Season of change: new coach, plays, foes face Fighting Irish

Steve Matthews welcomes Catholic school setting as he leads KCHS football team in new TSSAA classification 

GETTING UNDER WAY New Knoxville Catholic High School football coach Steve Matthews, a former quarterback in the NFL and for the Tennessee Volunteers, is shown July 18 shortly after conducting a preseason workout with the Fighting Irish. Photo by Dan McWilliams

GETTING UNDER WAY New Knoxville Catholic High School football coach Steve Matthews, a former quarterback in the NFL and for the Tennessee Volunteers, is shown July 18 shortly after conducting a preseason workout with the Fighting Irish. Photo by Dan McWilliams

Knoxville Catholic High School head football coach Steve Matthews is settling into his new job after seven months at the helm of the Fighting Irish.

Mr. Matthews was introduced to players, parents, and the media Dec. 21. He is a former NFL player with the Chiefs, Jaguars, and Tennessee Oilers who played collegiately at Tennessee and Memphis State.

Currently he’s hard at work preparing Knoxville Catholic for its season and home opener Aug. 23 against Notre Dame.

“I feel better. I’m getting more acquainted with the players and more acquainted with the staff, and that’s important for me,” Mr. Matthews said. “The players are working extremely hard, and they’re beginning to learn the offense and run the defense, and so overall I’m pleased with where we’re at.

“I don’t think I’ve been around players who have worked any harder than what these guys do at Catholic, and we’ve still got to focus on some little things, but I think we’re heading in the right direction.”

When asked about the outlook for the season, Mr. Matthews said, “You never can tell.”

“We’ve got a tough schedule, and we’ve got an extremely young team right now, but we’re fighting and trying to get better every day,” he said.

KCHS is moving down in classification from 5A to 4A. Gone from the schedule are the likes of Farragut and Maryville, but the slate now includes powerhouses Alcoa and Christian Academy of Knoxville. Archrival Webb School of Knoxville remains on the schedule.

Mr. Matthews said the move to 4A “will help a little bit.”

“I think that’s overrated. I’m looking at our schedule, and we play a lot of tough teams. We’ve got Alcoa, we’ve got CAK, we’ve got Notre Dame, we’ve got Coalfield—just about every team we play is ranked in the top 10 in their classification, so it’s a tough schedule, and we’ve got to be prepared weekly.”

Interviewed July 18, Mr. Matthews had just come off the field at a helmets-only practice for the Fighting Irish. Practice in shoulder pads began July 22 and in full pads July 29.

“Right now it’s just working on timing—a lot of the passing game is basically what we’re focusing on,” Mr. Matthews said. “We’re not allowed to have contact, so it’s basically just fundamentals right now.”

Mr. Matthews is installing a hurry-up, no-huddle offense at Knoxville Catholic.

“They ran the wing-T last year, which is a good offense, but I’ve had success in the past with the hurry-up–style offense. I think fans like it, the players like it, it’s fun to coach in, and I think the players have picked up on it so far.”

Mr. Matthews came to Knoxville Catholic from Siegel High School in Murfreesboro, where he served as offensive coordinator on a team that averaged 43 points and made the Class 6A semifinals last year.

KCHS is changing defenses, too.

“We’re moving from an even front to an odd front, but it’s similar,” said Mr. Matthews. “More than anything, if you tackle well and get off blocks and run to the ball, you have an opportunity to be a good defense.”

Mr. Matthews said his NFL experience helps him in high school coaching.

“I don’t talk about it a ton with the players, but I was very lucky,” he said. “I had as head coaches Tom Coughlin, Marty Schottenheimer, and Jeff Fisher, and I’ve been able to grab bits and pieces of information through the years. I played with some of the great players like Joe Montana and Rich Gannon and Marcus Allen and Steve McNair and Eddie George. I’ve been very fortunate to have been around so many good coaches, so I’ll take bits and pieces of information that I’ve learned from all of them and use it in high school.”

Mr. Matthews is a cradle Catholic who attended St. Paul the Apostle School in Tullahoma in grades one through eight.

“I don’t think [being a cradle Catholic] affects my coaching much, but growing up in a Catholic school, I loved it,” he said. “Having a religion class—and back then we had nuns as our teachers and things like that, and we wore the uniforms. We had the discipline, and we prayed three times a day, just like they do here.

“I’ve been in public schools for a while and, nothing against public schools, but being in a faith-based school and a Catholic-based school has been a breath of fresh air to me. We’re able to talk about God and pray and do all the things I believe in on a daily basis.”

Mr. Matthews believes in his Fighting Irish players, whom he called “a great group of young men, no doubt.”

“A great group of young men that work hard, and we’re pushing them, and they’re answering the bell, and they want to get better. We want to get them better, and we want to represent Catholic football and KCHS in the best possible way, and I think we’re on the way to doing that.”

Knoxville Catholic High School head football coach Steve Matthews is settling into his new job after seven months at the helm of the Fighting Irish.

Mr. Matthews was introduced to players, parents, and the media Dec. 21. He is a former NFL player with the Chiefs, Jaguars, and Tennessee Oilers who played collegiately at Tennessee and Memphis State.

Currently he’s hard at work preparing Knoxville Catholic for its season and home opener Aug. 23 against Notre Dame.

“I feel better. I’m getting more acquainted with the players and more acquainted with the staff, and that’s important for me,” Mr. Matthews said. “The players are working extremely hard, and they’re beginning to learn the offense and run the defense, and so overall I’m pleased with where we’re at.

“I don’t think I’ve been around players who have worked any harder than what these guys do at Catholic, and we’ve still got to focus on some little things, but I think we’re heading in the right direction.”

When asked about the outlook for the season, Mr. Matthews said, “You never can tell.”

“We’ve got a tough schedule, and we’ve got an extremely young team right now, but we’re fighting and trying to get better every day,” he said.

KCHS is moving down in classification from 5A to 4A. Gone from the schedule are the likes of Farragut and Maryville, but the slate now includes powerhouses Alcoa and Christian Academy of Knoxville. Archrival Webb School of Knoxville remains on the schedule.

Mr. Matthews said the move to 4A “will help a little bit.”

“I think that’s overrated. I’m looking at our schedule, and we play a lot of tough teams. We’ve got Alcoa, we’ve got CAK, we’ve got Notre Dame, we’ve got Coalfield—just about every team we play is ranked in the top 10 in their classification, so it’s a tough schedule, and we’ve got to be prepared weekly.”

Interviewed July 18, Mr. Matthews had just come off the field at a helmets-only practice for the Fighting Irish. Practice in shoulder pads began July 22 and in full pads July 29.

“Right now it’s just working on timing—a lot of the passing game is basically what we’re focusing on,” Mr. Matthews said. “We’re not allowed to have contact, so it’s basically just fundamentals right now.”

Mr. Matthews is installing a hurry-up, no-huddle offense at Knoxville Catholic.

“They ran the wing-T last year, which is a good offense, but I’ve had success in the past with the hurry-up–style offense. I think fans like it, the players like it, it’s fun to coach in, and I think the players have picked up on it so far.”

Mr. Matthews came to Knoxville Catholic from Siegel High School in Murfreesboro, where he served as offensive coordinator on a team that averaged 43 points and made the Class 6A semifinals last year.

KCHS is changing defenses, too.

“We’re moving from an even front to an odd front, but it’s similar,” said Mr. Matthews. “More than anything, if you tackle well and get off blocks and run to the ball, you have an opportunity to be a good defense.”

Mr. Matthews said his NFL experience helps him in high school coaching.

“I don’t talk about it a ton with the players, but I was very lucky,” he said. “I had as head coaches Tom Coughlin, Marty Schottenheimer, and Jeff Fisher, and I’ve been able to grab bits and pieces of information through the years. I played with some of the great players like Joe Montana and Rich Gannon and Marcus Allen and Steve McNair and Eddie George. I’ve been very fortunate to have been around so many good coaches, so I’ll take bits and pieces of information that I’ve learned from all of them and use it in high school.”

Mr. Matthews is a cradle Catholic who attended St. Paul the Apostle School in Tullahoma in grades one through eight.

“I don’t think [being a cradle Catholic] affects my coaching much, but growing up in a Catholic school, I loved it,” he said. “Having a religion class—and back then we had nuns as our teachers and things like that, and we wore the uniforms. We had the discipline, and we prayed three times a day, just like they do here.

“I’ve been in public schools for a while and, nothing against public schools, but being in a faith-based school and a Catholic-based school has been a breath of fresh air to me. We’re able to talk about God and pray and do all the things I believe in on a daily basis.”

Mr. Matthews believes in his Fighting Irish players, whom he called “a great group of young men, no doubt.”

“A great group of young men that work hard, and we’re pushing them, and they’re answering the bell, and they want to get better. We want to get them better, and we want to represent Catholic football and KCHS in the best possible way, and I think we’re on the way to doing that.”