Irish vs. Panthers pre-game summary presented by “The General”
VS. 
LENOIR CITY Panthers (4-1/1-1)
at
CATHOLIC Irish (3-2/1-1)
September 28, 2012
7:30 p.m.
Blaine Stadium/Hollin Field
SETTING THE SCENE – Catholic returns to District 4AAA action…Catholic leads the series with Lenoir City, 2-1…Panthers won last year’s contest, 14-10…Irish have won 90 of their last 115 games… Coulter has 3,214 career rushing yards…Coulter has 16 career 100-yard rushing efforts…Coulter needs 75 yards to reach 1,000 rushing yards for the season…Catholic averages 365.2 yards in total offense per-game, including 320 yards rushing…Catholic defense has forced eight turnovers this season…Lacey leads the Irish in tackles…Broussard leads team in quarterback sacks…Teter averaging 44.8 yards per-punt…
THE RECORDS – Catholic is 3-2 in 2012, including a 1-1 mark in District 4AAA. The Irish lost at home to Webb last week, 13-0. In district play, Catholic has defeated William Blount (33-10) and lost to Farragut (34-21). Lenoir City is 4-1 this season, including a 1-1 record in District 4AAA. The Panthers won at home over Kingston, 42-14, last week. In district play, Lenoir City has defeated Heritage (41-14) and lost to Bearden (24-14).
ON THE SIDELINE – Scott Meadows is in his fourth year at the helm of the Irish. His record at Catholic is 20-19. In his 14th year as a head coach, Meadows has posted a 108-54 career record (.667). Previous stops for the Tennessee Tech graduate include Sequoyah, Alcoa, Jefferson County, and William Blount. His 2000 Alcoa squad captured the state title.
RACK ’EM UP — Catholic has won 77 of its last 95 regular season games.
DISTRICT FOES – Catholic participates in Class 5A. The Irish are in District 4AAA, which includes (playoff bracket in parentheses): West (5A), Lenoir City (5A), Bearden (6A), Farragut (6A), Heritage (6A), Maryville (6A), and William Blount (6A).
TEAM STATS — Catholic averages 365.2 yards per-game in total offense, including 320 yards on the ground and 45.2 yards through the air. Defensively, Catholic allows 264.6 yards per-game, including 129.4 yards on the ground and 135.2 yards through the air. Catholic averages 26 points per-game. Opponents average 16.6 points per-game.
TURNOVER MARGIN – Catholic is plus-one in turnover margin this season. The Irish have thrown five interceptions and lost two fumbles, while opponents have thrown three interceptions and lost five fumbles.
SERIES VS. LENOIR CITY – Catholic leads the series with Lenoir City, 2-1. Here’s a look:
2009: Catholic 30, @Lenoir City 13
2010: @Catholic 35, Lenoir City 7
2011: @Lenoir City 14, Catholic 10
LAST YEAR VS. LENOIR CITY – Two fourth-quarter goal-line stands helped lead homestanding Lenoir City past Catholic, 14-10. The Panthers took a 7-0 lead after one quarter, but the Irish tied the game early in the second stanza when Cole Lombardo went in from five yards. The scored remained 7-7 at the half. Lenoir City regained the lead midway through the third quarter, 14-7. A 35-yard field goal from Gabe Saavedra late in the period moved Catholic to within 14-10. After forcing a Lenoir City punt on the ensuing possession, the Irish drove from their own 35 to the Lenoir City nine, where they had first-and-goal. The Panthers then held the Irish to four yards on four plays. Catholic again forced Lenoir City to punt and took over on its own 31 with 3:02 remaining. A 36-yard pass from Matt Armstrong to Stuart Smith and a 30-yard pass from Armstrong to Clayton Valentine were key plays as the Irish moved the ball to the Panther three-yard line. Once again the Panthers kept the Irish out of the end zone. Nolan Coulter posted his fifth 100-yard rushing game of the season, gaining 115 yards on 27 carries.
DISTRICT 4AAA STANDINGS – Here’s a look at the 2012 District 4AAA standings:
DISTRICT OVERALL
Bearden 2-0 5-0
Maryville 2-0 5-0
West 1-1 4-1
Lenoir City 1-1 4-1
Catholic 1-1 3-2
Farragut 1-1 2-3
Wm. Blount 1-2 2-4
Heritage 0-3 0-6
Last week’s results
Webb 13, Catholic 0
William Blount 13, Heritage 2
Lenoir City 42, Kingston 14
Maryville 38, Oak Ridge 23
Open Date – Bearden, Farragut, West
Tonight’s games
Lenoir City @ Catholic
Farragut @ Heritage
Maryville @ Bearden
William Blount @ West
WEEK FIVE – Two first-half touchdowns proved to be enough as Webb defeated Catholic, 13-0. Nolan Coulter posted his 16th career-100-yard rushing effort for the Irish, gaining 103 yards on 22 carries. Coulter also led the Irish defense with a team season-high 13 tackles, including two for-loss. Zach Cole added eight stops, while Cole Lombardo collected an interception.
DOWN THE FIELD – Catholic has had five touchdown drives covering ten or more plays this season. Here’s a look:
Opponent Plays-Yards-TOP Scoring play
Central 11-71-3:34 Lacey 4 run
Central 13-97-5:52 Anderson 2 run
Cleveland 10-72-4:08 Coulter 1 run
Farragut 13-80-5:20 Lacey 6 run
Farragut 12-74-4:07 Coulter 5 run
INDIVIDUAL STATS – Nolan Coulter has rushed 104 times for 925 yards, an 8.9 yards per-carry average, and nine touchdowns this season. Cole Lombardo has carried 43 times for 254 yards and four scores. Tanner Sharp is 16-of-45 passing for 226 yards and a touchdown. Lacey has four receptions for 63 yards and a score, while Coulter has four catches for 30 yards.
TOP STOPPERS – Logan Lacey leads Catholic in tackles with 33, including six tackles for-loss. Eric White has 32 tackles, including three for-loss. John Mark Broussard leads the Irish in quarterback sacks with four.
POINTS ON THE BOARD – Nolan Coulter leads the Irish in scoring this season with 54 points (nine TD’s). Logan Lacey has 30 points (five TD’s), while Cole Lombardo has 26 points (four TD’s and a conversion run).
HIT THE CENTURY MARK – Nolan Coulter has 16 career 100-yard rushing games. Here’s a look:
Opponent Att-Yds TDs
Farragut 17-147 1 2010
Maryville 18-104 0 “
Columbia 23-127 1 “
Central 28-144 2 2011
Cleveland 28-133 4 “
William Blount 18-170 1 “
Webb 17-102 0 “
Lenoir City 27-115 0 “
West 20-129 2 “
Heritage 24-298 4 “
Bearden 27-125 2 “
Central 19-230 2 2012
Cleveland 32-200 5 “
Farragut 18-199 1 “
William Blount 13-193 3 “
Webb 22-103 0 “
MORE THAN 3,000 – Nolan Coulter has 3,214 rushing yards for his career. Coulter had 921 rushing yards in 2010 and 1,368 rushing yards last year. He has 925 rushing yards in 2012.
BOOM THAT BALL – Punter Nathan Teter is averaging 44.8 yards per-punt. Teter also has two inside-the-20 efforts and had a 65-yard boot in last week’s game against Webb.
THE LAST GO ‘ROUND – Catholic’s 2012 roster includes 15 seniors. Included are Timmy Gibbons (WR/DB/P), Joey Cook (WR/DB), Stuart Smith (RB/LB), Cole Lombardo (RB/DB), Hayden Varner (TE/LB), Nolan Coulter (RB/LB), Nathan Teter (K), Reese Staley (OL/LB), Will Easley (OL/NG), Theo Sholly (OL/NG), Dakota Raines (OL/NG), Alex Smolens (OL/DE), Tyler O’Brien (OL/DE), Garrett Depp (OL/NG), and Zach Cole (OL/DE).
ON THE RADIO – Tonight’s game is being broadcast on WNML, The Sports Animal (99.1-FM). John Wilkerson handles play-by-play, while former Tennessee Vol David Ligon adds commentary.
UP NEXT – Catholic will travel District 4AAA foe Maryville next week. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
