Catholic Memorial vs Wauwautosa West: Recap & Players of the Game

Week 6 sent me to Waukesha, WI, home of Carroll University and Catholic Memorial High School. Schneider Stadium on said campus played host to this exciting conference matchup where the winner would take lone possession of first place. This was going to be a battle of strengths as ’Tosa West came in with one of the most dangerous rushing attacks in the state, and Catholic Memorial was fielding one of the most talented overall rosters in not only division 4, but the state. To make the matchup even more difficult, it was also pouring rain for the majority of the game making ball security a major focus. The importance of this matchup wasn’t missed by the fans either as the schools had little trouble filling up the D3 college stadium with their faithful crowds. Even with the rain coming down, you could feel the high expectations and the importance of this game. It was enough to make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. With all the exciting boiling over we finally kicked off at 7:15 and got the matchup underway! Game Recap Catholic Memorial didn’t waste a snap as they established their dominance right off the bat. They quickly forced a three & out by the ’Tosa West offense, and then went to work on offense. It took QB Rory Fox and the CM offense two plays to get into the redzone. It was two straight Fox- WR/S Charlie Jarvis completions that put them into scoring position. Then I was introduced to the player of the game. Sophomore RB Corey Smith took his first carry of the game for<a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneWI/status/1441559339383275520"> 6 yards and the score</a>! This is the exact flow that the rest of the first quarter played out with. The Catholic Memorial defense, led by stellar play from [player_tooltip player_id="31319" first="Adam" last="Boehm"], [player_tooltip player_id="31308" first="Mila" last="Stephens Jr"]., and Carl Pevey, continued shutting down the explosive ’Tosa West rushing attack and the offense continued utilizing the Fox- Jarvis connection with quick bubble screens that allowed Jarvis to use his elusiveness in the open field and ability to get yards after the catch and contact. To further emphasize the way that Catholic Memorial dominated with the same plan over and over, it was once again RB Corey Smith who finished off CM’s second drive of the game with a score. This one from 48 yards out giving Catholic Memorial the 14-0 lead at the end of one. The second quarter started off with ’Tosa West looking like they were finding their rhythm. They faced a 4th & short early that they converted with a rush off tackle. Then they were able to break free for a big gain down to the Catholic Memorial 31. That is where the Catholic Memorial found their footing again and forced another 4th down attempt. This time it was the defense’s turn to win the battle up front and force the turnover on downs. LB [player_tooltip player_id="31217" first="Langston" last="Latham"] did a great job filling his gap and stopping the play for <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneWI/status/1441565277104259072">little to no gain</a>! It seemed like as the game went on the sophomore RB for Catholic Memorial got faster. It only took three plays on Catholic Memorial’s drive for Corey Smith to break loose for a 60 yard score as he outraced the entire ’Tosa West defense for the 21-0 lead. Just as it seemed like CM couldn’t have any more control, the kicking unit was able to fly down the field and recover their kickoff at the Wauwatosa West 33. ’Tosa West did a great job of not letting the wave of momentum crush them before the half. Instead, the defense stepped up and forced a turnover on downs when DB Tanner Clasen <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneWI/status/1441569280101863424">broke up a 4th down pass attempt.</a> That is where we went into the half. With Catholic Memorial holding a commanding 21-0 lead. Catholic Memorial opened the second half with the same dominance as they showed in the first half. Their was no surprise as to what the plan was either. Give the ball to the stud sophomore, Corey Smith, and let him do his thing. That’s what they did to open the second half, and it took Corey two plays to break loose for a 62 yard TD score! Like I mentioned earlier, the kid just kept getting better and better and his scores kept getting longer and longer. The rest of the quarter was a much more even matchup. The biggest play was when Catholic Memorial LB [player_tooltip player_id="31217" first="Langston" last="Latham"] was able to jump on a bobbled snap that ended a good looking ’Tosa West drive and sent us into the final quarter with Catholic Memorial leading 28-0. The 4th quarter, just like every other quarter, started off with fireworks for the Catholic Memorial offense. QB Rory Fox dropped back and went deep down the field to WR Antwan Jones for the<a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneWI/status/1441581592883781632"> 74 yard score</a> and 35-0 lead! This enabled the running clock rule, which shortened the quarter quite a bit. However, the excitement wasn’t over. After each team turned it over on downs, Wauwatosa West broke off a huge run down to the Catholic Memorial 3. From there RB Elandis Peete busted into the endzone to put West on the board with 2:35 remaining in the game. That is where the final score settled as well. Catholic Memorial: 35 Wauwatosa West: 8. Players of the Game Corey Smith, 2024 RB- Catholic Memorial Stat Line: 13 Carries, 201 Yards, 4 TDs, 1 Reception, 2 Yards On a team full of next level talent, Corey stood out from the rest. The 6’ 175 lbs sophomore looks like he’s going to be one of the state’s top RB prospects by his senior season. His skill set was on full display in the Friday night downpour. His play speed made him impossible to catch as highlighted by his multiple 60+ yard TD scores. The underclassman is a natural playmaker who is able to make the unusual plays look casual. His vision allowed him to find the lanes to daylight with ease, and once he stuck his foot in the ground he got to top speed in no time. This is a kid I am going to be following very closely for the next few years. I have a feeling a lot of the D1 schools will be as well. Rory Fox, 2022 QB- Catholic Memorial Stat Line: 12/14, 157 Yards, 1 TD, 7 Carries, 24 Yards Unfortunately for college football coaches, it seems that Rory is unavailable as he is committed to play baseball at Notre Dame. No question that Fox could have found a home on the gridiron at the next level if he wanted to, though. The 6’2" 180 lbs signal caller did a great job leading his offense Friday night. He mostly attacked the short range with quick passes out to bubble screens that highlighted his quick release. However, he did let the arm shine on a 74 yard TD bomb in the second half. Rory was able to lay it out there perfectly for his receiver to catch it in stride allowing him to maintain his speed and outrun the defense. Whether it was on those short passes or deep downfield, Rory was pinpoint with his ball placement. Good luck on the diamond, Rory! Glad I got a chance to watch you sling the pigskin live. Charlie Jarvis, 2022 WR/S- Catholic Memorial Stat Line: 4 Carries, 24 Yards, 6 Receptions, 53 Yards, 9 Total Tackles, 1 TFL Another talented baseball and football recruit is the senior safety/wide receiver prospect. Jarvis checks in at 6’ 195 lbs and he uses it very well. On offense, Charlie was utilized in the bubble screen game, and run game. Both allowed him to play to his strengths of short area quickness, lateral agility, and ability to pick up yards after the catch and after contact. With the ball in his hands, Jarvis proved to be a very strong runner and had no issue lowering his shoulder for extra yardage. On defense, we got a great look at Charlie’s ability to fill against the run game. Several times Charlie could be seen flying downhill and dropping the hammer on RBs as they fought for very minimal gains. Jarvis isn’t just a physical tone setter at the safety position, though. He is also a rangy athlete that can go from his deep safety spot to the line of scrimmage before the ball carrier can get there. I was very impressed by Charlie on both sides of the ball Friday night. Catholic Memorial DL Stat Lines: [player_tooltip player_id="31319" first="Adam" last="Boehm"]: 6 Total Tackles, 1 TFL Mila Stephens: 6 Total Tackles, 1 TFL Carl Pevey: 4 Total Tackles, 1 TFL I wanted to include these three in one group because that’s how they played on Friday night. The CM DL had as big of an impact on this game as Corey Smith had on it on the offensive side of the ball. Boehm, Stephens, and Pevey were able to control the line of scrimmage all night. They ate up blocks, made tackles of their own, and kept their LBs behind them clean so they could fly around and make plays. The way Wauwatosa West has all 11 men tight together makes it very difficult for defenses to control the trenches, but these three dudes did just that all night long. Senior [player_tooltip player_id="31319" first="Adam" last="Boehm"] (5’11" 245 lbs), senior [player_tooltip player_id="31308" first="Mila" last="Stephens Jr"] (6’ 350 lbs), and sophomore Pevey (6’ 235 lbs) have combined to become one of the state’s most stout defensive lines. I highly recommend checking these kids out! The seniors are both looking for their home at the next level! Click <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/MidwestSportsFilm/videos">HERE</a> for the link to the page with the Catholic Memorial film! [player_tooltip player_id="31217" first="Langston" last="Latham"], 2022 LB- Catholic Memorial Stat Line: 9 Total Tackles, 1 FR Every time the Catholic Memorial defense needed a big play Langston was the one who stepped up from his ILB position. Langston and the rest of the front seven had their hands full coming into the night. They knew that it was going to be up to them if they were going to gain the upper hand in this battle, and he led the way as Catholic Memorial’s defense made things very difficult for the ’Tosa West offense. The 6’2" 230 lbs LB was great on Friday night filling his gap against the run game. He was able to consistently pick through all the trash that ’Tosa West creates with their tight formations and find the ball carrier. At the point of contact, Latham packs a serious punch that stopped RBs in their tracks. Langston also has the type of sideline to sideline range that should have college coaches very excited. On a loaded defense, Langston was the one who stood out from the rest. Very good game by him. [player_tooltip player_id="118376" first="Avery" last="Dixon"], 2022 QB/ATH- Wauwatosa West Stat Line: 7 Carries, 37 Yards Avery is a senior athlete that deserves far more attention that he seems to be getting at this point. The 6’3" 170 lbs athlete has shined this season with the ball in his hands. The big play waiting to happen wasn’t able to find many lanes vs a stingy Catholic Memorial defense, but he has what it takes to help a team at the next level. Wauwatosa West’s most effective plays on Friday night came when Dixon was able to keep the ball and attack the edge of the defense with his speed. That long speed and good ability to read and set up his blocks allow him to create plenty of big plays. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11410990/6150a7ee1763a30b48fa13da">Avery vs Catholic Memorial</a> Waquon Kelly, 2022 RB- Wauwatosa West Stat Line: 16 Carries, 97 Yards Kelly has been the engine that makes the West offense go all season long. The 5’7" 190 lbs compact RB is used heavily from guard to guard as he attacks straight ahead utilizing his vision and decisiveness to pick up large chunks on the ground. He also has a great feel for where the lane should be and adjusts well as the lane moves both at the line of scrimmage and down the field. That compact frame also allows him to have a very low center of gravity that can absorb hits and move the pile. I’ve enjoyed watching his film and his play live this past week. He somehow is able to quickly find the smallest slivers of daylight and get his body through them before using his burst to get to top speed. Speed that catches defenses off guard. Check out the tape! <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11411145/6150a870e97abd052cf807b1">Waquon vs Catholic Memorial</a> Javier Perkins, 2022 OT- Wauwatosa West Stat Line: Blocked for 226 Rushing Yards, 1 TD This is an athlete I did not know about, but it took about 30 seconds during warm ups for him to catch my eye. The senior RT/DL checks in at 6’4" 295 lbs. Despite that massive frame, Javier moves well and has solid body control. He is at his best on the offensive side of the ball where he mauls and bulldozes defensive linemen in the run game. His wide, strong base allows him to drive DL off the line of scrimmage, and he has the range to stick blocks on LBs at the second level. Once Perkins gets his big, heavy hands on his man they rarely get out of that grasp and instead have to accept the ride he is about to take them on. He doesn’t have the film from Friday up, but I recommend checking out other games on his Hudl. Steal of a prospect here! <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/14387391/61477e45664b2d0bc017406f">Javier Weeks 3 & 4</a>