From Maryville Daily Forum
Trinity Catholic is the most heavily-recruited team in the state of Missouri, both in terms of college recruiting and their ability to attract the best players from around St. Louis to come and join their high school. Maryville coach Matt Webb called the Titans ‘an all-star team.’
“This is a great opportunity,” Webb said. “It is no secret that there are only four teams left. … These guys are ranked above us. We are the underdog and we have the chance to go knock off a team that is supposed to beat us on the road.”
The Titans (11-2) are led by senior quarterback Isaiah Williams. Williams (No. 1) is the No. 1 ranked recruit in the state of Missouri already committed to play his college football at Illinois.
“They are a spread offensive attack which tries to get their athletes in space and he is one of those,” Webb said. “They aren’t under center — they are in the shotgun most of the time. He is elusive. He is maybe not as tall as some kids, but he is very elusive and he has a cannon for an arm. He can drop back and throw it 50 yards to some very fast receivers.”
This season, Williams has thrown for 2,178 yards, 30 touchdowns and just three interceptions. A dual-threat, he is also the team’s leading rusher with 897 yards and eight touchdowns.
“What makes him special is he is hard to tackle, he is very elusive, he keeps his eyes downfield and he can throw it on the run,” Webb said. “He is just a very, very, very good quarterback.”
Williams ability to lead the team in rushing is even more impressive when you consider that he has a Division-I running back next to him. Alphonzo Andrews, Jr., (No. 3) is the No. 30-ranked prospect in the 2019 Missouri recruiting class and has run for 649 yards with 11 touchdowns this season. He holds offers from Kansas, BYU, Illinois and Kentucky.
“He is the most electric tailback we’ve seen and they have a huge offensive line,” Webb said.
Andrews’ backup is Reggie Love (No. 23). Love is the No. 5 ranked player in the state of Missouri for 2020 and has 296 yards and four touchdowns. He currently has an offer from Notre Dame.
If the running back spot was an embarrassment of riches, the wide receiver spot puts things on another level. Marcus Washington (No. 11) is the No. 3-ranked recruit in the state of Missouri and has already committed to Texas. He has 529 yards receiving and eight touchdowns, but the amazing thing is that he isn’t even the most talented receiver on his own team.
Teriyon Cooper (No. 5), known as ‘Mookie’ on recruiting websites, is the second-ranked player for 2020 in Missouri and has offers from nearly every major program in the country with Michigan, Ohio State and Texas being the most aggressive. He has 834 receiving yards and nine touchdowns this season and is averaging 30 yards per catch.
James Frenchie (No. 4) is their third-leading receiver and is the third-ranked player in Missouri for 2020. He has just 10 catches this year, but has 310 yards, three touchdowns and offers from Iowa State, Illinois, Kansas, Kansas State and Kentucky. He has also run for 400 yards on just 30 attempts — fourth on the team.
Their fourth-leading receiver and also a cornerback is the 20th-ranked recruit this season in Missouri. Bryce Childress (No. 10) is weighing offers from Toledo and Illinois.
Toledo is also after another of the Titans’ defensive backs with junior safety Terrell Rush (No. 17).
“They play a lot of spread offenses and their DB’s are very athletic,” Webb said. “There are going to be some tight windows when we have to throw the ball.”
Defensively, Trinity Catholic is led by linebacker Shammond Cooper (No. 7) and his 120 total tackles. Cooper is the fifth-ranked recruit in Missouri and while he has offers from big-time programs across the country, the most aggressive are Illinois, Oklahoma and Texas.
“He is all over the place,” Webb said. “Just very, very good and very physical.”
The talent isn’t only at the skill positions for Trinity Catholic. Offensive lineman Ira Henry (No. 78) is the 19th-ranked prospect in Missouri and is deciding between Missouri and Illinois. Offensive lineman Jalen St. John (No. 75) is the 13th-ranked player in 2020 and has offers from Iowa State and Illinois. On the defensive side, defensive end Martez Poynter (No. 66) is the 23rd ranked player in 2020 and has offers from Bowling Green and Toledo.
“They are very big up front,” Webb said. “Just like Odessa was probably the biggest line we’d seen so far, you get to the state semifinals and these guys are probably bigger than Odessa up front. They are very physical.”
Webb has praised the Spoofhounds‘ ability to play as a team all year and says that will be the key on Saturday.
“When you get to these rounds of the playoffs it becomes a little more evident,” Webb said. “You spend a lot of time in the offseason talking about team comradery and being a good teammate and its one of the foundations of our program. … I think it comes out more in these rounds.”
The Spoofhounds have a history under Webb of knocking off teams with more college talent. In Webb’s first season, the Hounds ended Dallas Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliott’s high school career by beating John Burroughs in the 2012 Show-Me Bowl, but Webb says overall this Titan team is the most talented the Hounds have ever faced.
“Yes, I think so,” Webb said when asked if this is the most talented team he has faced as the Spoofhounds’ head coach. “It is hard to compare talent levels when you are relying on recruiting experts to be honest in today’s day and age. We have played some very good teams since I have been here and this is a very good football team. … They are just extremely talented.”
The Spoofhounds will have the opportunity to open some eyes across the state and even the country on Saturday. The game will take place at 1 p.m. at St. Mary’s High School — the same venue that the Hounds played Miller Career Academy two years ago — in St. Louis.
“State semifinal games are won by teams that can execute the best and control the line of scrimmage,” Webb said.
Trinity Catholic is the most heavily-recruited team in the state of Missouri, both in terms of college recruiting and their ability to attract the best players from around St. Louis to come and join their high school. Maryville coach Matt Webb called the Titans ‘an all-star team.’
“This is a great opportunity,” Webb said. “It is no secret that there are only four teams left. … These guys are ranked above us. We are the underdog and we have the chance to go knock off a team that is supposed to beat us on the road.”
The Titans (11-2) are led by senior quarterback Isaiah Williams. Williams (No. 1) is the No. 1 ranked recruit in the state of Missouri already committed to play his college football at Illinois.
“They are a spread offensive attack which tries to get their athletes in space and he is one of those,” Webb said. “They aren’t under center — they are in the shotgun most of the time. He is elusive. He is maybe not as tall as some kids, but he is very elusive and he has a cannon for an arm. He can drop back and throw it 50 yards to some very fast receivers.”
This season, Williams has thrown for 2,178 yards, 30 touchdowns and just three interceptions. A dual-threat, he is also the team’s leading rusher with 897 yards and eight touchdowns.
“What makes him special is he is hard to tackle, he is very elusive, he keeps his eyes downfield and he can throw it on the run,” Webb said. “He is just a very, very, very good quarterback.”
Williams ability to lead the team in rushing is even more impressive when you consider that he has a Division-I running back next to him. Alphonzo Andrews, Jr., (No. 3) is the No. 30-ranked prospect in the 2019 Missouri recruiting class and has run for 649 yards with 11 touchdowns this season. He holds offers from Kansas, BYU, Illinois and Kentucky.
“He is the most electric tailback we’ve seen and they have a huge offensive line,” Webb said.
Andrews’ backup is Reggie Love (No. 23). Love is the No. 5 ranked player in the state of Missouri for 2020 and has 296 yards and four touchdowns. He currently has an offer from Notre Dame.
If the running back spot was an embarrassment of riches, the wide receiver spot puts things on another level. Marcus Washington (No. 11) is the No. 3-ranked recruit in the state of Missouri and has already committed to Texas. He has 529 yards receiving and eight touchdowns, but the amazing thing is that he isn’t even the most talented receiver on his own team.
Teriyon Cooper (No. 5), known as ‘Mookie’ on recruiting websites, is the second-ranked player for 2020 in Missouri and has offers from nearly every major program in the country with Michigan, Ohio State and Texas being the most aggressive. He has 834 receiving yards and nine touchdowns this season and is averaging 30 yards per catch.
James Frenchie (No. 4) is their third-leading receiver and is the third-ranked player in Missouri for 2020. He has just 10 catches this year, but has 310 yards, three touchdowns and offers from Iowa State, Illinois, Kansas, Kansas State and Kentucky. He has also run for 400 yards on just 30 attempts — fourth on the team.
Their fourth-leading receiver and also a cornerback is the 20th-ranked recruit this season in Missouri. Bryce Childress (No. 10) is weighing offers from Toledo and Illinois.
Toledo is also after another of the Titans’ defensive backs with junior safety Terrell Rush (No. 17).
“They play a lot of spread offenses and their DB’s are very athletic,” Webb said. “There are going to be some tight windows when we have to throw the ball.”
Defensively, Trinity Catholic is led by linebacker Shammond Cooper (No. 7) and his 120 total tackles. Cooper is the fifth-ranked recruit in Missouri and while he has offers from big-time programs across the country, the most aggressive are Illinois, Oklahoma and Texas.
“He is all over the place,” Webb said. “Just very, very good and very physical.”
The talent isn’t only at the skill positions for Trinity Catholic. Offensive lineman Ira Henry (No. 78) is the 19th-ranked prospect in Missouri and is deciding between Missouri and Illinois. Offensive lineman Jalen St. John (No. 75) is the 13th-ranked player in 2020 and has offers from Iowa State and Illinois. On the defensive side, defensive end Martez Poynter (No. 66) is the 23rd ranked player in 2020 and has offers from Bowling Green and Toledo.
“They are very big up front,” Webb said. “Just like Odessa was probably the biggest line we’d seen so far, you get to the state semifinals and these guys are probably bigger than Odessa up front. They are very physical.”
Webb has praised the Spoofhounds‘ ability to play as a team all year and says that will be the key on Saturday.
“When you get to these rounds of the playoffs it becomes a little more evident,” Webb said. “You spend a lot of time in the offseason talking about team comradery and being a good teammate and its one of the foundations of our program. … I think it comes out more in these rounds.”
The Spoofhounds have a history under Webb of knocking off teams with more college talent. In Webb’s first season, the Hounds ended Dallas Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliott’s high school career by beating John Burroughs in the 2012 Show-Me Bowl, but Webb says overall this Titan team is the most talented the Hounds have ever faced.
“Yes, I think so,” Webb said when asked if this is the most talented team he has faced as the Spoofhounds’ head coach. “It is hard to compare talent levels when you are relying on recruiting experts to be honest in today’s day and age. We have played some very good teams since I have been here and this is a very good football team. … They are just extremely talented.”
The Spoofhounds will have the opportunity to open some eyes across the state and even the country on Saturday. The game will take place at 1 p.m. at St. Mary’s High School — the same venue that the Hounds played Miller Career Academy two years ago — in St. Louis.
“State semifinal games are won by teams that can execute the best and control the line of scrimmage,” Webb said.
