CATHOLIC Irish (2-1)

at

NOTRE DAME Irish (3-0)

September 9, 2016

7:30 p.m.

“Irish Bowl”

 

Featured Player: Senior OL Josh Sanger

SETTING THE SCENE – Catholic and Notre Dame play in the fourth-annual “Irish Bowl”…tonight’s game is the fourth-consecutive road game for Catholic…Catholic won last year’s game, 35-17… Catholic is ranked first in this week’s Associated Press Class 4A poll…Notre Dame is ranked second in this week’s Associated Press Class 3A poll…Catholic won the 2015 TSSAA Class 4A state championship…Irish have posted three consecutive 10-win seasons…Irish have won 124 of their last 164 games… Cunningham passed for 308 yards and two TD’s last week…Cunningham has passed for 608 yards and 5 TD’s over the past two games…Cunningham has 3,619 career passing yards…Kuerschen has 2,574 career receiving yards…Rodgers has 2,521 career receiving yards…Rodgers has posted 100-plus receiving yards in all three games this season…Catholic has suffered just one turnover this season…Irish are plus-11 in turnover margin…Catholic has collected nine interceptions this season..Irish averaging 52.3 points per-game…Scott leads the Irish in tackles…

 

THE RECORDS – Catholic is 2-1 in 2016. The Irish won at Central, 49-19, last week.  Notre Dame is 3-0 this year. The Irish won at Chattanooga Christian, 53-7, 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 10-10 record. He also served as QB/WR coach at Tullahoma, his high school alma mater, from 2004-2007. His overall record is 43-21, and his record at Catholic is 33-11. 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 (2-1)                                                Notre Dame (3-0)

8/20     @Mo. West    W, 63-30 (forfeited)   8/19     Chatt. Central             W, 30-13
8/26     CPA (at Vanderbilt)   W, 45-0           8/26     Tyner                          W, 25-7

9/2       @Central                    W, 49-19         9/2       @Chatt. Christian       W, 53-7

9/9       @Notre Dame                                     9/9       Catholic

9/15     @Fulton                                              9/16     Howard

9/23     Belfry (Ky.)                                        9/23     Calhoun City (MS)

9/30     Anderson County                                9/30     @East Ridge

10/7     Open Date                                           10/7     Open Date

10/14   @Carter                                              10/14   Signal Mountain

10/21   Cloudland                                           10/21   @McMinn Central

10/28   Union County                                     10/28   @Red Bank

 

 

LAST YEAR VS. NOTRE DAME – Catholic evened its 2015 record at 2-2 as it defeated Notre Dame, 35-17, in the third-annual “Irish Bowl.” Amari Rodgers led the way for the Irish as he totaled 428 all-purpose yards on the evening. A 51-yard scoring pass from Chase Cunningham to Rodgers on Catholic’s first possession gave the Irish an early 7-0 lead. A 93-yard Rodgers punt return for a touchdown upped Catholic’s lead to 14-0 midway through the first quarter. Following a lightning delay that lasted almost two hours, play resumed with 5:54 remaining in the first quarter. A Notre Dame field goal and touchdown left Catholic ahead at halftime, 14-10. Notre Dame took the lead, 17-14, midway through the third quarter, but Catholic regained the advantage later in the period when Cunningham and Rodgers connected on a 74-yard scoring pass. A 93-yard Cunningham-to-Rodgers score upped Catholic’s lead to 28-17 early in the final stanza. Cunningham added a three-yard touchdown run later in the quarter for the final score of the evening. For the night, Rodgers had three receptions for 218 yards and three touchdowns, eight carries for 112 yards, and two punt returns for 98 yards and a touchdown. Cunningham was 6-of-10 passing for 269 yards and three touchdowns. Augie Fourtune led the Catholic defense with 22 tackles. Austin Rowan had 11 tackles, including three for-loss.

 

RACK ‘EM UP – Catholic has won 102 of its last 133 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 120 overall points and 10 first-place votes. The remainder of the Top 10 includes: 2. Marshall County (2/113); 3. Fulton (98); 4. Greeneville (1/97); 5. Ridgeway (80); 6. Pearl-Cohn (57); 7. East Hamilton (42); 8. Jackson North Side (30); 9. Sullivan East (24); 10. Lexington (20).

 

ASSOCIATED PRESS CLASS 3A POLL – Notre Dame is ranked second in this week’s Associated Press Class 3A poll. Alcoa is ranked first with 130 overall points and 13 first-place votes. The remainder of the Top 10 includes: 2. Notre Dame (116); 3. CAK (98); 4. Liberty Magnet (76); 5. Sequatchie County (72); 6. Milan (58); 7. Dyersburg (55); 8. Elizabethton (42); 9. CPA (24); 10. Bolivar Central (16).

 

TEAM STATS – Catholic averages 434.0 yards per-game in total offense, including 136.0 yards on the ground and 298.0 yards through the air. Defensively, Catholic allows 244.3 yards per-game, including 73.3 yards on the ground and 171.0 yards through the air. Catholic averages 52.3 points per-game. Opponents average 16.3 points per-game.

 

 

 

 

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

Rushing: Jeffery Wood – 26 att., 181 yds., 3 TD

Passing: Chase Cunningham – 45-65-1 888 yds., 9 TD

Receiving: Amari Rodgers – 15 rec., 441 yds., 6 TD

Scoring: Amari Rodgers – 42 pts

Tackles: Tony Scott – 24

Tackles for loss: Joe Fluker, Beau Hollin – 5

Sacks: Charlie Connors, Nick Lovely, Tony Scott – 1

Interceptions: Jeffery Wood – 3

 

 

 

PLAYERS OF NOTE

 

3 – Amari Rodgers (WR/DB, 5-10, 200, Sr.): 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.): 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, 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.): 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.): 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.): 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 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.): 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.): 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.): 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): 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, 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 3,619 career passing yards. Chase Kuerschen has 2,574 career receiving yards, and Amari Rodgers has 2,521 career receiving yards.

 

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

REGION        OVERALL

Catholic                     1-0                   2-1

Fulton                         1-0                   2-1

Carter                          1-0                   1-2

Central                        0-1                   1-2

Anderson County        0-1                   0-3

Union County             0-1                   0-3

 

Last week’s games

Catholic 49, Central 19

Carter 47, Union County 8

Fulton 42, Anderson County 21

 

Friday’s Games

Catholic @ Notre Dame

West @ Carter

Austin-East @ Fulton

Union County @ Halls

Anderson County @ Oak Ridge

Central – Open Date

 

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 (cont’d) 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 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. (cont’d)

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

 

TURNOVER MARGIN – Catholic is plus-11 in turnover margin this season. The Irish have thrown one interception and lost no fumbles. Opponents have thrown nine interceptions and lost three fumbles.

 

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

 

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

PLAYER                    OPPONENT              ATT-YDS-TD

Jeffery Wood              Morristown West        14-143-1

 

CENTURY MARK – Catholic has had four 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

 

250-YARDS PASSING – Chase Cunningham has three 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

 

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

Player                         Opponent                   Tackles

Joe Fluker                   Morristown West        10

Tony Scott                  Central                        11

 

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 visits Fulton for a Region 2-4A contest next THURSDAY. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., at Bob Black Field.