Knoxville Catholic High School

Infobox Secondary school
name = Knoxville Catholic High School

motto = "Ut Christum Feram"
"That I Might Bear Christ"
type = Private co-educational secondary
affiliation = Roman Catholic
principal = Dickie Sompayrac
city = Knoxville
state = Tennessee
country = USA
enrollment = 600+
free_label_1 = Tuition
free_1 = $6,685 (Catholic); $8,500 (non-Catholic)
colors = Green and gold
mascot = The Fighting Irishman
grades = 9–12
established = 1932
website = [http://www.knoxvillecatholic.com www.knoxvillecatholic.com]

History

Knoxville Catholic was founded in September 1932 and is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Knoxville. In 2000, the from downtown to west Knoxville on Fox Lonas Road in conjunction with the new home of All Saints parish.

Vision and Philosophy

The school's Vision is to be a cornerstone of Catholic school education, inspiring young people through the ministry of Christ.

Mission: Knoxville Catholic High School, in partnership with parents and supporting parishes, is dedicated to teaching the Gospel, igniting a love for learning, and nurturing individual growth in body, mind, and spirit, as students are prepared to be Disciples of Christ who influence a constantly changing world.

tudent life

As a Catholic institution of learning, the school's goal is to provide a quality and affordable Catholic education. However, nearly a third of Knoxville Catholic students are non-Catholic. Its students come primarily from the Knoxville metropolitan area, but many students commute from Anderson County, Loudon County, Sevier County, Campbell County, or even as far as Washington County.

Academics

Knoxville Catholic High School offers over 100 courses in both core subjects as well as a wide range of elective subjects, including 22 honors courses and 11 Advanced Placement courses. [http://www.knoxvillecatholic.com/CD0607.pdf] In 2006, Catholic's average ACT score was 23.6, 2.5 points above the national average and 2.9 points above the state average. The average SAT score was 1659 (141 points above the national average). In 2006, 118 Advanced Placement exams were taken, and 76% of the exams had passing scores. 16% of the exams taken had a score of five. The class of 2006 had two National Merit Semi-Finalists and three National Merit Commended Scholars. [http://www.knoxvillecatholic.com/School_Packet0708.pdf]

ports

Knoxville Catholic is the home of the Fighting Irish. The school colors are green and gold. The school competes in Region 2, Class 3A in football, and District 4, Class A/AA in all other sports. Knoxville Catholic has an extensive rivalry with Webb School of Knoxville and Notre Dame High School in all sports, as well as Knoxville Fulton in football, Loudon High School in basketball, and CAK in men's soccer and basketball.

The school's athletic teams are given fan support in the form of the "Catechism Corner Crazies" (CCC), a student-run cheering body.

Its gymnasium is home to the Knoxville Noise professional basketball team. Sports include:

*Cheerleading
*Dance Team
*Football
*Track and Field
*Basketball
*Baseball
*Volleyball
*Soccer
*Swimming
*Cross Country
*Tennis
*Golf
*Wrestling
*Bowling

Football

In addition to the traditional rivalry with Webb, the Irish havestarted a new rivalry in football with the Fulton Falcons after the move was made to Class AAA. The Spartans have traditionally dominated the series with Catholic; however, the Irish have won the last 6 meetings. Catholic leads the series with Fulton 3-2. Catholic is coached by Mark Pemberton.

In the past 5 seasons, the Irish have won four region championship, posted three undefeated regular seasons, and have lost in the play-offs to the eventual state champion all five times. Additionally, four of these play-off losses were to teams the Irish had defeated in the regular season.

The Irish have had four Mr. Football winners: Rob Demastus was named the Division II-A back of the year in 1999, Jeremy Bentley was named the Division II-A/AA lineman of the year in 2003, Nick McFadden was named the Division II-A/AA back of the year in 2004, and Harrison Smith was named the Division I-AAA back of the year in 2006. [cite web|url=http://tssaa.org/schdir/records/GetTheRecord.cfm?schoolyear=1|title=Former Mr. Football Winners|accessdate=2007-05-08] Harrison Smith was also named the Gatorade Player of the Year for Tennessee.

In 2002, the Irish posted a 7-5 record, beating rival Notre Dame twice, 22-6 in the regular season and 21-20 in the play-offs. Additionally, the Irish recored their first victory in football in decades over the Webb Spartans, 19-7. The Irish fell in the second round to Briarcrest Christian School, 14-0. Briarcrest would go on to win the state championship. [cite web|url=http://www.coacht.com/inside/schedule.cfm?SchoolID=277&SportID=1&SeasonID=6|title=Knoxville Catholic Fighting Irish Football Schedule - 2002|accessdate=2007-05-08] .

The 2003 Catholic team posted a 10-0 regular season, including a 24-14 victory over BGA and a 21-7 win over Webb. The Irish defeated Pope John Paul II 48-10 in the first round of the play-offs, then avenged the previous year's loss to Briarcrest 41-28, to advance to the Division II-AA State Championship game with a 12-0 record. However, the Irish were upset by BGA, who won 24-19. [cite web|url=http://www.coacht.com/inside/schedule.cfm?SchoolID=277&SportID=1&SeasonID=22|title=Knoxville Catholic Fighting Irish Football Schedule - 2003|accessdate=2007-05-08]

In 2004 the Irish were a clear favorite to win the state title, and headed into the play-offs again 10-0, with a 27-21 victory over Webb. In the first round of the play-offs, Catholic faced the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, whom they had defeated 42-7 during the regular season. However, Notre Dame pulled an upset, 35-28 (OT), ending Catholic's season at 10-1. [cite web|url=http://www.coacht.com/inside/schedule.cfm?SchoolID=277&SportID=1&SeasonID=31|title=Knoxville Catholic Fighting Irish Football Schedule - 2004|accessdate=2007-05-08]

The following summer, the Diocese of Knoxville made the decision to move Catholic to Division-I in all sports, in order to reduce travel expenses. Catholic was placed in Region II, Class AAA, with Austin-East and Fulton, teams that had accounted for 3 of the past 4 state titles, as well as a runner-up finish.

Entering the season picked to finish last in Class AAA Region II, the 2005 season saw Catholic upset the Austin-East RoadRunners with a 21-0 shut-out. The first loss the RoadRunners had suffered at home in nearly two decades. Additionally, the Irish posted victories over a much larger Class AAAA Smith County (45-12), Livingston Academy (24-21), and Webb (14-12). The Irish finished the regular season 9-1, their lone loss to Fulton (38-9). However, despite this loss, Catholic still was the Region II champion and headed into the postseason as a one seed. After a 70-26 win over Claiborne in the first round, the Irish faced a rematch with Fulton. Down 20-14 with under 25 seconds remaining, Quarterback Jimmy Fleming found Harrison Smith in the corner of the enzone to give the Irish a 21-20 victory over the two-time defending state champions. However, the Irish lost in the next round to Livingston Academy (24-20) who would win the state title. [cite web|url=http://www.coacht.com/inside/schedule.cfm?SchoolID=277&SportID=1&SeasonID=41|title=Knoxville Catholic Fighting Irish Football Schedule - 2005|accessdate=2007-05-08]

In 2006, Catholic posted its third undefeated regular season in four years, posting wins over Austin-East (30-19), Fulton (27-14), and Webb (35-34, OT). Taking a 10-0 record into the play-offs, the Irish defeated Gibbs in the opening round (63-17) and survived a comeback by Austin-East (27-21) to advance to the state quarterfinals, a rematch with the Fulton Falcons. Despite having a 13-0 lead heading into the fourth quarter of play, the Irish lost, giving up 3 touchdowns to lose 18-13. Fulton would go on to win its third state title in four years. [cite web|url=http://www.coacht.com/inside/schedule.cfm?SchoolID=277&SportID=1&SeasonID=51|title=Knoxville Catholic Fighting Irish Football Schedule - 2006|accessdate=2007-05-08]

Men's Soccer

The men's soccer team has appeared in the state tournament every season since 2001-02. The team's main rivalries are with Webb and CAK. Since 2001, the Irish are 5-5-1 against the CAK Warriors and 5-3-0 against the Webb Spartans. The Irish are coached by Mark Leader and assisted by Daniel Sheridan.

In 2001-02, the Irish posted a 12-4-2 record, winning the Division II East Region regular season championship. The Irish beat Webb 2-0, but fell to CAK 2-1 and then Baylor 1-0 in the Region tournament championship. In the Division II State Tournament, the Irish beat MUS 3-2 before falling to MBA in the semifinals, 3-2. [cite web|url=http://www.coacht.com/inside/schedule.cfm?SchoolID=277&SportID=10&SeasonID=13|title=Knoxville Catholic Fighting Irish Men's Soccer Schedule - 2001-02|accessdate=2007-05-14]

The following season, the Irish went 11-7-1. Despite losing to both Webb and CAK by 1-0 scores, the Irish captured another East Region title, and added the tournament title with a 2-1 victory over Chattanooga Baylor. At state, Catholic defeated the University School of Nashville 3-0, but then fell to eventual champion Christian Brothers, 3-2, during the semifinals. [cite web|url=http://www.coacht.com/inside/schedule.cfm?SchoolID=277&SportID=10&SeasonID=14|title=Knoxville Catholic Fighting Irish Men's Soccer Schedule - 2002-03|accessdate=2007-05-14]

During the 2003-04 season, the Irish were 13-4-3. The Irish defeated CAK 2-0, as well as Webb, 1-0. However, in the East Region championship game, the Webb Spartans upset the Irish 1-0 to become the Eastern Region Champions. Despite this, the Irish advanced to state, beating Father Ryan 3-1 in the quarterfinals before losing the University School of Nashville in the semifinals, 1-0. It is also noted that the honorable Jack Sullivan played on the team. [cite web|url=http://www.coacht.com/inside/schedule.cfm?SchoolID=277&SportID=10&SeasonID=30|title=Knoxville Catholic Fighting Irish Men's Soccer Schedule - 2003-04|accessdate=2007-05-14] The Irish finished the season ranked 38th in the nation. [Knoxville Catholic High School Yearbook - 2004 Shamrock]

The 2004-05 saw the Irish fall again to the CAK Warriors 1-0. During the semifinal game, the Irish defeated Baylor in a shoot-out, before winning 1-0 over McCallie in the title game. Additionally, the Irish notched two more wins over Webb, 4-1 and 1-0. In state, however, the Irish fell 3-0 to BGA. [Knoxville Catholic High School Yearbook - 2005 Shamrock]

Prior to the 2005-06 season, the Irish moved from Division II to Class A/AA, and were placed in District 4 with CAK, who had won the previous 3 A/AA state titles. Despite this, the Irish held the Warriors to a scoreless draw in the regular season, and won the District title by giving up one less goal than the warriors. Additionally, the Irish grabbed a 1-0 victory over Webb. Catholic faced CAK again in the District 4 championship, were the won 2-0. The teams met for a third time in the Region 2 championship. After 97 minutes of scoreless soccer, the Warriors scored a goal off a free kick, and managed to hold on, winning 1-0 (OT). After winning 3-1 over Pigeon Forge in a sectional match-up, the Irish faced a rematch against Chattanooga Christian. The Chargers had won 2-0 during the CCS tournament; however here, the Irish prevailed 3-0, and after a 2-0 win over Dyersburg in the state semi-finals, the Irish faced CAK again. After giving up a first half goal, the Irish had several late second half opportunities to tie the game up. However, three different shots bounced off the post, and the Warriors survived for their fourth title in a row. The Irish finished the season with a 21-4-1 record. [cite web|url=http://www.coacht.com/inside/schedule.cfm?SchoolID=277&SportID=10&SeasonID=50|title=Knoxville Catholic Fighting Irish Men's Soccer - 2005-06]

During the 2006-07 season, the Irish compiled a 7-0 district record, including a 1-0 win over CAK to win their second straight regular season title. The Irish faced CAK again in the District title game. The Irish scored their goal to go up 1-0 in the 63rd minute of play, but the Warriors scored ten minutes later. Still tied 1-1 after 110 minutes, the Irish won the shoot-out 3-1, to win their second straight district tournament title. [cite web|url=http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/preps_boys_soccer/article/0,1406,KNS_16976_5533404,00.html|title=Irish Saved by DeRosa|accessdate=2007-05-14] T he Irish again faced the Warriors in the Region 2-A/AA Championship, where a Brian Beckham goal lifted them to a 1-0 victory. [cite web|url=http://www.coacht.com/link.cfm?storyid=26574|title=Positive Spin: Beckham shot lifts Catholic 1-0|accessdate=2007-05-18]

Women's Soccer

Despite a tough season in 2004, the Irish made a title run in 2005-06. Punctuated by a 5-4 win over CAK, the Irish won the District 4 title, and defeated Webb, 4-1. In the tournaments, the Irish defeated Kingston 5-0, bother for the District 4 and Region 2 tournament titles. At state, Catholic defeated Columbia Academy 5-1, then defeated Notre Dame with two late goals. However, in the title game, the Irish fell to Franklin Road Academy, 2-0. The Irish finished the season 20-3-1. [cite web|url=http://www.coacht.com/inside/schedule.cfm?SchoolID=277&SportID=11&SeasonID=43|title=Knoxville Catholic Fighting Irish Women's Soccer - 2005-06 Season|accessdate=2007-05-14]

In 2006-07, the Irish made it to state. Despite losing 6-1 to CAK, the Irish were the District 4 runners-up. Catholic lost twice more to CAK, in the District 4 title game [cite web|url=http://www.coacht.com/link.cfm?storyid=22392|title=CAK gets some help to blank Catholic for title|accessdate=2007-05-14] and the Region 2 title game. [cite web|url=http://www.coacht.com/link.cfm?storyid=22538|title=CAK at home, stops Catholic again, 5-1|accessdate=2007-05-14] However, the Irish still advanced to state with a 2-0 win over Elizabethton in the sectionals. [cite web|url=http://www.coacht.com/link.cfm?storyid=22656|title=Sutch's goals carry Catholic, 2-0|accessdate=2007-05-14] In the state quarterfinals, the Irish faced Sweetwater, and after 80 minutes the score was tied at 2. After 2 10 minute over time periods, the no one had scored and the game advanced to a 5 minute golden goal period. 30 seconds into the period, Anna Hickey scored, to give the Irish a 3-2 victory. [cite web|url=http://www.coacht.com/link.cfm?storyid=22695|title=Aching Hickey lifts Catholic in OT|accessdate=2007-05-14] However, the Irish still had to play the next day and, exhausted, fell 3-2 to University School of Jackson. [cite web|url=http://www.coacht.com/link.cfm?storyid=22723|title=Worn-out Catholic eliminated, 3-2|accessdate=2007-05-14]

Basketball

Catholic's men's basketball team has become quite successful over recent years. Over the past 5 years, they have won 9 of 11 games against rival Webb. Additional, since the move to Class AA, a rivalry against the Loudon Redskins has developed. Catholic leads this series 4-2. The Irish are coached by Mike Hutchens.

In the 2002-03 season, Catholic posted a 20-8 record and winning the Division II-East region regular season championship. The Irish lost in the first round of the region tournament however, to Notre Dame (69-57), and did not advance to state. The season series with Webb was split, with Webb winning at Webb (60-52) and Catholic winning at home (59-53). [cite web|url=http://www.coacht.com/inside/schedule.cfm?SchoolID=277&SportID=3&SeasonID=5|title=Knoxville Catholic Fighting Irish Basketball Schedule - 2002-03|accessdate=2007-05-08]

The 2003-04 season saw the Irish go 28-3, losing only to state qualifiers Chattanooga Baylor, Memphis Briarcrest, and Brentwood Academy. In addition to winning both regular season game against Knoxville Webb (57-37 and 56-50), the Irish split the series against Baylor, winning 58-54 (OT) at home and losing 65-46 at Baylor. The regular season ended with the Irish 9-1 in the region, and the Region Champions. Catholic defeated Webb again in the Division II-East Region tournament, 56-47. In the region championship against Baylor, the Irish fell behind by more than 20 points in the first half. However, in the second half Catholic climbed its way back behind Tony Fox's 42 points. Fox hit a three-pointer as time expired to send the game to overtime, and then hit 2 of 3 free throws to send the game to a second overtime, where Catholic prevailed, 90-85. Fox was named the region tournament's MVP. In the first round of the state tournament, the Irish fell to Memphis Briarcrest, 61-41. [cite web|url=http://www.coacht.com/inside/schedule.cfm?SchoolID=277&SportID=3&SeasonID=25|title=Knoxville Catholic Fighting Irish Basketball Schedule - 2003-04|accessdate=2007-05-08]

Bowling

There was a 16-0 record in the 07-08 regular season, but the team unfortunatly lost in the state finals.

tate Titles

Knoxville Catholic has won five individual state championships in TSSAA sports [TSSAA.org] as well as four state individual championships in swimming and diving. Knoxville Catholic also has 1 Tennis state title and one mens soccer state title. [http://www.tisca.net/oldstate.html] .

Notable Alumni

*Cormac McCarthy, author, "The Road" (Pulitzer Prize)

References