Game 9:  October 16, 2009

 

Charlotte Catholic Cougars versus E.E. Waddell Raiders

Environs:  The sparse crowd and small amount of players in uniform for the Raiders served as a reminder of how blessed we are to have the vibrant football program we have at Charlotte Catholic.  Our players, students, parents, cheerleaders, trainers, team managers, band, dance team, alumni, administration, coaches, parents, fans and teachers all play a vital role in making Charlotte Catholic Football special.  We are truly blessed. 

Game Recap:  Cougar quarterback Danny Reyes threw touchdowns to tight end Nate Landi on the Cougar’s first 2 plays from scrimmage and linebacker Alex Bounds blocked the Raider’s first punt to put this game out of reach early.  Rushing touchdowns were scored by Jadarius Bruce, PJ McAfee and Michael Benjamin.  McAfee and Benjamin both ran well for the Cougars. Ben Thomas made a couple of nice stops for the Cougars on special teams.   Linebacker Zac Tomchin had a nice interception and return as the game neared its conclusion.

 

Quote of the night:  The best thing about going out to an early lead at Catholic is that the coaches are great about making sure everybody gets to play.  Charlotte Catholic has a lot of depth and there are players that might be second or third on the depth chart that are very good football players.  I was sitting next to a parent whose son made an athletic tackle on the Raider QB just after he had pitched the ball on the option.  The parents cheered loudly thinking he had made the tackle, and then realized the QB had dished the ball prior to contact.  The parents didn’t skip a beat, the mother turned to the dad and said, “I don’t care if he didn’t have the ball, it was a great tackle!”. (It was.)  I remember feeling the exact same way last year.

 

Unique or unusual plays:  An unintentional onsides kick by the Cougars, just before the half, was alertly recovered by Bryan Wright.  We put the ball on the ground, 3 times in a row, on our first offensive series of the second half (drive summary: fumble, fumble, fumble…punt).  Defensive back Matt Tomsho made one of the most considerate, apologetic tackles I have ever seen; simultaneously helping a Raider up while knocking him down.  Jake Cunnane got pummeled by a gaggle of Raiders on a 3^rd quarter onsides kick but came up smiling, holding the ball, a little worse for wear.

 

Final Score: Charlotte Catholic 35, EE Waddell Raiders 6.

Next Week:  Home, Senior Night, versus Garinger.

Game 8:  October 9, 2009

 

Charlotte Catholic Cougars versus East Gaston Warriors

Environs:  Homecoming at Charlotte Catholic. Coach Jim Oddo was honored for his selection as North Carolina Shrine Bowl Coach, a well deserved honor.

Game Recap:  Quarterback Danny Reyes had a lot of zip on the ball while warming up.  It looked like stiffness in his back had impeded his throwing motion in prior weeks. 

 

The Cougars kicked off and smothered the Warriors first drive; 3 and out.  A short Warrior punt and a good runback by Matt Tomsho gave the Cougars the ball on the Warrior 35 yard line.   Two running plays were followed by a 23 yard strike by Reyes to a wide open Nate Landi.  7-0 Cougars.  The Warrior’s next drive was ended by a fumble recovery by the always opportunistic Matt Sawyer.  The Cougars quickly converted the turnover into 7 points on a great throw by Reyes and a diving catch by David Herlocker. 14-0 Cougars.  Cougar linebacker Collin Manning knocked the ball loose on the Warriors’ 3^rd drive of the night and Sawyer again showed a nose for the ball, recovering his second fumble of the night.  The Warriors were “looking pass” on the Cougar’s next drive.  As soon as the Warriors sagged a little of the line, the Cougars started to pound the ball on the ground with Angelo Acitelli and then Connor Hobbs.  Acitelli eventually punched it in from the 1. 21-0 Cougars.  When the Cougars establish the "play action pass" and the "run" they are an extremely difficult team to beat.

 

Halfway through the second quarter the East Gaston Warriors learned that it wasn’t going to be as much fun in their new conference as they might have been led to believe.  Had the referees not interceded on the Warrior’s behalf things may have gotten ugly.  But the Warriors hung in and struck late in the second quarter to bring the score to 21-7.

 

The Cougar’s opening drive of the 3^rd quarter started with a great screen pass from Reyes to running back Vince Campagna.  Reyes then connected with Ryan Gibbons for 15 yards but the Cougar drive seemed like it would stall at the Warrior 25.  On 4^th down the Cougar coaching staff called for a delayed draw and it worked like a charm as Connor Hobbs scampered into the end zone.  28-7 Cougars.  The Warriors answered with a drive of their own to draw closer. 28-14 at the end of the third quarter.

 

The Cougars responded with a good runback by Campagna and a 20 yard Acitelli run to the Warrior 40 yard line but the Warriors intercepted on the next play started and embarked on another drive.  Several Cougars made big plays to stop the Warriors. Matt Sawyer deflected a Warrior pass. Nose tackle Gerald Rimmer made had a huge tackle for loss and then defensive back Bryan Wright had a terrific open field tackle on 4^th down.  The Cougars gave the ball back one more time but a Matt Tomsho interception ended the Warriors hopes.  Brandon Shell put an exclamation point on the evening with a great special teams tackle at the end of the 4^th quarter.

 

Post Game: The Charlotte Catholic Marching Band rocked the house as the Cougar faithful applauded appreciatively.   

 

Final Score: Charlotte Catholic 28, East Gaston Warriors 14

Next Week:  Away against E.E. Waddell

 

Game 6: September 25, 2009

 

Charlotte Catholic Cougars versus Olympic Trojans

Game Recap:  In a carbon copy (outdated term but parents remember) of last week’s game we staked our opponent a 3 touchdown lead in the first half, held them scoreless in the second half and came back with 2 touchdowns of our own to pull within 7 points.  We came up short on our final drive of the game. Final score, Trojans 21: Cougars 14.  In sports, life, everybody loves a comeback but starting well is as important as finishing strongly and we have to be ready to go at the opening whistle.

 

Offense:  Quarterback Danny Reyes connected with tight end Nate Landi on 3 big passing plays; one of which set up our first touchdown of the night on the Cougars 3^rd quarter scoring drive.  The drive ended with Angelo Acitelli plunging across the goal line from the 2 year line.   Connor Hobbs played a solid game for the Cougars at running back; both running and catching the ball. Hobbs had a 4^th down touchdown catch in the 4^th quarter to bring the Cougars within 7 points. 

 

Defense:  The Cougars played solid defensive but gave up 2 big plays, one long pass and one long run and that turned out to be one too many.   Linebacker Collin Manning halted a Trojan second half scoring drive with a tackle for a loss on third down and forced a fumble on 4^th down which was recovered by Alex Price to set up the Cougars second touchdown.   The Cougars had solid interior line play including a couple of nice stops by Martin Levy.

 

Pregame and Halftime Shows: The Dance Team and Cheerleaders kicked off the evening with a combined dance number.  The Charlotte Catholic Marching Band braved the elements to provide another bravo performance at halftime.

Final Score:  Olympic 21, Charlotte Catholic 14

Next Week:  away against West Mecklenburg

Game 5: September 18, 2009

 

Charlotte Catholic Cougars versus East Mecklenburg Eagles

Environs:  The apprehension of the Catholic fans was palpable as the Cougars took the field.  When was the last time we had faced an opponent like East Mecklenburg on the heels of 2 difficult losses with so many of our players out or limited by illness or injuries?

Game Recap:  The Eagles went out to a 20-0 lead at the half.  The Cougars were competing well but were burned on 3 big plays. 

 

The second half was a different story.  On the first series of the second half Cougar fullback Angelo Acitelli broke off a 39 yard run to move the ball deep into Eagle territory.  Kicker Jesse Roy missed a 42 yard field goal just wide, left, and the score remained 20-0.  The Eagles fumbled on their first play from scrimmage and Matthew Sawyer picked it up and took off, giving the Cougars possession on the Eagle 16 yard line. Four consecutive runs by Acitelli gave the Cougars their first touchdown and Roy was good with the extra point to make it 20-7. 

 

The Eagles moved the ball deep into Cougar territory on their next series but turned the ball over again as David Herlocker recovered another Eagle fumble. The Cougar’s next drive fizzled but back up quarterback CJ Brodowicz threw the ball confidently and running backs Vince Campagna and Connor Hobbs established themselves as threats.  The Eagles could no longer key on Acitelli and that made all the difference.  After a Cougar punt, East Mecklenburg again moved the ball deep into Cougar territory but their drive was stopped by solid defensive play by Patrick Priester and some tight pass coverage by defensive back Bryan Wright.  The Eagles failed to convert on a field goal attempt on 4^th and 4. 

 

The Cougars mounted their most impressive drive of the night on their next possession. Campagna electrified the crowd with his slashing runs and Acitelli pounded the ball up the middle.  The Cougars made it 20-14 as Campagna darted into the end zone and Roy connected on the extra point.  The Cougars stopped the Eagles on their next possession, again bending but not breaking. Solid defensive plays by Alex Price followed by a tackle for a loss by Sawyer and Collin Manning forced the Eagles into another missed field goal.

 

The Cougars had one last shot with 3 minutes to go and the ball on our 35, down by 6, but couldn’t convert.

 

In the win/loss column, this goes down as a loss just like the Country Day loss but this is a loss we can build on and that was a loss that lingered. The ghosts of the Country Day loss were put to rest in the second half of this loss to the Eagles.  We emerge from a difficult 5 games to open the season knowing that we can get thrashed if we are not on our game and that we can play with anyone when we focus and play hard.

 

Bring on Olympic!

 

Other Standouts:  Offensive lineman Spencer Dickinson through several lead blocks that sprung Cougar running backs throughout the night. Punter Nick Funck hit several long punts to get the Cougars out of trouble.  Patrick Priester played his best game of the year.

Halftime Show: The Charlotte Catholic marching band was resplendent in their black, red and blue uniforms.  I have never seen better flag twirling from our twirlers. The 2 trumpet solos were heartily cheered by Catholic fans.

Final Score:  East Mecklenburg 20, Charlotte Catholic 14

Next Week:  home against the Olympic Trojans

Game 3: September 4, 2009 

Charlotte Catholic Cougars versus Charlotte Country Day Buccaneers; Cook Cup

Environs:  Once a year, when Charlotte Catholic comes calling, area teams get a taste of what school spirit is all about.  The Cougar faithful packed up, en masse, and moved 5 miles up Carmel Road to pay a visit to the Charlotte Country Day Buccaneers at the annual Cook Cup game.  The Catholic student body dressed as pirates, dyed their hair red, waved flags and rang cowbells in honor of super fan Jane Moll.

Game Recap:  Sports teaches us so much about life.  You can prepare well, you can put yourself in a place to be successful; but you have to climb through the window of opportunity when it opens.  Last night the Cougars could have driven a tractor trailer through the window of opportunity they worked so hard to establish but the window closed, opportunities were missed and the game was lost.  Charlotte Country Day 24, Charlotte Catholic 17, in overtime. 

Offense:  The Cougars moved the ball well. Angelo Acitelli, Jadarius Bruce, Joe Piraino and Vince Campagna pounded the ball downfield all night.  Danny Reyes made a great throw to Piraino with seconds left in the first half to put the Cougars up 10-7 at the half.  Reyes also had several nice completions to Nate Landi and Ryan Gibbons (who made a great grab in the middle of the field on the Cougars 4^th quarter drive).  Kicker Jesse Roy had a 30 yard field goal in the first quarter and missed a difficult 46 yarder from the left hash marks, wide left, by inches as time expired in regulation.  Acitelli had the Cougars loan rushing touchdown.

Defense:  Matthew Sawyer made several terrific defensive plays for the Cougars, whether it was blocking passes or sacking the quarterback, Sawyer was a force.  The defensive line had its best showing of the year, Thomas Warren provided solid tackling and Martin Levy had a big game with and a sack, a nice stop and a fumble recovery.  Matt Tomsho made an athletic grab for an interception in the third quarter.  CJ Brodowicz had a key stop in a third quarter defensive stand.

Final Score:  Charlotte Country Day 24, Charlotte Catholic 17 

Next Week:  at Charlotte Latin

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Game 2: August 28, 2009

Charlotte Catholic Cougars versus Providence Panthers

Environs:  The student section, dressed out in battle armor based on the movie, “300”, in honor of Coach Oddo’s pursuit of his 300 hundredth win, was berserk.  The band, dance team and cheerleaders were in midseason form, snapping out their routines.

Game Recap:  Maybe it had to be special or it would have blended in with all of the others.  How else do you explain a game like last night’s?  It was our game to win; then it seemed it would slip away.  Somehow, we prevailed 48-47 in 3 over times.

300 Wins:  The Oakland Raider’s Al Davis coined the famous football phrase, “just win, baby”.   That’s a great line but it doesn’t apply at Charlotte Catholic High School.  Coach Oddo has won, but he has won with class, sportsmanship, respect for hard work and effort.    He coaches his values.  Coach Oddo is the third coach in the history of North Carolina High School football to reach 300 wins.

Offense:  Could Joe Piraino have run any harder? Can Danny Reyes be any more composed under pressure?  Could Jesse Roy’s kicks have been truer?  Piraino had a monster game with 3 rushing touchdowns and over a hundred yards rushing.  Every time he touched the ball a violent collision ensued and most of the time it was the defender getting knocked back.  Reyes made great throws under pressure and controlled the tempo of the game.  Roy had 2 critical field goals, was perfect on extra points and kicked the ball into the end zone on kick off after kick off.  Nick “sticks” Johnson had a rushing touchdown and a key fourth down catch. Ryan Gibbons had several big pass receptions, including a touchdown catch in overtime.  Angelo Acitelli ground out critical yardage and had a rushing touchdown in overtime.  The offensive line, led by Nick White, Adam Farley and Gerald Rimmer, opened holes in the Providence defense all night. Offensive lineman Jack Hartpence showed surprising athleticism when he reined in a deflected Reyes pass and scampered for a 6 yard gain. Vince Campagna had a nice catch and run early. Brandon Shell showed good hands to recover a first half onside kick from the Panthers.

Defense:  The Panther’s high powered aerial attack was not easy to stop, especially when combined with Panther quarterback Chauncey Conception’s elusiveness but the defense made critical plays when they had to.  A Patrick Priester sack and some staunch pass defense from Matt Tomsho resulted in a 3 and out for the Panther’s early in the second quarter.  After the Cougars went up 21-14 just before the half;  Alex Rossitch and Jake Cunnane combined to cause a turn over deep in Panther territory, setting up a field goal to put the Cougars up by 10 at the half.  Safety Matt Sawyer provided defensive leadership all night with 2 huge pass deflections and several important stops.  Brandon Clayton, Collin Manning, Rossitch, Tomsho and Farley all made key defensive plays late in the game. 

Final Score:  Charlotte Catholic 48, Providence Panthers 47 as the Cougars stop the Panthers' attempted 2 point conversion on the last play of the game to seal Coach Oddo’s 300^th win.

Next Week:  Cook Cup at Charlotte Country Day,  b-RING it Home!

GAME 1: 2009, August 21, 2009

Charlotte Catholic Cougars vs South Mecklenburg Sabres

Environs:   The Jonas Brothers must have felt like they were back in high school last night when they found themselves playing to an empty arena in uptown Charlotte. Everybody was at the Catholic Game.  Maybe that’s a slight exaggeration but there was a huge crowd, a playoff sized crowd, on a balmy Friday night at Oddo Field.

Game Recap:  One of the most challenging aspects for a high level high school football program is establishing continuity. Nobody knows this better than Coach Oddo.  Each team has a slightly different skill set and maybe a slightly different mindset.  Last night the 2009 Cougars responded to the question of how they were going to get it done with the answer, “by committee”. 

First, the defense stepped up when their backs were against the wall.  Alex Rossitch and Gerald Rimmer forced a turnover deep in Cougar territory to end the Sabres’ first drive.  Collin Manning made a big third down stop to end the Sabres second possession.  On the Sabres’ third possession, a big surge by the defensive line ended with Rossitch coming up with his second fumble recovery of the night.

With a few minutes left in the second quarter, the Cougar offense started to gel.  Nick “Sticks” Johnson broke off a 27 yard gain down to the Sabre 28 yard line.  On second down and seven Angelo Acitelli broke through the right side of the line and won a race to the goal line. 6-0 Catholic at the half.

Catholic ball to start off the 3^rd quarter and we went “old school” on them.  Jadarius Bruce ran for 13 yards,  Joe Piraino ran for some hard fought yards,  “JB” for ten more, then for another 20 and finally, Bruce punching it in from the 2. 13-0 Cougars.

The Cougar defense shut it down after that.  The Sabres' first series of the second half was 3 and out, the next series ended with a CJ Brodowitz interception caused by a great surge from the defensive line, the third with an Alex Bounds fumble recovery.  On special teams we had a great stop by Patrick Shoaff.

After the Cougar running game asserted itself behind strong blocking by the offensive line in the second half, quarterback Danny Reyes found the range with a long completion to Nate Landi followed by Acitelli punching it in from the one. Then, with a 23 yard touchdown pass from Reyes to tight end Ryan Gibbons to make it 27-0.  Vince Campagna got the crowd going with some “shake and bake” on a 36 yard run from scrimmage with Nick Johnson eventually punching it in from the Sabre 2 yard line.

The Sabres kept fighting and scored a couple of touchdowns late.

Final Score: Charlotte Catholic Cougars 34: South Mecklenburg Sabres 14

Next Up: CCHS against Providence, Friday night, 8/28, 7:30 PM at Home.