Irish vs Spartans pre-game summary presented by The General
VS. 
WEBB Spartans (3-1)
at
CATHOLIC Irish (3-1)
September 21, 2012
7:30 p.m.
Blaine Stadium/Hollin Field
SETTING THE SCENE – Catholic celebrates Homecoming…this game is Catholic’s final non-district game of the 2012 season…Irish are ranked sixth in this week’s Associated Press Class 5A poll…Irish have won 90 of their last 114 games…Catholic had a season-high 469 yards total offense in last week’s 33-10 win at William Blount, including 386 rushing yards… Coulter has 3,111 career rushing yards…Coulter has 15 career 100-yard rushing efforts…Coulter rushing for more than 200 yards per-game this season…Catholic averages 410 yards in total offense per-game, including 361.5 yards rushing…Catholic’s defense had a season-high nine tackles for loss, including six sacks, in last week’s win… Lacey leads the Irish in tackles…Broussard had three sacks in last week’s win
THE RECORDS – Catholic is 3-1 in 2012, including a 1-1 mark in District 4AAA. The Irish won at District 4AAA foe William Blount last week, 33-10. Webb is also 3-1 this season. The Spartans won at home over Donelson Christian Academy, 42-6, last week.
ON THE SIDELINE – Scott Meadows is in his fourth year at the helm of the Irish. His record at Catholic is 20-18. In his 14th year as a head coach, Meadows has posted a 108-53 career record (.671). 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 94 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).
ASSOCIATED PRESS TOP 10 (Class 5A) – Catholic is ranked sixth in this week’s Associated Press Class 5A poll. Beech is ranked first with 20 first-place votes and 209 overall. The remainder of the Top 10 includes: 2. Knox. West (1/162); 3. Jackson Northside (159); 4. Henry County (149); 5. Lenoir City (98); 6. Catholic (93); 7. Powell (76); 8. Ridgeway (51); 9. Daniel Boone (43); 10. South Doyle (28).
TEAM STATS — Catholic averages 410 yards per-game in total offense, including 361.5 yards on the ground and 48.5 yards through the air. Defensively, Catholic allows 269.8 yards per-game, including 112 yards on the ground and 157.8 yards through the air. Catholic averages 32.5 points per-game. Opponents average 17.5 points per-game.
TURNOVER MARGIN – Catholic is even in turnover margin this season. The Irish have thrown two interceptions and lost two fumbles, while opponents have thrown two interceptions and lost two fumbles.
LAST YEAR VS. WEBB – Catholic saw its record move to 2-3 as it lost at Webb, 42-14. After Webb posted a 14-0 lead after one quarter, the Irish cut the margin to 14-7 when Cole Lombardo returned an interception 15 yards to paydirt. It was the first defensive touchdown of the season for Catholic. The Spartans scored two more times in the second quarter to lead at halftime, 28-7. Webb moved its advantage to 42-7 midway through the fourth quarter. Stuart Smith scored his first career touchdown, a ten-yard run, to close out the scoring. Nolan Coulter posted his fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season for the Irish, gaining 102 yards on 19 carries.
DISTRICT 4AAA STANDINGS – Here’s a look at the 2012 District 4AAA standings:
DISTRICT OVERALL
Bearden 2-0 5-0
Maryville 2-0 4-0
West 1-1 4-1
Catholic 1-1 3-1
Lenoir City 1-1 3-1
Farragut 1-1 2-3
Wm. Blount 0-2 1-4
Heritage 0-2 0-5
Last week’s results
Catholic 33, William Blount 10
Bearden 24, Lenoir City 14
Maryville 51, Heritage 0
West 21, Farragut 14
Thursday’s game
Maryville @ Oak Ridge
Friday’s games
Webb @ Catholic
Heritage @ William Blount
Kingston @ Lenoir City
Open Date – Bearden, Farragut, West
WEEK FOUR – Catholic improved to 3-1 overall and 1-1 in District 4AAA with its 33-10 win at William Blount. Nolan Coulter, who rushed 13 times for 193 yards on the evening, opened the scoring with his eight-yard run. Tanner Sharp collected his first career touchdown pass on Catholic’s next possession, as he connected with Logan Lacey on an 18-yard strike. Following a William Blount field goal, Coulter put the Irish on the board again with his six-yard run. Cole Lombardo gave Catholic a 26-3 lead with his five-yard run midway through the second quarter. William Blount scored on its next possession to cut the Irish margin to 26-10 at halftime. Coulter’s third touchdown run of the evening, a 38-yarder in the third quarter, ended the night’s scoring. With his effort, Coulter topped the 3,000-yard career rushing mark. The Irish had a season-high 469 yards in total offense, including 386 yards rushing. Lacey had 63 rushing yards, while Lombardo added 50. The Irish defense posted a season-high nine tackles-for-loss and six sacks in the contest. Eric White had eight stops, including a sack, for the Irish, while Stuart Smith added six tackles. John Mark Broussard had five tackles, including three sacks.
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 82 times for 822 yards, a 10.0 yards per-carry average, and nine touchdowns this season. Cole Lombardo has carried 39 times for 235 yards and four scores. Tanner Sharp is 14-of-33 passing for 194 yards and a touchdown. Lacey has four receptions for 63 yards and a score, while Coulter has three catches for 12 yards. Hayden Varner has two grabs for 38 yards.
TOP STOPPERS – Logan Lacey leads Catholic in tackles with 30, including six tackles for-loss. Eric White has 27 tackles, including three for-loss. Stuart Smith and John Mark Broussard each have 22 stops. Broussard also 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 15 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 “
MORE THAN 3,000 – Nolan Coulter has 3,111 rushing yards for his career. Coulter had 921 rushing yards in 2010 and 1,368 rushing yards last year. He has 822 rushing yards in 2012.
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 welcome District 4AAA foe Lenoir City next week. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., at Blaine Stadium/Hollin Field.
