Victory for CAK, KCHS, Webb
Fighting Irish 49
Bobcats 19
Spartans 48
Saints 6
Warriors 41
Highlanders 40
While Knoxville Catholic and Webb School of Knoxville rolled to impressive road victories during Week 3 high school football, the lone unbeaten among Farragut area private schools was getting blown out after 24 minutes.
But for the second straight week, Travis Mozingo’s Christian Academy of Knoxville Warriors rallied from a double-digit deficit — this time by 24 points — for a thrilling 41-40 overtime win at Scott County Friday evening, Sept. 2.
CAK 41 Scott County 40-OT
Isaac Gallegos’ 20-yard field goal with 43 seconds left tied the game 34-34, forcing overtime.
Warriors running back West Shuler scored from a 1-yard out in OT, his third TD of the game, and Gallegos added the extra point for CAK’s first lead of the contest.
Scott pulled to within one on a fourth-down run.
Deciding to go for two points and the victory, the Highlanders failed thanks to a game-ending sack.
“We had been pretty strong inside, and we felt like they were going to try to attack us on a quick pass. So we decided to apply the pressure,” Mozingo, first-year CAK head coach, said.
About Scott County, “They need credit for what they’ve got going on. They’ve got a pretty strong group of athletes,” Mozingo said.
In the first half, “They capitalized on our mistakes, which is what smart football teams do,” Mozingo said.
Cole Smith, CAK senior quarterback who rushed for two touchdowns, “Wasn’t as sharp as he normally is in that first half,” the coach said. “He settled down in the second half. … And we tweaked a few things we were trying to do.
“… In the second half our defense really picked it up,” he added.
Catholic 49 Central 19
For the third straight week, the Irish (2-1) scored at will early on — up 42-7 by halftime at Central last Friday.
Clemson commitment Amari Rodgers “had six catches for 200 yards in the first half,” KCHS head coach Steve Matthews said. “Our quarterback had another great day. Chase Cunningham, he was 16-of-20 for 300 [yards] in the first half with two touchdowns.
“I’ve been a little bit concerned about our defense, but we had two interceptions returned for touchdowns,” Matthews said about scores from Chase Kuerschen and Jeffery Wood.
“Our offensive line as a whole did a nice job,” Matthews added about a line featuring three who already have committed to major colleges — two of whom are only freshmen. “Central’s pretty good on the defensive line and we’re starting two young freshmen up there. We challenged them this week to go out and perform, and they really did a nice job. … I thought we controlled the line of scrimmage.”
Webb 48 Mt. Juliet Christian 6
The Spartans picked up victory No. 1 this season (1-1), winning decisively in Middle Tennessee.
“I thought we played very well offensively,” Spartans head coach Dave Meske said. “All of our running backs did a good job, and our offensive line as a group.
“… I thought our quarterback, Hunter Green, did a great job,” Meske added. “We want him to be efficient and he was. He was 4-for-6 for something like 90 yards. … He also ran for a touchdown. It was exciting to see him do that.”
Defensively, “I felt like we played well at times, but at the same time we gave up too many first downs,” Meske said.
