Team History and Awards
Knoxville Catholic High School, established in 1932 in Knoxville, Tennessee, fields athletic teams known as the Fighting Irish, sporting green and gold colors. Originally located on East Magnolia Avenue, the school moved to its current West Knoxville campus in 2000.
The Fighting Irish football program is one of the most successful in Tennessee high school football history. The team has won three state championships (2008, 2015, 2017) and has been a consistent playoff contender with 31 championship tournament appearances. Under coaches Mark Pemberton and Steve Matthews, the program reached the pinnacle of Tennessee football, with Matthews becoming the first Knoxville Catholic coach to win multiple state titles.
Team Highlights and Star Players
State Championships and Recent Success: The Fighting Irish captured state titles in 2008 (15-0 season, defeating Memphis Mitchell 28-18), 2015 (11-4 record, defeating Pearl-Cohn 48-8), and 2017 (12-3 record, defeating Beech 45-28). The program has also been state runner-up in 2003.
TSSAA Mr. Football Winners: Knoxville Catholic has produced eight TSSAA Mr. Football winners, including Harrison Smith (2006), Daniel Hood (2008), Kyler Kerbyson (2010), Amari Rodgers (2015 & 2016), and Cade Mays (2016 & 2017).
Notable Alumni:
- Harrison Smith – NFL safety for Minnesota Vikings, 6x Pro Bowl, 1st Team All-Pro (2017), Class of 2007
- Cade Mays – NFL offensive lineman for Carolina Panthers, 2x Mr. Football winner, Class of 2018
- Cooper Mays – Current Tennessee Volunteers center, All-SEC performer, Class of 2020
- Amari Rodgers – Former NFL wide receiver, 2x Mr. Football winner, Class of 2017
Meet the Team – 2025 Roster Snapshot
Head Coach: Philip Shadowens
Assistant Coaches: Melissa Mancini (Statistician), Duwayne Neal (Statistician)
Offense (Juniors and Seniors)
- Garrett King (So., QB) – QB
- Mack Bartholomew (Jr., QB) – QB
- Matthew Rogers (So., RB) – 5’10”, 183 lbs
- Brooks Johnston (So., WR) – 6’2″, 175 lbs
- Casen Jenkins (Sr., WR) – WR
- Brayden Howard (Jr., WR/DB) – WR/DB
- Connor Mohr (So., WR/DB) – WR/DB
- Gage King (So., WR/CB) – WR/CB
- Pierce Welch (So., WR/FS) – WR/FS
- Liam Gray (So., WR/FS) – 5’9″, 140 lbs
- Ethan Hoskins (Jr., WR/DB) – WR/DB
- Anton Hamilton (Sr., C/DL) – C/DL
- JR Fowler (Sr., OL/DL) – OL/DL
- Owen McNally (Fr., C/DE) – C/DE
- Val Wentworth (Jr., T/DE) – 6’2″, 245 lbs
- Jacob Rice (Sr., DE/T) – 6’3″, 255 lbs
- Caleb King (Jr., T/K) – 6’3″, 235 lbs
Defense (Juniors and Seniors)
- Chaz Smith (Sr., DB) – DB
- Dominic Daddabbo (Sr., OLB/SB) – 6’1″, 195 lbs
- Connor Welch (Sr.) – Position TBD
- George Mancini (Sr., S/DB) – 6’1″, 185 lbs
- Connor Gray (Sr., LB) – LB
- Kaleb Johnson (Sr., OLB/TE) – 6’2″, 205 lbs
- Gavin Jones (Sr., LB) – LB
- Ethan Hill (Jr., FB/LB) – FB/LB
- Deontae Rouse (Jr., LB) – LB
- Cole Latham (Jr.) – Position TBD
- Maurice Broyles (Fr., G/DE) – G/DE
- Kaden Duffield (So., OL/DL) – OL/DL
- Jax Nicholls (So., OL/DL) – 6’5″, 215 lbs
- Kamden Carter (Jr., G/NG) – 6’1″, G/NG
- Issiaga Yattara (Sr., T/DE) – 6’4″, T/DE
- Jeremy George (Sr.) – Position TBD
2025 Season Schedule
*(District games marked with *)
- Aug 22 – @ Riverdale (Away), 7:00 PM
- Aug 28 – @ Anderson County (Away), 7:00 PM
- Sep 5 – vs Lipscomb Academy (Home), 7:00 PM
- Sep 19 – vs Montgomery Bell Academy (Home), 7:00 PM, District game*
- Sep 26 – vs Silverdale Academy (Home), 7:00 PM
- Oct 3 – @ Ensworth (Away), 7:00 PM, District game*
- Oct 9 – @ Halls (Away), 7:00 PM
- Oct 17 – vs McCallie (Home), 7:00 PM, District game*
- Oct 24 – vs Christ Presbyterian Academy (Home), 7:00 PM, District game*
- Oct 31 – @ Baylor (Away), 7:30 PM, District game*
