Catholic @ OR

[IrishBBall]

9 hours ago, rebelwoman87 said:

Will Fenderson play Friday night? 

Does he play basketball RW cause football is done!

[IrishBBall]

1 hour ago, Rhea Co. said:

OR is going to have their hands full in this one. Catholic’s lines are big, talented and very physical. This very well could be the deciding factor in this game. The match up of skill guys for both teams will be fun to watch. It all depends if OR can make some stops and avoid giving up the big plays to Catholic. 

Skill  positions are definitely improved since we played you with the return of Jancek and Jones. Both have made huge contributions on both sides of the ball the last two games.

[TheDarkSide]

2 hours ago, IrishBBall said:

Skill  positions are definitely improved since we played you with the return of Jancek and Jones. Both have made huge contributions on both sides of the ball the last two games.

Dont forget about Thompson. Don't think he played in the RC game either. He's back to full health. #1 Freshman RB I think almost broke the single game rushing record against RC. 

[TheDarkSide]

IMO this game will again be won up front on both sides of the ball. I have to give the edge to the Irish after watching OR on film. But OR brings a lot of pressure with the LB's. If the Irish OL can protect, might be a long night for the Wildcats. OR has some good skilled kids. Hopefully the Irish can keep them in check. It might just be me. But OR read option plays seems to take to long to develop. 

[Mavericksinflight]

Good luck to Oak Ridge and bring home the Gold Ball to AC,!

[oridgecat]

9 hours ago, Mavericksinflight said:

Good luck to Oak Ridge and bring home the Gold Ball to AC,!

Thanks buddy. Are you coming in for the Greenville game? We knew that game would happen,  Will be a rocking atmosphere.  Better have extra security. Lol

[SweetScience]

6 hours ago, oridgecat said:

Thanks buddy. Are you coming in for the Greenville game? We knew that game would happen,  Will be a rocking atmosphere.  Better have extra security. Lol

Do you think AC will have a police escort? Will Davey wear the letterman jacket, and what will the entrance from the Barn look like? I'm on pins and needles waiting for all of that stuff. 

Edited November 12, 2018 by SweetScience

[JNewman]

Hi all. On paper, Catholic holds the advantage on the offensive line. Their O-line is probably the best we've seen. If not---it's definitely top 3. As far as skill players---it's pretty even. Catholic has the best QB and probably the best receivers. But Oak Ridge's DBs are more than a match for them. As far as overall TEAM speed---OR has a significant advantage there. The Wildcat defense will frustrate Catholic more than anyone they've played (including Fulton). Both teams have adequate kicking games---but neither are stellar. Last year's game was rough because we the Wildcat's starting kicker had to go out of town and did not play. His absence was noticeable in that game. Since OR's kicking teams have had to make the stop (rather than the ball going into the endzone 75% of the time)--it would not have such a profoud impact this year.

Last year's Catholic team was a truly special bunch. A "team of destiny" if you will. Not taking anything away from the 2018 bunch (as they could inevitably win out and hoist another trophy in December)---but this year's Irish have sort of snuck in quietly under the radar. Last year's quarterfinal match up between these two was (in essence)---the de facto State Championship. Had it gone the other way, Oak Ridge would've ended Central's 2017 8-6 run just like Catholic, and most likely won the title game (same as Catholic). That is not necessarily the case this year. Whoever wins the quad will be facing a far better foe than last year in the semifinals. When we look at it---Quad 1 and Quad 2 anyway (Catholic, Oak Ridge, Central, David Crockett)--OR, Central, and Crockett are all MUCH improved since last year. Catholic isn't quite as potent as last year. 

Ultimately though---and I have tried to tell people this repeatedly---high school football is unique. Having the most D1 prospects or the absolute best QB---or the absolute best Wideouts, etc... actually means very very little. Especially this late in the playoffs. I won't suggest that the 2018 edition of the OR Wildcats is the best ever fielded. But they are the best team Gaddis has had since he returned in 2013. OR has more weapons than anyone left in 5A (including Catholic). The fact that Catholic lost their QB and struggled against teams they should've dominated is rather telling. And for the first time in a while, the Oak Ridge players are on the same page as the fans. They believe in themselves and don't get easily rattled. Last year, by the 4th quarter, Catholic was sucking wind. They were unable to impose their will on Oak Ridge because Oak Ridge was so fast and so physical. You throw in the fact that they are still fast and physical AND believe they can get to Cookeville---that should be very scary. I would not place too much stock in the Fulton vs. Catholic game last week. That's a true rivalry. OR is a new opponent for both. Last year was the first ever meeting between the two. And the first time OR and Fulton had played since 2007. What I am saying is that IF games were played on paper, neither Catholic nor Oak Ridge would be playing this week.

I expect this game to be quite close---with the game being decided by whichever team wants it more on the last drive. Don't know who it will be. It's not an easy one to pick. I do think Catholic will need to have the lead at halftime in order to have a chance. OR has been a second half team all year. And they are peaking. AND---most importantly---they are focused. They didn't care who it was they would be playing as they want revenge on either. And that makes for good stuff. Regardless of how this game turns out, if it were up to me---I would be fighting to schedule this game next year. The fans got along great last year, the players were not excessively chippy, and the stadiums are relatively close. I know this is Catholic's last year in the public schools division---and they will have all new region games to play---but either of these teams taking an "L" against the other will not impact their season in any way. It's win/win. 

 

[TNsportsfan12]

5 hours ago, JNewman said:

Hi all. On paper, Catholic holds the advantage on the offensive line. Their O-line is probably the best we've seen. If not---it's definitely top 3. As far as skill players---it's pretty even. Catholic has the best QB and probably the best receivers. But Oak Ridge's DBs are more than a match for them. As far as overall TEAM speed---OR has a significant advantage there. The Wildcat defense will frustrate Catholic more than anyone they've played (including Fulton). Both teams have adequate kicking games---but neither are stellar. Last year's game was rough because we the Wildcat's starting kicker had to go out of town and did not play. His absence was noticeable in that game. Since OR's kicking teams have had to make the stop (rather than the ball going into the endzone 75% of the time)--it would not have such a profoud impact this year.

Last year's Catholic team was a truly special bunch. A "team of destiny" if you will. Not taking anything away from the 2018 bunch (as they could inevitably win out and hoist another trophy in December)---but this year's Irish have sort of snuck in quietly under the radar. Last year's quarterfinal match up between these two was (in essence)---the de facto State Championship. Had it gone the other way, Oak Ridge would've ended Central's 2017 8-6 run just like Catholic, and most likely won the title game (same as Catholic). That is not necessarily the case this year. Whoever wins the quad will be facing a far better foe than last year in the semifinals. When we look at it---Quad 1 and Quad 2 anyway (Catholic, Oak Ridge, Central, David Crockett)--OR, Central, and Crockett are all MUCH improved since last year. Catholic isn't quite as potent as last year. 

Ultimately though---and I have tried to tell people this repeatedly---high school football is unique. Having the most D1 prospects or the absolute best QB---or the absolute best Wideouts, etc... actually means very very little. Especially this late in the playoffs. I won't suggest that the 2018 edition of the OR Wildcats is the best ever fielded. But they are the best team Gaddis has had since he returned in 2013. OR has more weapons than anyone left in 5A (including Catholic). The fact that Catholic lost their QB and struggled against teams they should've dominated is rather telling. And for the first time in a while, the Oak Ridge players are on the same page as the fans. They believe in themselves and don't get easily rattled. Last year, by the 4th quarter, Catholic was sucking wind. They were unable to impose their will on Oak Ridge because Oak Ridge was so fast and so physical. You throw in the fact that they are still fast and physical AND believe they can get to Cookeville---that should be very scary. I would not place too much stock in the Fulton vs. Catholic game last week. That's a true rivalry. OR is a new opponent for both. Last year was the first ever meeting between the two. And the first time OR and Fulton had played since 2007. What I am saying is that IF games were played on paper, neither Catholic nor Oak Ridge would be playing this week.

I expect this game to be quite close---with the game being decided by whichever team wants it more on the last drive. Don't know who it will be. It's not an easy one to pick. I do think Catholic will need to have the lead at halftime in order to have a chance. OR has been a second half team all year. And they are peaking. AND---most importantly---they are focused. They didn't care who it was they would be playing as they want revenge on either. And that makes for good stuff. Regardless of how this game turns out, if it were up to me---I would be fighting to schedule this game next year. The fans got along great last year, the players were not excessively chippy, and the stadiums are relatively close. I know this is Catholic's last year in the public schools division---and they will have all new region games to play---but either of these teams taking an "L" against the other will not impact their season in any way. It's win/win. 

 

Good Post! Regardless of the outcome this Friday, Oak RIdge will not play Catholic next year. I wish they would. 

[REBELRON]

Catholic was way better on offense last year. By far the best offensive team Maryville faced. This year Catholic is better on defense. Very hard to run against.

[oridgecat]

On 11/11/2018 at 8:51 PM, SweetScience said:

Do you think AC will have a police escort? Will Davey wear the letterman jacket, and what will the entrance from the Barn look like? I'm on pins and needles waiting for all of that stuff. 

It's on TV so you can record it.  Don't wanna miss them coming out of that barn!  And yes, the letter jacket will be in the house.  

[IrishBBall]

5 hours ago, REBELRON said:

Catholic was way better on offense last year. By far the best offensive team Maryville faced. This year Catholic is better on defense. Very hard to run against.

Offense has improved since we played Maryville. Several of the freshmen were a little in awe of the Rebels out of the gate and that was the first start for a new QB. Unfortunately we lost him the next game and our top receiver the next game...and they were the two starting safeties. They are back healthy and the offense is looking much better. Penalties have significantly decreased from last year which wasn't hard to do.