PRE-GAME NOTES: Catholic at Rhea County

CATHOLIC Irish (2-3/0-1)
at
RHEA COUNTY Eagles (3-2/2-0)
September 28, 2018
Eagle Stadium
7:30 p.m.

SETTING THE SCENE – Catholic returns to Region 4-5A action…Catholic leads the series with Rhea County, 3-0…Irish won last year’s game, 49-24, in Knoxville… Irish have posted five consecutive 10-win seasons…Irish have won 146 of their last 193 games…Winton leads the Irish in receiving…Jarmon tops the rushing charts…Jarmon rushed for 91 yards in last week’s game at Brentwood Academy…last week Buckles became the third starting quarterback for the Irish this season…Winton has 732 all-purpose yards…Duncan tops the tackle chart with 47…Mays has five tackles for-loss…Quinones has three interceptions…

THE RECORDS – Catholic is 2-3 in 2018, including a 0-1 mark in Region 4-5A. The Irish lost at Brentwood Academy last week, 40-3. Rhea County is 3-2 this year, including a 2-0 mark in Region 4-5A. The Eagles lost at home to Bradley Central, 42-35, last week.

ON THE SIDELINE – Steve Matthews is in his sixth 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 65-29, and his record at Catholic is 55-18. The Irish have reached the TSSAA Playoffs in each of Matthews’ seasons at Catholic. His playoff record is 15-3, and his 2015 (4A) and 2017 (5A) squads won TSSAA state championships. Matthews played collegiately at Tennessee and Memphis. He played professionally with the Kansas City Chiefs, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tennessee Oilers.

SEASON SCHEDULES – Here are 2018 schedules for both teams:
Catholic (2-3/0-1) Rhea County (3-2/2-0)
8/17 Maryville L, 31-10 8/17 @Cleveland cancelled
8/24 Baylor W, 35-16 8/24 Brainerd W, 35-13
8/31 Open Date 8/31 Walker Valley* W, 49-10
9/7 Cleveland W, 35-28 9/7 @McMinn County L, 15-7
9/14 Soddy-Daisy* L, 17-7 9/14 @Lenoir City* W, 21-7
9/21 @Brentwood Acad. L, 40-3 9/21 Bradley Central L, 42-35
9/28 @Rhea County* 9/28 Catholic*
10/5 @West Greene 10/5 Marion County
10/12 Walker Valley* 10/12 @Soddy-Daisy*
10/19 Open Date 10/19 Open Date
10/26 @Lenoir City* 10/26 Cane Ridge
*Denotes Region 4-5A game

SERIES VS. RHEA COUNTY – Catholic leads the series with Rhea County, 3-0. Here’s a look:
2009: Catholic 28, @Rhea County 6
2010: @Catholic 48, Rhea County 15
2017: @Catholic 49, Rhea County 24

LAST YEAR VS. RHEA COUNTY – Catholic improved to 4-3 overall and 2-0 in Region 4-5A with its 49-24 home win over Rhea County. The Irish scored on the game’s opening possession, as Jack Sompayrac passed six yards to Dashon Bussell. The score capped a quick four-play, 57-yard drive. A 12-yard scamper from Sompayrac late in the opening quarter upped the Irish lead to 14-0. Following a Rhea County score, Sompayrac connected with Cameron Blakely on a three-yard scoring pass to move the Irish ahead, 21-7. Rhea County then cut the margin to 21-14, but Bussell quickly regained the momentum for the Irish as he raced 90 yards to paydirt on the ensuing kickoff. The Eagles had a kickoff return for a touchdown to open the second half, but the Irish posted three third-quarter touchdowns to blow the game open. A five-yard run from Sompayrac was followed by another Sompayrac-to-Blakely connection, this a 24-yarder. Ray Thompson added a five-yard run late in the quarter to up the Irish lead to 49-17. A Rhea County touchdown early in the fourth quarter accounted for the final margin. Sompayrac was a dual threat for the Irish on the evening, as he rushed 12 times for 112 yards and two scores, and was 13-of-16 passing for 236 yards and three touchdowns. Bussell was the top target, grabbing five balls for 98 yards and a score. Blakely had four catches for 40 yards and two touchdowns. Jake Mahoney led the Catholic defense with 11 tackles, while Jack Jancek added ten stops. Joe Fluker had nine stops, while Thompson had eight tackles, including a TFL and a sack. Bussell also collected eight tackles for the Irish. LB Liverman had five tackles and a fumble recovery.

RACK ‘EM UP – Catholic has won 119 of its last 155 regular-season games.

FIVE FOR TEN – Catholic has posted five consecutive 10-win seasons. Here’s a look:
2013: 10-4
2014: 10-2
2015: 11-4
2016: 10-2
2017: 12-3

TURNOVER MARGIN – Catholic is minus-three in turnover margin in 2018. The Irish have thrown five interceptions and lost four fumbles. Opponents have thrown five interceptions and lost one fumble.

REGION 4-5A STANDINGS – Here’s a look at the 2018 Region 4-5A standings:

REGION OVERALL
Rhea County 2-0 3-2
Soddy-Daisy 1-1 3-2
Lenoir City 1-1 2-4
Catholic 0-1 2-3
Walker Valley 0-1 0-5

Last week’s results
@Brentwood Academy 40, Catholic 3
Powell 49, @Lenoir City 26
Bradley Central 42, @Rhea County 35
Cleveland 43, @Walker Valley 0
@Ooltewah 30, Soddy-Daisy 27

Friday’s Games
Catholic @ Rhea County
Lenoir City @ Walker Valley
Soddy-Daisy – Open Date

WEEK SIX – Catholic fell to 2-3 overall on the 2018 season with its 40-3 loss at Brentwood Academy. The Eagles led, 7-0, after one quarter, then added a pair of second-quarter touchdowns to up their lead to 20-0. Paxton Robertson put the Irish on the board with his 21-yard field goal just before halftime. That score capped a nine-play, 76-yard drive. Brentwood Academy scored three touchdowns in the second half while keeping the Irish off the scoreboard. Keondre Jarmon paced the Irish rushing attack with 91 yards on 16 carries. Caden Buckles, who became the third Irish quarterback to start a game this season, was 10-of-18 through the air for 95 yards. Tommy Winton had five receptions for 40 yards. Xavier Story, Adam Margolis, and Chris Torres all had seven tackles to lead the Irish defense.

WEEK FIVE – Catholic saw its overall record even at 2-2 and its district mark go to 0-1 with its 17-7 home loss to Soddy-Daisy. The Trojans turned two Irish turnovers into touchdowns in the second quarter and added a field goal later in the quarter to take a 17-0 halftime lead. Catholic got on the board midway through the third stanza as Ray Thompson went in from one yard. That score capped a ten-play, 83-yard drive by the Irish. Drew Gregg was 13-of-23 passing for 168 yards on the evening, with Tommy Winton grabbing eight balls for 116 yards. Keondre Jarmon led the Irish rushing attack with 61 yards on 12 carries. Cooper Mays led Catholic’s defense with 16 tackles, including two for-loss and two sacks. Mays also caused a fumble and broke up a pass. Cody Duncan also had 16 tackles, including one for-loss and a sack. Xavier Story was also in double-digits, registering 11 stops.

WEEK FOUR – Catholic improved to 2-1 on the season with its 35-28 home win over Cleveland. The Irish spotted the Blue Raiders a 14-0 lead but tied the contest on (cont’d) a pair of Drew Gregg second-quarter touchdown passes. Gregg connected with Cody Duncan on a 27-yard strike, then hit Tommy Winton on a 61-yarder to even the score late in the first half. Cleveland took a 21-14 lead into halftime via a late second-quarter score. The Blue Raiders went ahead by 14 again late in the third quarter and held a 28-14 lead after three periods. Gregg’s third touchdown pass of the evening, a 27-yarder to Keondre Jarmon early in the final quarter, brought the Irish to within 21-14. Jarmon struck again less than two minutes later, racing 54 yards to paydirt and knotting the score at 28. A 19-yard run from Winton capped an 11-play, 77-yard drive with 1:32 remaining to provide the winning margin for the Irish. Making his first start, Gregg was 11-of-22 passing for 248 yards and three touchdowns. Winton was the top target, grabbing three balls for 124 yards. Jarmon rushed 12 times for 134 yards to pace the Irish ground attack. Alec Bindner recorded 16 tackles, including four for-loss, to lead the Catholic defense. Xavier Story had 13 tackles, with Duncan adding 11 stops, including two for-loss and a sack. In addition, JT Quinones collected his third interception of the season.

WEEK THREE – Catholic enjoyed an open date.

WEEK TWO – Catholic evened its record at 1-1 with its 35-16 home win over Baylor. Jack Jancek gave Catholic a 7-0 lead with his 17-yard run on the game’s opening possession. A 17-yard interception return from JT Quinones put the Irish ahead, 14-0, just a minute later. A 29-yard Jancek dash had the Irish ahead, 21-0, after the first quarter. A two-yard run from Drew Hicks late in the second quarter provided the Irish a 28-0 halftime lead. A seven-yard pass from Drew Gregg to Adam Jones midway through the third quarter pushed the Irish advantage to 35-0. A third-quarter safety and two fourth-quarter touchdowns provided Baylor’s points on the evening. Ray Thompson paced the Irish rushing attack with 49 yards on seven carries. Jancek added 43 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries. Gregg was 8-of-12 passing for 145 yards and a touchdown. Jones was the top target, grabbing eight balls for 97 yards and a score. Quinones led the Catholic defense with 12 tackles, two interceptions, and a caused fumble. Cody Duncan added nine stops, with Xavier Story collecting eight tackles.

WEEK ONE – Catholic opened its 2018 campaign with a 31-10 home loss to Maryville. The Irish scored on their opening possession of the season, marching 80 yards in 10 plays. Tommy Winton went in from nine yards to give the Irish a 7-0 lead just 3:32 into the game. Maryville tied the score with a touchdown of its own on the ensuing drive. Paxton Robertson gave Catholic its last lead of the contest midway through the second quarter with his 25-yard field goal. A Rebel touchdown, followed by a field goal as time expired in the second quarter, left them ahead, 17-10, at halftime. The Rebels scored two second-half touchdowns to account for the final margin. Jack Jancek was 14-of-25 passing for 139 yards on the evening. Jancek also led the Irish in rushing with 39 yards on 12 carries. Winton had nine receptions for 93 yards in addition to his touchdown run. Adam Jones led the Irish defense with 12 tackles, while Cody Duncan added 11 stops. Chris Torres had ten tackles, including one for-loss and a sack.

TEAM STATS – Catholic averages 325.4 yards per-game in total offense, including 147.0 yards on the ground and 178.4 yards through the air. Defensively, Catholic allows 283.0 yards per-game, including 173.4 yards on the ground and 109.6 yards through the air. Catholic averages 18.0 points per-game. Opponents average 26.4 points per-game.

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS – Here’s a look at Catholic’s statistical leaders in various categories –
Rushing: Keondre Jarmon (51 att., 297 yds, 1 TD)
Passing: Drew Gregg (32-57-2, 561 yds, 4 TD)
Receiving: Tommy Winton (26 rec., 431 yds, 1 TD)
Interceptions: JT Quinones (3)
Scoring: Tommy Winton (18 points; 3 TD);
Paxton Robertson (18 points; 1/2 FG, 12/12 XP)
Tackles: Cody Duncan (47)

PLAYERS OF NOTE

1 – Keondre Jarmon (RB/DB, 5-9, 180, Fr.): 16 att, 91 yds vs. Brentwood Academy…12 att, 61 yds vs. Soddy-Daisy…12 att, 134 yds, TD (54), 2 rec, 51 yds, TD (27) vs. Cleveland…6 att, 13 yds vs. Baylor…5 att, (-2) yds vs. Maryville…

3 – Jack Jancek (QB/DB, 6-4, 185, Jr.): 8 att, 43 yds, 2 TD (17, 29), 5-8-0, 60 yds, 3 tackles vs. Baylor…12 att, 39 yds, 14-25-1, 139 yds, 6 tackles vs. Maryville…

6 – Xavier Story (RB/LB, 5-10, 215, Sr.): 1 rec, (-1) yds, 7 tackles vs. Brentwood Academy…2 rec, 18 yds, 11 tackles vs. Soddy-Daisy…13 tackles vs. Cleveland…8 tackles vs. Baylor…6 tackles vs. Maryville…

7 – Stiles Moore (DE, 6-3, 240, Jr.): 2 tackles vs. Brentwood Academy…9 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack, 1 FR vs. Soddy-Daisy…5 tackles, 1 TFL vs. Baylor…6 tackles vs. Maryville…

9 – Adam Jones (WR/DB, 6-3, 175, Sr.): 2 rec, 34 yds, 5 tackles, 1 PBU vs. Cleveland…8 rec, 97 yds, 1 TD (7), 3 tackles vs. Baylor…1 rec, 16 yds, 12 tackles vs. Maryville…

10 – Caden Buckles (QB, 6-0, 190, Fr.): 13 att, (-1) yds, 10-18-1, 95 yds vs. Brentwood Academy…4 att, 6 yds, 1-3-1, 24 yds vs. Soddy-Daisy…2-2-0, 13 yds vs. Baylor…

13 – Ray Thompson (RB/DB, 6-0, 190, Sr.): 5 att, 19 yds, 1 TD (1), 4 tackles vs. Soddy-Daisy…7 att, 49 yds, 1 rec, 3 yds, 4 tackles, 1 PBU vs. Baylor…7 att, 18 yds, 1 rec, 5 yds, 7 tackles vs. Maryville…

16 – Drew Gregg (QB/DB, 6-1, 170, So.): 7 att, 8 yds, 13-23-0, 168 yds vs. Soddy-Daisy…7 att, 19 yds, 11-22-2, 248 yds, 3 TD (27, 61, 27) vs. Cleveland…5 att, 36 yds, 8-12-0, 145 yds, 1 TD (7) vs. Baylor…
24 – Tommy Winton (RB/DB, 5-10, 175, Fr.): 2 att, 17 yds, 5 rec, 40 yds vs. Brentwood Academy…3 att, 16 yds, 8 rec, 116 yds, 2 KOR, 43 yds vs. Soddy-Daisy…5 att, 45 yds, 1 TD (19), 3 rec, 124 yds, 1 TD (61), 2 KOR, 54 yds vs. Cleveland…1 att, 4 yds, 1 rec, 58 yards vs. Baylor…3 att, 17 yds, 1 TD (9), 9 rec, 93 yds, 2 KOR, 57 yds vs. Maryville…

30 – Cody Duncan (RB/LB, 6-2, 215, Jr.): 1 att, 4 yds, 16 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack vs. Soddy-Daisy…5 att, 17 yds, 3 rec, 34 yds, 1 TD (27), 11 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 sack vs. Cleveland…2 att, 2 yds, 2 rec, 28 yds, 9 tackles vs. Baylor…6 att, 23 yds, 11 tackles vs. Maryville…

41 – JT Quinones (WR/LB, 5-10, 165, So.): 3 tackles vs. Brentwood Academy…5 tackles, 1 TFL vs. Soddy-Daisy…8 tackles, 1 INT vs. Cleveland…12 tackles, 1 FC, 3 PBU, 2 INT, 1 TD (17) vs. Baylor…6 tackles vs. Maryville…

45 – Paxton Robertson (K, 6-1, 200, Jr.): 1/1 FG vs. Brentwood Academy…1/1 XP, 1/2 FG vs. Soddy-Daisy…5/5 XP vs. Cleveland…5/5 XP vs. Baylor…1/1 XP, 1/1 FG (25) vs. Maryville…

53 – Chris Torres (LB, 6-1, 210, Sr.): 7 tackles vs. Brentwood Academy…3 tackles vs. Soddy-Daisy…4 tackles vs. Cleveland…4 tackles vs. Baylor…10 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack vs. Maryville…

78 – Cooper Mays (OL/DL, 6-3, 260, Jr.): 5 tackles vs. Brentwood Academy…16 tackles, 2 TFL, 2 sacks, 1 FC vs. Soddy-Daisy…8 tackles, 1 TFL vs. Cleveland…6 tackles, 1 TFL vs. Baylor…7 tackles, 1 TFL vs. Maryville…

100-YARD RUSHERS – Catholic has had one 100-yard rushing effort in 2018. Here’s a look:

PLAYER OPPONENT ATT-YDS-TD
Keondre Jarmon Cleveland 12-134-1

225-YARDS PASSING – Drew Gregg has one 225-yard passing games this season. Here’s a look:
OPPONENT STATISTICS
Cleveland 11-22-2, 248 yds, 3 TD

100-YARDS RECEIVING – Catholic has had two 100-yard receiving game this season. Here’s a look:
PLAYER OPPONENT REC-YDS-TD
Tommy Winton Cleveland 3-124-1
Tommy Winton Soddy-Daisy 8-116-0

ALL-PURPOSE MAN – Tommy Winton has 732 all-purpose yards this season. The breakdown includes 431 receiving yards, 202 kickoff return yards, and 99 rushing yards.

DOUBLE-DIGIT TACKLES – Catholic has had nine double-digit tackle efforts this season. Here’s a look:
Player Opponent Tackles
Cody Duncan Soddy-Daisy 16
Cooper Mays Soddy-Daisy 16
Alec Bindner Cleveland 16
Xavier Story Cleveland 13
Cody Duncan Cleveland 11
JT Quinones Baylor 12
Adam Jones Maryville 12
Cody Duncan Maryville 11
Chris Torres Maryville 10

THE LAST GO ‘ROUND – Catholic’s 2018 roster includes nine seniors. Included are Xavier Story (RB/LB), Adam Jones (WR/DB), Ray Thompson (RB/DB), Adam Margolis (RB/LB), Chris Torres (RB/LB), Alec Bindner (OL/DL), Jordan Natour (OL/DL), Max Suchomski (K), and Adam Price (WR/DB).

ON THE STAFF – Serving as assistant coaches for the Irish are: Justin Anderson (Offensive Line), Sam Brown (Running Backs), Rodney Ellison (Tight Ends), Drew Franklin (Wide Receivers), Kevin Lane (Co-Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Backs), Kris White (Co-Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers), Geraud Hall (Defensive Ends), John Brewster (Defensive Tackles), Don Coffey (JV) and Tyler Teague (JV).

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 travels to West Greene next Friday for a non-region contest. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., at Jim Sauceman Field.