thereafter by a 29-yard scoring run by Joe Fluker. A five-yard run by Morgan Ernst late in the quarter ended Catholic’s scoring for the evening. Catholic saw 15 different players earn rushing attempts as the Irish averaged 6.7 yards per-carry. Cunningham was 6-of-6 passing for 183 yards and three touchdowns. Beau Hollin, Jake Kyle, and Joseph Healy all had seven tackles for the Irish defense.

 

RACK ‘EM UP – Catholic has won 107 of its last 138 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 126 overall points and 10 first-place votes. The remainder of the Top 10 includes: 2. Greeneville (3/120); 3. Pearl-Cohn (97); 4. Marshall County (87); 5. Stone Memorial (85); 6. Sullivan East (62); 7. Haywood County (50); 8. Fulton (30); 9. Ridgeway (22); 10. Maplewood (19).

 

TEAM STATS – Catholic averages 481.0 yards per-game in total offense, including 161.8 yards on the ground and 319.3 yards through the air. Defensively, Catholic allows 278.0 yards per-game, including 123.3 yards on the ground and 154.8 yards through the air. Catholic averages 54.4 points per-game. Opponents average 18.8 points per-game.

 

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

Rushing: Jeffery Wood – 72 att., 514 yds., 9 TD

Passing: Chase Cunningham – 113-171-2, 2,503 yds., 31 TD

Receiving: Amari Rodgers – 37 rec., 1,165 yds., 17 TD

Scoring: Amari Rodgers – 108 pts (18 TD’s)

Tackles: Tony Scott – 68

Tackles for loss: Charlie Connors, Joe Fluker – 12

Sacks: Tony Scott – 4

Interceptions: Chase Kuerschen, Jeffery Wood – 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PLAYERS OF NOTE

 

3 – Amari Rodgers (WR/DB, 5-10, 200, Sr.): 6 rec, 157 yds, 3 TD (63, 3, 53) vs. Carter…2 rec, 139 yds, 1 TD (94), 1 PR, 42 yds vs. Anderson County…8 rec, 251 yds, 4 TD (52, 35, 82, 12) vs. Belfry…7 att, 40 yds, 3 rec, 43 yds, 1 TD (10) vs. Fulton…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.): 8 att, 98 yds, 2 TD (13, 44) vs. Carter…8 att, 80 yds, 1 TD (4), 2 rec, 25 yds vs. Anderson County…10 att, 43 yds vs. Belfry…13 att, 101 yds, 2 TD (31, 1), 2 rec, 108 yds, 1 TD (92), 2 PBU vs. Fulton…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.): 4 rec, 57 yds, 1 TD (4),  2 tackles vs. Carter…2 rec, 12 yds, 1 TD (2), 3 tackles, 1 PBU vs. Anderson County…1 rec, 17 yds, 3 tackles vs. Belfry…3 rec, 81 yds vs. Fulton…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, 4 yds, 3 tackles vs. Carter…3 att, 25 yds, 1 TD (1), 2-3-0, 34 yds vs. Anderson County…10 tackles, 1 FR vs. Belfry…5 tackles vs. Fulton…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.): 14-20-0, 274 yds, 4 td (63, 4, 3, 53) vs. Carter…8-12-0, 202 yds, 3 TD (5, 94, 2) vs. Anderson County…14-19-1, 320 yds, 6 TD (13, 52, 35, 25, 82, 12) vs. Belfry…18-32-0, 503 yds, 5 TD (15, 92, 36, 10, 30), rush TD (1) vs. Fulton…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.): 10 tackles, 3 TFL, 1 sack, 1 PBU vs. Carter… 4 tackles, 1 PBU vs. Anderson County…14 tackles, 1 TFL, vs. Belfry…10 tackles, 2 sacks vs. Fulton…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.): 4 att, 47 yds, 1 TD (20), 6 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT vs. Carter…4 att, 29 yds, 1 rec, 24 yds, 7 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 FR vs. Anderson County…18 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 FC, 2 FR, 1 PBU vs. Belfry…4 tackles, 1 TFL vs. Fulton…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, 23 yds, 13 tackles, vs. Belfry…7 att, 21 yds, 2 TD (3, 10), 6.5 tackles, .5 sack vs. Fulton…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.): 2 rec, 38 yds, 1 KOR (77/TD), 3 tackles, 1 PBU vs. Carter…1 att, 52 yds (TD), 2 rec, 29 yds, 1 TD (5), 3 tackles, 1 FC, 1 FR vs. Anderson County…3 rec, 46 yds, 2 TD (13, 25), 12 tackles, 1 FC vs. Belfry…8 rec, 255 yds, 3 TD (15, 36, 30), 8 tackles vs. Fulton… 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.): 6 tackles, 2 TFL vs. Carter…9 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 FC, 1 FR vs. Belfry…4.5 tackles, .5 sack vs. Fulton…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): 13 tackles, 3 TFL vs. Carter…7 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 PBU vs. Anderson County…9 tackles, 1 FC vs. Belfry…8 tackles, 1 PBU vs. Fulton…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, 2 TFL vs. Carter…4 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 sack vs. Anderson County…8 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 FC vs. Belfry…3 tackles, 2 TFL vs. Fulton…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 5,234 career passing yards. Amari Rodgers has 3,245 career receiving yards, and Chase Kuerschen has 3,088 career receiving yards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

REGION        OVERALL

Catholic                     4-0                   7-1

Central                        3-1                   6-2

Fulton                         3-1                   5-3

Anderson County        1-3                   2-6

Carter                          1-3                   2-6

Union County             0-4                   0-9

 

Last week’s games

Catholic 55, Carter 14

Fulton 62, Union County 6

Central 49, Anderson County 7

 

Friday’s games

Cloudland @ Catholic

West @ Fulton

Morristown East @ Anderson County

Powell @ Central

Gibbs @ Carter

 

WEEK NINE – Catholic remained undefeated in the region (4-0) and moved to 7-1 overall with its 55-14 win at Carter. Chase Kuerschen started things with a bang by returning the opening kickoff 77 yards for a touchdown. Amari Rodgers grabbed the first of his three receiving touchdowns two minutes later, dashing 63 yards with a Chase Cunningham toss. Cameron Blakely snagged a four-yard pass from Cunningham midway through the first quarter to make the score 21-0. A 13-yard run from Jeffery Wood on the final play of the opening quarter left the score 27-0. Wood, who carried eight times for 98 yards, raced 44 yards for his second touchdown of the evening early in the second quarter. Following a Carter score, Cunningham passed three yards to Rodgers to give Catholic the lead, 42-7. A 53-yard Cunningham-to-Rodgers connection two minutes later upped the margin to 48-7. A 20-yard dash by Joe Fluker just before halftime left the Irish ahead at the break, 55-7. Cunningham was 14-of-20 for 274 yards and four touchdowns on the evening. Rodgers had 6 receptions for 157 yards and three scores. Jake Mahoney paced the Irish defense with 13 tackles, including three TFL’s. Tony Scott had ten stops, including a sack and three for-loss. Fluker had six tackles and an interception.

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WEEK EIGHT – Catholic enjoyed an open date.

 

WEEK SEVEN – Catholic improved to 6-1 overall and 3-0 in Region 2-4A with its 55-16 Homecoming win over Anderson County. A five-yard Chase Cunningham to Chase Kuerschen pass gave the Irish a 7-0 lead just four plays into the game. A three-yard run from Hunter Kountz and a 52-yard dash from Kuerschen had the Irish ahead, 21-0, after one quarter. Cunningham connected with Amari Rodgers on a 94-yard bomb to up the Catholic lead to 28-0 early in the second stanza. Jeffery Wood moved the lead (cont’d) to 34-0 with his six-yard run two minutes later, and a two-yard pass from Cunningham to Cameron Blakely had the Irish ahead, 41-0, midway through the quarter. Jack Sompayrac scored on a one-yard run late in the period to give the Irish a 48-0 lead at the half. Catholic’s only score in the second half came when Xavier Story rambled 69 yards with an interception midway through the final period. Cunningham was 8-of-12 passing for 202 yards and three touchdowns. Wood led the rushing effort with 80 yards on eight carries. Rodgers had two receptions for 139 yards. Jake Mahoney and Joe Fluker led the Irish defense with seven tackles each. Both also had two tackles for-loss, and Fluker also recovered a fumble.

 

WEEK SIX – Catholic won its home-opener over three-time defending Kentucky Class 3A champion Belfry, 45-20. The Irish received the opening kickoff and took just two plays to score. Chase Cunningham passed 13 yards to Chase Kuerschen only 40 seconds into the game. After Belfry evened the score, Cunningham passed 52 yards to Amari Rodgers to give Catholic the lead for good. A 35-yard Cunningham-to-Rodgers connection gave the Irish a 21-7 lead early in the second quarter. A second Cunningham-to-Kuerschen connection, this a 25-yarder, upped the margin to 28-7 midway through the period. Belfry scored a touchdown late in the quarter to bring the halftime score to 28-14. An 82-yard strike from Cunningham to Rodgers left Catholic ahead after three quarters, 35-14. Belfry posted its third score of the evening midway through the final quarter. Paxton Robertson nailed a 27-yard field goal and Cunningham found Rodgers for the fourth time, a 12-yarder to end the night’s scoring. Cunningham was 14-19-1 for 320 yards and six touchdowns. Rodgers, who was nominated for PrepXtra Offensive Player of the Week, had eight grabs for 251 yards and four scores. Kuerschen had three grabs for 46 yards and two touchdowns. Jeffery Wood led the Irish rushing attack with 43 yards on ten carries. With Belfry posting 71 rushing attempts, the Irish defense had ample opportunities for tackles. Joe Fluker, who was nominated for PrepXtra Defensive Player of the Week, led the way with 18 stops. Fluker also had two caused fumbles, two recovered fumbles, and a pass breakup. Tony Scott had 14 tackles, while Joshua Brown had 13 stops. Kuerschen had 12 tackles and caused a fumble, while Jack Sompayrac had 10 tackles and a fumble recovery. Beau Hollin had nine stops and both caused and recovered a fumble. Cade Mays had eight tackles and also recovered a fumble.

 

WEEK FIVE – Catholic improved its record to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in region 2-4A with its 69-42 win at Fulton. The Irish amassed a state single-game record 749 yards in total offense in the contest. The previous record was 733 yards by Upperman in a game against Tyner in November, 2013. The Irish scored just 1:27 into the game when Chase Cunningham passed 15 yards to Chase Kuerschen. Scoring runs from Joshua Brown (three yards) and Jeffery Wood (31 yards) had Catholic ahead, 21-0, after one quarter. Following a Fulton score, the Irish dented the scoreboard three more times in the second stanza. Brown’s 10-yard run was followed by a one-yard sneak from Cunningham. A 92-yard pass from Cunningham to Wood had the Irish ahead, 42-6. A late Fulton touchdown made the score 42-12 at the break. The Catholic offensive onslaught continued in the third quarter, as the Irish posted three more touchdowns. Wood’s one-yard run was followed by touchdown passes from Cunningham to Kuerschen (36 yards) and Amari Rodgers (10 yards). Kuerschen’s third touchdown reception, covering 30 (cont’d)

yards had Catholic ahead, 69-30, in the fourth quarter. Two Fulton touchdowns over the final 5:33 of the contest accounted for the final margin. Cunningham, who was nominated for PrepXtra Player of the Week, was 18-of-32 passing for 503 yards and five touchdowns. Kuerschen, also nominated for PrepXtra Player of the Week, had eight receptions for 255 yards and three touchdowns. Wood posted 100-plus totals in both rushing (101) and receiving (102). Hunter Kountz had 105 rushing yards on just four carries. Tony Scott led Catholic’s defense with 10 tackles, including two sacks. Kuerschen and Jake Mahoney had eight tackles each, while D.J. Mitchell grabbed Catholic’s 12th interception of the season.

 

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 (cont’d)

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 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 21 scoring drives lasting less than one minute this season. Eight of those scoring drives were of the one-play variety.

 

OUT OF THE GATE – Catholic has scored on its first possession seven times this season, including four times on its first play from scrimmage. In addition, the Irish have posted two touchdowns before the offense has taken the field. Here’s a look:

Opponent                   Possession/Play         Scoring Play

MorristownWest        Before first poss.        Rodgers 63 punt return

Morristown West        1/1                               Rodgers 60 pass from Cunningham

CPA                            1/1                               Rodgers 50 pass from Cunningham

Central                        2/2                               Rodgers 81 pass from Cunningham

Notre Dame                1/3                               Brown 9 run

Fulton                         1/8                               Kuerschen 15 pass from Cunningham

Belfry                          1/2                               Kuerschen 13 pass from Cunningham

Anderson County        1/4                               Kuerschen 5 pass from Cunningham

Carter                          Before first poss.        Kuerschen 77 kickoff return

Carter                          1/1                               Rodgers 63 pass from Cunningham

 

TURNOVER MARGIN – Catholic is plus-24 in turnover margin this season. The Irish have thrown two interceptions and lost one fumble. Opponents have thrown 14 interceptions and lost 13 fumbles.

 

FIRST QUARTER/HALF POINTS – Catholic has outscored its opponents 178-21 in the first quarter. The Irish have outscored their opponents 330-63 in the first half.

 

PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Catholic has had players nominated as PrepXtra Player of the Week six times 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)

Chase Cunningham    Fulton                         18-32-0, 503 yds., 5 TD; rush TD

Chase Kuerschen        Fulton                         8 receptions, 255 yds., 3 TD

Amari Rodgers           Belfry                          8 receptions, 251 yds., 4 TD

Joe Fluker                   Belfry                          18 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 FC, 2 FR, 1 PBU

 

ALL-PURPOSE MEN – Amari Rodgers has 1,390 all-purpose yards this season. Here’s the breakdown – Rushing Yards: 73; Receiving Yards: 1,165; Punt Return Yards: 105; Kickoff Return Yards: 47. Chase Kuerschen has 1,079 all-purpose yards. His breakdown – Rushing Yards: 105; Receiving Yards: 763; Punt Return Yards: 86; Kickoff Return Yards: 125.

 

 

 

 

DOWN THE FIELD – Chase Cunningham has 12 touchdown passes covering 50 or-more yards this season. Amari Rodgers has been the main target on those scores, grabbing ten of the 12. Here’s a look:

OPPONENT              RECEIVER   YARDS

Morristown West        Rodgers           60

CPA                            Rodgers           50

Central                        Rodgers           81

Notre Dame                Rodgers           70

Notre Dame                Kuerschen       54

Notre Dame                Rodgers           50

Fulton                         Wood              92

Belfry                          Rodgers           52

Belfry                          Rodgers           82

Anderson County        Rodgers           94

Carter                          Rodgers           63

Carter                          Rodgers           53

 

100-YARD RUSHERS – Catholic has had three 100-yard rushing effort in 2016. Here’s a look:

PLAYER                    OPPONENT              ATT-YDS-TD

Jeffery Wood              Morristown West        14-143-1

Hunter Kountz            Fulton                         4-105-0

Jeffery Wood              Fulton                         13-101-2

 

CENTURY MARK – Catholic has had 11 100-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

Chase Kuerschen        Fulton                         8-255-3

Jeffery Wood              Fulton                         2-108-1

Amari Rodgers           Belfry                          8-251-4

Amari Rodgers           Anderson County        2-139-1

Amari Rodgers           Carter                          6-157-3

 

250-YARDS PASSING – Chase Cunningham has seven 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

CONTINUED

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

Fulton                         18-32-0, 503 yds, 5 TD

Belfry                          14-19-1, 320 yds, 6 TD

Carter                          14-20-0, 274 yds, 4 TD

 

DOUBLE-DIGIT TACKLES – Catholic has had 11 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

Tony Scott                  Fulton                         10

Joe Fluker                   Belfry                          18

Tony Scott                  Belfry                          14

Joshua Brown             Belfry                          13

Chase Kuerschen        Belfry                          12

Jack Sompayrac          Belfry                          10

Jake Mahoney             Carter                          13

Tony Scott                  Carter                          10

 

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 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 concludes its regular-season next Friday as it plays host to Region 2-4A foe Union County. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., at Blaine Stadium/Hollin Field.

 

CLOUDLAND Highlanders (4-5)

at

CATHOLIC Irish (7-1)

October 21, 2015

Blaine Stadium/Hollin Field

7 p.m.

 

 

SETTING THE SCENE – Catholic plays its final non-region contest…Catholic is ranked first in this week’s Associated Press Class 4A poll…Catholic won last year’s contest, 45-23… Irish have scored on their first possession seven times this season, including three times on their first play from scrimmage… Cunningham has 12 touchdown passes covering 50 or-more yards this season…both Kuershen and Rodgers have more than 3,000 career receiving yards…both also have more than 1,000 all-purpose yards this year…Catholic has outscored its opponents 178-21 in the first quarter this season…Catholic has suffered just three turnovers this season…Irish are plus-24 in turnover margin… Scott leads the Irish in tackles…Connors, Fluker lead in TFL’s… Irish have won 129 of their last 169 games…Irish have posted three consecutive 10-win seasons…Catholic won 2015 TSSAA Class 4A state championship…

 

THE RECORDS – Catholic is 7-1 in 2016, including a 4-0 mark in Region 2-4A. The Irish won at Carter, 55-14, last week. Cloudland is 4-5 this year. The Highlanders won at Hancock County, 40-8, 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 10-11 record. He also served as QB/WR coach at Tullahoma, his high school alma mater, from 2004-2007. His overall record is 47-22, and his record at Catholic is 37-11. 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 (7-1)                                                Cloudland (4-5)

8/20     @Mo. West    W, 63-30 (forfeited)   8/19     @Northview Acad.     L, 38-41
8/26     CPA (at Vanderbilt)   W, 45-0           8/26     Happy Valley              L, 0-45

9/2       @Central                    W, 49-19         9/2       Oakdale                       W, 44-20

9/9       @Notre Dame             W, 54-9           9/9       @Avery Co. (NC)      L, 34-35

9/15     @Fulton                      W, 69-42         9/16     @Concord Christian   W, 68-7

9/23     Belfry (Ky.)                W, 45-20         9/23     Hampton                     L, 38-42

9/30     Anderson County        W, 55-16         9/30     Unaka                          W, 72-6

10/7     Open Date                                           10/7     Sullivan East               L, 22-30

10/14   @Carter                      W, 55-14         10/14   @Hancock County     W, 40-8

10/21   Cloudland                                          10/2l    @Catholic

10/28   Union County                                     10/28   Regular season concluded

LAST YEAR VS. CLOUDLAND – Catholic celebrated Homecoming and Senior Night with a 45-23 win over Cloudland. Chase Cunningham passed 56 yards to Amari Rodgers on Catholic’s third play from scrimmage to open the scoring. Less than two minutes later Hunter Kountz went in from three yards to up the margin to 14-0. Cunningham connected with Chase Kuerschen on a 56-yarder later in the quarter, and a 47-yard Cunningham-to-Rodgers strike made the score 28-0 after one quarter. A 23-yard field goal by Jake Poczobut opened the second-quarter scoring, followed soon thereafter by a 29-yard scoring run by Joe Fluker. A five-yard run by Morgan Ernst late in the quarter ended Catholic’s scoring for the evening. Catholic saw 15 different players earn rushing attempts as the Irish averaged 6.7 yards per-carry. Cunningham was 6-of-6 passing for 183 yards and three touchdowns. Beau Hollin, Jake Kyle, and Joseph Healy all had seven tackles for the Irish defense.

 

RACK ‘EM UP – Catholic has won 107 of its last 138 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 126 overall points and 10 first-place votes. The remainder of the Top 10 includes: 2. Greeneville (3/120); 3. Pearl-Cohn (97); 4. Marshall County (87); 5. Stone Memorial (85); 6. Sullivan East (62); 7. Haywood County (50); 8. Fulton (30); 9. Ridgeway (22); 10. Maplewood (19).

 

TEAM STATS – Catholic averages 481.0 yards per-game in total offense, including 161.8 yards on the ground and 319.3 yards through the air. Defensively, Catholic allows 278.0 yards per-game, including 123.3 yards on the ground and 154.8 yards through the air. Catholic averages 54.4 points per-game. Opponents average 18.8 points per-game.

 

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

Rushing: Jeffery Wood – 72 att., 514 yds., 9 TD

Passing: Chase Cunningham – 113-171-2, 2,503 yds., 31 TD

Receiving: Amari Rodgers – 37 rec., 1,165 yds., 17 TD

Scoring: Amari Rodgers – 108 pts (18 TD’s)

Tackles: Tony Scott – 68

Tackles for loss: Charlie Connors, Joe Fluker – 12

Sacks: Tony Scott – 4

Interceptions: Chase Kuerschen, Jeffery Wood – 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PLAYERS OF NOTE

 

3 – Amari Rodgers (WR/DB, 5-10, 200, Sr.): 6 rec, 157 yds, 3 TD (63, 3, 53) vs. Carter…2 rec, 139 yds, 1 TD (94), 1 PR, 42 yds vs. Anderson County…8 rec, 251 yds, 4 TD (52, 35, 82, 12) vs. Belfry…7 att, 40 yds, 3 rec, 43 yds, 1 TD (10) vs. Fulton…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.): 8 att, 98 yds, 2 TD (13, 44) vs. Carter…8 att, 80 yds, 1 TD (4), 2 rec, 25 yds vs. Anderson County…10 att, 43 yds vs. Belfry…13 att, 101 yds, 2 TD (31, 1), 2 rec, 108 yds, 1 TD (92), 2 PBU vs. Fulton…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.): 4 rec, 57 yds, 1 TD (4),  2 tackles vs. Carter…2 rec, 12 yds, 1 TD (2), 3 tackles, 1 PBU vs. Anderson County…1 rec, 17 yds, 3 tackles vs. Belfry…3 rec, 81 yds vs. Fulton…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, 4 yds, 3 tackles vs. Carter…3 att, 25 yds, 1 TD (1), 2-3-0, 34 yds vs. Anderson County…10 tackles, 1 FR vs. Belfry…5 tackles vs. Fulton…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.): 14-20-0, 274 yds, 4 td (63, 4, 3, 53) vs. Carter…8-12-0, 202 yds, 3 TD (5, 94, 2) vs. Anderson County…14-19-1, 320 yds, 6 TD (13, 52, 35, 25, 82, 12) vs. Belfry…18-32-0, 503 yds, 5 TD (15, 92, 36, 10, 30), rush TD (1) vs. Fulton…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.): 10 tackles, 3 TFL, 1 sack, 1 PBU vs. Carter… 4 tackles, 1 PBU vs. Anderson County…14 tackles, 1 TFL, vs. Belfry…10 tackles, 2 sacks vs. Fulton…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.): 4 att, 47 yds, 1 TD (20), 6 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT vs. Carter…4 att, 29 yds, 1 rec, 24 yds, 7 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 FR vs. Anderson County…18 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 FC, 2 FR, 1 PBU vs. Belfry…4 tackles, 1 TFL vs. Fulton…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, 23 yds, 13 tackles, vs. Belfry…7 att, 21 yds, 2 TD (3, 10), 6.5 tackles, .5 sack vs. Fulton…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.): 2 rec, 38 yds, 1 KOR (77/TD), 3 tackles, 1 PBU vs. Carter…1 att, 52 yds (TD), 2 rec, 29 yds, 1 TD (5), 3 tackles, 1 FC, 1 FR vs. Anderson County…3 rec, 46 yds, 2 TD (13, 25), 12 tackles, 1 FC vs. Belfry…8 rec, 255 yds, 3 TD (15, 36, 30), 8 tackles vs. Fulton… 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.): 6 tackles, 2 TFL vs. Carter…9 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 FC, 1 FR vs. Belfry…4.5 tackles, .5 sack vs. Fulton…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): 13 tackles, 3 TFL vs. Carter…7 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 PBU vs. Anderson County…9 tackles, 1 FC vs. Belfry…8 tackles, 1 PBU vs. Fulton…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, 2 TFL vs. Carter…4 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 sack vs. Anderson County…8 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 FC vs. Belfry…3 tackles, 2 TFL vs. Fulton…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 5,234 career passing yards. Amari Rodgers has 3,245 career receiving yards, and Chase Kuerschen has 3,088 career receiving yards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

REGION        OVERALL

Catholic                     4-0                   7-1

Central                        3-1                   6-2

Fulton                         3-1                   5-3

Anderson County        1-3                   2-6

Carter                          1-3                   2-6

Union County             0-4                   0-9

 

Last week’s games

Catholic 55, Carter 14

Fulton 62, Union County 6

Central 49, Anderson County 7

 

Friday’s games

Cloudland @ Catholic

West @ Fulton

Morristown East @ Anderson County

Powell @ Central

Gibbs @ Carter

 

WEEK NINE – Catholic remained undefeated in the region (4-0) and moved to 7-1 overall with its 55-14 win at Carter. Chase Kuerschen started things with a bang by returning the opening kickoff 77 yards for a touchdown. Amari Rodgers grabbed the first of his three receiving touchdowns two minutes later, dashing 63 yards with a Chase Cunningham toss. Cameron Blakely snagged a four-yard pass from Cunningham midway through the first quarter to make the score 21-0. A 13-yard run from Jeffery Wood on the final play of the opening quarter left the score 27-0. Wood, who carried eight times for 98 yards, raced 44 yards for his second touchdown of the evening early in the second quarter. Following a Carter score, Cunningham passed three yards to Rodgers to give Catholic the lead, 42-7. A 53-yard Cunningham-to-Rodgers connection two minutes later upped the margin to 48-7. A 20-yard dash by Joe Fluker just before halftime left the Irish ahead at the break, 55-7. Cunningham was 14-of-20 for 274 yards and four touchdowns on the evening. Rodgers had 6 receptions for 157 yards and three scores. Jake Mahoney paced the Irish defense with 13 tackles, including three TFL’s. Tony Scott had ten stops, including a sack and three for-loss. Fluker had six tackles and an interception.

.

WEEK EIGHT – Catholic enjoyed an open date.

 

WEEK SEVEN – Catholic improved to 6-1 overall and 3-0 in Region 2-4A with its 55-16 Homecoming win over Anderson County. A five-yard Chase Cunningham to Chase Kuerschen pass gave the Irish a 7-0 lead just four plays into the game. A three-yard run from Hunter Kountz and a 52-yard dash from Kuerschen had the Irish ahead, 21-0, after one quarter. Cunningham connected with Amari Rodgers on a 94-yard bomb to up the Catholic lead to 28-0 early in the second stanza. Jeffery Wood moved the lead (cont’d) to 34-0 with his six-yard run two minutes later, and a two-yard pass from Cunningham to Cameron Blakely had the Irish ahead, 41-0, midway through the quarter. Jack Sompayrac scored on a one-yard run late in the period to give the Irish a 48-0 lead at the half. Catholic’s only score in the second half came when Xavier Story rambled 69 yards with an interception midway through the final period. Cunningham was 8-of-12 passing for 202 yards and three touchdowns. Wood led the rushing effort with 80 yards on eight carries. Rodgers had two receptions for 139 yards. Jake Mahoney and Joe Fluker led the Irish defense with seven tackles each. Both also had two tackles for-loss, and Fluker also recovered a fumble.

 

WEEK SIX – Catholic won its home-opener over three-time defending Kentucky Class 3A champion Belfry, 45-20. The Irish received the opening kickoff and took just two plays to score. Chase Cunningham passed 13 yards to Chase Kuerschen only 40 seconds into the game. After Belfry evened the score, Cunningham passed 52 yards to Amari Rodgers to give Catholic the lead for good. A 35-yard Cunningham-to-Rodgers connection gave the Irish a 21-7 lead early in the second quarter. A second Cunningham-to-Kuerschen connection, this a 25-yarder, upped the margin to 28-7 midway through the period. Belfry scored a touchdown late in the quarter to bring the halftime score to 28-14. An 82-yard strike from Cunningham to Rodgers left Catholic ahead after three quarters, 35-14. Belfry posted its third score of the evening midway through the final quarter. Paxton Robertson nailed a 27-yard field goal and Cunningham found Rodgers for the fourth time, a 12-yarder to end the night’s scoring. Cunningham was 14-19-1 for 320 yards and six touchdowns. Rodgers, who was nominated for PrepXtra Offensive Player of the Week, had eight grabs for 251 yards and four scores. Kuerschen had three grabs for 46 yards and two touchdowns. Jeffery Wood led the Irish rushing attack with 43 yards on ten carries. With Belfry posting 71 rushing attempts, the Irish defense had ample opportunities for tackles. Joe Fluker, who was nominated for PrepXtra Defensive Player of the Week, led the way with 18 stops. Fluker also had two caused fumbles, two recovered fumbles, and a pass breakup. Tony Scott had 14 tackles, while Joshua Brown had 13 stops. Kuerschen had 12 tackles and caused a fumble, while Jack Sompayrac had 10 tackles and a fumble recovery. Beau Hollin had nine stops and both caused and recovered a fumble. Cade Mays had eight tackles and also recovered a fumble.

 

WEEK FIVE – Catholic improved its record to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in region 2-4A with its 69-42 win at Fulton. The Irish amassed a state single-game record 749 yards in total offense in the contest. The previous record was 733 yards by Upperman in a game against Tyner in November, 2013. The Irish scored just 1:27 into the game when Chase Cunningham passed 15 yards to Chase Kuerschen. Scoring runs from Joshua Brown (three yards) and Jeffery Wood (31 yards) had Catholic ahead, 21-0, after one quarter. Following a Fulton score, the Irish dented the scoreboard three more times in the second stanza. Brown’s 10-yard run was followed by a one-yard sneak from Cunningham. A 92-yard pass from Cunningham to Wood had the Irish ahead, 42-6. A late Fulton touchdown made the score 42-12 at the break. The Catholic offensive onslaught continued in the third quarter, as the Irish posted three more touchdowns. Wood’s one-yard run was followed by touchdown passes from Cunningham to Kuerschen (36 yards) and Amari Rodgers (10 yards). Kuerschen’s third touchdown reception, covering 30 (cont’d)

yards had Catholic ahead, 69-30, in the fourth quarter. Two Fulton touchdowns over the final 5:33 of the contest accounted for the final margin. Cunningham, who was nominated for PrepXtra Player of the Week, was 18-of-32 passing for 503 yards and five touchdowns. Kuerschen, also nominated for PrepXtra Player of the Week, had eight receptions for 255 yards and three touchdowns. Wood posted 100-plus totals in both rushing (101) and receiving (102). Hunter Kountz had 105 rushing yards on just four carries. Tony Scott led Catholic’s defense with 10 tackles, including two sacks. Kuerschen and Jake Mahoney had eight tackles each, while D.J. Mitchell grabbed Catholic’s 12th interception of the season.

 

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 (cont’d)

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 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 21 scoring drives lasting less than one minute this season. Eight of those scoring drives were of the one-play variety.

 

OUT OF THE GATE – Catholic has scored on its first possession seven times this season, including four times on its first play from scrimmage. In addition, the Irish have posted two touchdowns before the offense has taken the field. Here’s a look:

Opponent                   Possession/Play         Scoring Play

MorristownWest        Before first poss.        Rodgers 63 punt return

Morristown West        1/1                               Rodgers 60 pass from Cunningham

CPA                            1/1                               Rodgers 50 pass from Cunningham

Central                        2/2                               Rodgers 81 pass from Cunningham

Notre Dame                1/3                               Brown 9 run

Fulton                         1/8                               Kuerschen 15 pass from Cunningham

Belfry                          1/2                               Kuerschen 13 pass from Cunningham

Anderson County        1/4                               Kuerschen 5 pass from Cunningham

Carter                          Before first poss.        Kuerschen 77 kickoff return

Carter                          1/1                               Rodgers 63 pass from Cunningham

 

TURNOVER MARGIN – Catholic is plus-24 in turnover margin this season. The Irish have thrown two interceptions and lost one fumble. Opponents have thrown 14 interceptions and lost 13 fumbles.

 

FIRST QUARTER/HALF POINTS – Catholic has outscored its opponents 178-21 in the first quarter. The Irish have outscored their opponents 330-63 in the first half.

 

PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Catholic has had players nominated as PrepXtra Player of the Week six times 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)

Chase Cunningham    Fulton                         18-32-0, 503 yds., 5 TD; rush TD

Chase Kuerschen        Fulton                         8 receptions, 255 yds., 3 TD

Amari Rodgers           Belfry                          8 receptions, 251 yds., 4 TD

Joe Fluker                   Belfry                          18 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 FC, 2 FR, 1 PBU

 

ALL-PURPOSE MEN – Amari Rodgers has 1,390 all-purpose yards this season. Here’s the breakdown – Rushing Yards: 73; Receiving Yards: 1,165; Punt Return Yards: 105; Kickoff Return Yards: 47. Chase Kuerschen has 1,079 all-purpose yards. His breakdown – Rushing Yards: 105; Receiving Yards: 763; Punt Return Yards: 86; Kickoff Return Yards: 125.

 

 

 

 

DOWN THE FIELD – Chase Cunningham has 12 touchdown passes covering 50 or-more yards this season. Amari Rodgers has been the main target on those scores, grabbing ten of the 12. Here’s a look:

OPPONENT              RECEIVER   YARDS

Morristown West        Rodgers           60

CPA                            Rodgers           50

Central                        Rodgers           81

Notre Dame                Rodgers           70

Notre Dame                Kuerschen       54

Notre Dame                Rodgers           50

Fulton                         Wood              92

Belfry                          Rodgers           52

Belfry                          Rodgers           82

Anderson County        Rodgers           94

Carter                          Rodgers           63

Carter                          Rodgers           53

 

100-YARD RUSHERS – Catholic has had three 100-yard rushing effort in 2016. Here’s a look:

PLAYER                    OPPONENT              ATT-YDS-TD

Jeffery Wood              Morristown West        14-143-1

Hunter Kountz            Fulton                         4-105-0

Jeffery Wood              Fulton                         13-101-2

 

CENTURY MARK – Catholic has had 11 100-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

Chase Kuerschen        Fulton                         8-255-3

Jeffery Wood              Fulton                         2-108-1

Amari Rodgers           Belfry                          8-251-4

Amari Rodgers           Anderson County        2-139-1

Amari Rodgers           Carter                          6-157-3

 

250-YARDS PASSING – Chase Cunningham has seven 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

CONTINUED

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

Fulton                         18-32-0, 503 yds, 5 TD

Belfry                          14-19-1, 320 yds, 6 TD

Carter                          14-20-0, 274 yds, 4 TD

 

DOUBLE-DIGIT TACKLES – Catholic has had 11 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

Tony Scott                  Fulton                         10

Joe Fluker                   Belfry                          18

Tony Scott                  Belfry                          14

Joshua Brown             Belfry                          13

Chase Kuerschen        Belfry                          12

Jack Sompayrac          Belfry                          10

Jake Mahoney             Carter                          13

Tony Scott                  Carter                          10

 

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 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 concludes its regular-season next Friday as it plays host to Region 2-4A foe Union County. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., at Blaine Stadium/Hollin Field.