CATHOLIC WINS 4A TITLE: Knights dominant in win over Cherokee County, earning first championship
Action from Friday’s Class 4A state championship game between Catholic and Cherokee County. The Knights earned their first state title in school history. (Photos by Jason Caldwell and Tim Gayle)
By TIM GAYLE
TUSCALOOSA – Two of the state’s top-rated offenses were on display in the first half of the Class 4A state championship game at the University of Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium on Friday afternoon.
Catholic and Cherokee County were locked in a scoreless tie 23 minutes into a title bout, but Catholic coach Kirk Johnson didn’t seem worried.
“We’ve been a second-half team all year,” Johnson observed. “All of our kids play on one side of the ball. The more snaps we could give them – and keep them on their side of the field – the better we felt. We knew if we could get to the second half and be up, we could start leaning on them late.”
The plan worked to perfection as Catholic scored 28 points in the final 13 minutes to defeat the Warriors 35-0. Catholic (15-0) finally got over the hurdle, winning its first state championship in football after making its first appearance in the finals four years ago.
“It’s very surreal,” said Johnson, who has won 41 of 43 games in his coaching career with the Knights. “Something I’ve dreamed of for a long time. I’ve had blue (championship trophy) in my mind the last three years.”
Cherokee County ends the season at 13-2, finishing as the 4A runner-up for the second consecutive season.
“It’s tough being here again and coming up short,” Cherokee County coach Jacob Kelley said. “It’s tough to end this way, but there’s a lot to be proud of. The first half, we probably started inside the 5 or 10 or 15 every single series. They attacked us pretty good.”
Four of Cherokee County’s first five possessions in the first half started inside the 10-yard line for an average start at the 9-yard line. Catholic, meanwhile, duplicated the game plan from the semifinal shutout of Booker T. Washington by running 26 of their 35 first-half snaps in Warrior territory.
“If you watched that first half, we continued to keep the ball on their side of the field,” Johnson said. “That’s because the offense was doing their job, special teams was doing their job, which was allowing the defense to play at a high level. When you’re backed up, it’s a little different, you can kind of pin your ears back, so it’s a collective win.”
Cherokee County senior Jacon Cornejo, who came into the game with 2,875 yards and 31 touchdowns this season, managed 102 yards on 26 carries, but never found the end zone.
“We’d hit a couple, then didn’t hit a couple,” Cornejo said. “Their defense was a tough defense and props to their defense, but I feel like we could have done better.”
Catholic, turned back at the 1-yard line earlier in the first half, finally found the end zone with 38 seconds left on a Caleb McCreary 3-yard pass to JJ Williams for a 7-0 halftime lead.
Cherokee County, like BTW a week earlier, finally found a little traction in the third quarter with some halftime adjustments, picking up three of their eight first downs on a 15-play drive, but Cornejo’s fourth-down pass in the end zone to Ben Moseley was broken up by Rickie Williams.
“I really felt like in the third quarter we got a little momentum, got right down there ready to score,” Kelley said. “It seemed like every time we were in a situation to convert, we made a penalty and hurt ourselves. You’re not going to beat a championship football team if you help them out.”
Catholic then drove 90 yards in 15 plays, scoring on McCreary’s 5-yard run with eight seconds left in the third quarter for a 14-0 lead.
Cherokee County played the majority of the game without quarterback Carson Tittle, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee in the second week of the playoffs and returned two weeks later. Kelley said facing West Morgan’s defense wasn’t the same as facing the Catholic defense.
“I didn’t want to see my quarterback take any more hits with a torn ACL, standing on one leg,” Kelley said. “I knew it was going to take a little bit of mobility, a little bit more than one leg, to give him the best chance to be successful and safe.”
A one-dimensional team featuring Cornejo wasn’t enough. McCreary, who earned most valuable player honors with 197 yards on 22 carries, added touchdown runs of 66 and 29 yards in the fourth quarter as the Warriors wilted.
“We had some trials and tribulations,” McCreary said. “Nobody believed in us year after year and we came back and we challenged each other. (A state championship) means the world to us.”
Cornejo closed his brilliant career with 2,977 yards and 31 touchdowns, but was no match for the Knights on Friday.
“We just attacked him together,” Johnson said. “He’s a good football player. But when 11 people are attacking him, it’s hard to do that. We preached all week to make sure we were there together because if he gets one-on-ones, he’s physical.”
But on this particular day, the Knights were the more physical team.
“We’ve got some very talented football that’s played in Montgomery,” Johnson said. “The city of Montgomery has been in five straight state championships – us, MA, Pike Road, St. James and us again. It tells you what level of ball is being played.”