Catholic’s Jo Pierce will be a key factor in the Knights’ quest for a 5A championship. (Tim Gayle)

By TIM GAYLE

Jo Pierce was third on the team in tackles last year with 104, but the Catholic safety had just one interception and figured he needed to set higher goals in 2024.

“I had one last year so I was kind of like I’ve got to have some bigger goals, I need at least five picks,” Pierce said. “I wanted to be a huge tackler, so I’m getting a lot of tackles. Mainly, I just wanted a state championship. Going to state is the best feeling. Everybody else is playing basketball right now.”

The Catholic Knights (11-0) are one of only two teams remaining in the River Region that are still playing football. If they want to continue, they’ll have to defeat the Central High Volunteers of Clay County (12-0) on Friday. The game was moved to Faulkner University’s John Mark Stallings Field to accommodate more fans and will kick off at 7 p.m.

When Pierce arrived at Catholic in 2023, he was a perfect fit for the Knights. Catholic coach Kirk Johnson was looking for a safety and Pierce was the ideal candidate.

“With his frame, he could probably be a linebacker,” Johnson said, “but his ability, there’s not many high school kids you see like him that can run and his stature is big, that can cover some ground. We’re fortunate enough in our program to have a couple of tough kids that can play in the box. We don’t have a lot of skilled big guys that can run well. It definitely helped in the decision to put him back there.”

After playing at Jeff Davis in 2022, Pierce said Catholic was the perfect fit for him as well.

“Better coaching, better people,” Pierce said. “This school has done some amazing things. They set you up for life. It’s completely different from Jeff Davis in many ways.”

Pierce had been playing receiver at Johnnie Carr Middle School when his father convinced him he was better suited for safety.

“I think the safety is just like quarterback,” Pierce said. “I’m the quarterback of the defense. I can see everything, literally every position and everything everybody is doing. You’ve got to be a ball hawk, you’ve got to be aggressive, you’ve got to make plays. Every game, (Johnson) tells me I’ve got to make the play when the play comes to me. Whenever you see me make those huge plays, that’s who tells me to make those huge plays.”

Pierce is the leading tackler in the secondary with 65 tackles, but just as impressive is his late-season transition to offense. The senior lines up in Wildcat formation -- a testament to his city league football days as a quarterback -- and has 13 carries this season for 54 yards and four touchdowns.

“Coach ‘J’ and our offensive coordinators came up with a scheme they call ‘heavy,’” Pierce said. “Heavy’ is a bunch of big guys. Everybody on there is a dog, we’re going to hit. It’s just a powerful set for the goal line. If we can’t do it with our regular offense, we can do it with ‘heavy.’”

Pierce added the formation has two or three passing plays “but normally it’s straight run.”

“He actually can sling it,” Johnson said. “But he’s just uber-athletic. His dad was a college baseball player. Being the son of a college athlete definitely helps. He can do whatever we need him to do. There are not a lot of kids in the state like him, where you could literally tell him to go play linebacker, probably defensive end if you needed him, corner if you needed him. And you have to have the mental capacity to be able to do that.”

He’s also put on 30 pounds (up to 205) since he arrived, making him a college recruiter’s dream.

“That definitely ups his recruitment,” Johnson said. “We’re two weeks away from early signing day and he’s committed to Tulane. We’re just fortunate he’s going to sign a scholarship.”

His early commitment hasn’t stopped Pierce from looking at other football programs.

“My recruiting process is very tough right now,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of good teams (recruiting me), but Tulane is the school I’m committed to. I just want to see different options. What’s different than Tulane? What do they have that’s different than Tulane?”

First, he wants to help the defending 4A state champions return to the Super 7. While there is plenty of hype surrounding the Catholic-Central game, Pierce downplays this week’s opponent.

“Fridays are to have fun,” he said. “During the week, you get better. Every day we come in, our goal is to get better. We watch film, do what we’ve got to do and that prepares us for Friday night. We’re going to do whatever we’ve got to do to accomplish that goal.”

Oh, and that goal of five interceptions. He passed that some time midway through the season. He now has eight interceptions and 60 yards in returns, forcing him to change his goals again.

“I want to go for 10,” he said. “Ten is a good number.”