Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Coach: Charles Fant (9-3 in one year here and overall)
Last year: 9-3, reached the second round of the Class 4A playoffs before falling to Giles County
'13 dreams: With eight starters returning to their multiple I spread offense, the Irish have 97 percent of their yardage and point production back, including versatile Kareem Orr, running backs Auston Banks and Ricky Ballard and quarterback Alex Darras. There are six starters back on defense. If there is an Achilles' heel, it would be depth in both lines. The team cannot afford injuries up front. Joe Dossett is recognized as one of the top defenders in District 6-AA, and he appears healthy after breaking a couple of bones in his back in Notre Dame's loss to Giles County. Ballard and fellow sophomore Tyler Enos will be mainstays at linebacker.
13-for-13 contenders: Orr, a junior, caught the eyes of coaches at a Tennessee camp and the 6-foot, 185-pounder will have plenty of time to hone his football skills. In addition to returns, he'll line up at safety on defense and at both running back and wide receiver on the other side. Darras started last year as a freshman and got better as the season progressed.
Number of interest: They might be a year away, but the Irish would love to match or improve on the 13-1 record put up by the 2005 team that reached the state semifinals.
13 years ago: In Scott Shaver's final season as head coach, the 3-7 Irish got into the playoffs but lost their first postseason game to Memphis Briarcrest. A season highlight was a 14-7 victory over old rival Knoxville Catholic.
1-through-3: Junior tackle Joe Dossett
Q. How will Notre Dame fare in the district?
A. I plan on Notre Dame winning the district, and we can accomplish it if we keep up the hard work. We had a good year last year, but you have to live in the present. We want to do it again and do it even better.
Q. Who is Notre Dame's best athlete?
A. Kareem Orr. He's been playing football his whole life. He works at it, and hard work gets you places. He wants it.
Q. Did you go to any camps this summer>
A. Tennessee, Ohio State, Georgia Southern, Vanderbilt and UTC. It's good to get to camps because you get that coaching and you get to see other players, which lets you see where you stand.
2013 Schedule
Aug. 23 at Knox Catholic
Aug. 30 East Ridge
Sep. 6 Chattanooga Christian *
Sep. 13 at Boyd-Buchanan
Sep. 20 at Bledsoe County *
Sep. 27 Open
Oct. 4 at Signal Mountain *
Oct. 11 at Polk County
Oct. 18 Sequatchie County *
Oct. 2 Coalfield
Nov. 1 at Grundy County *
*District 7-AA game
2012 Stats
Passing C-A-I Pct. Yards TDs
Alex Darras 75-146-4 1012 11
Rushing Att. Yards TDs
Ricky Ballard 61 637 8
Auston Banks 47 392 5
Clay Heltzel 37 230 2
Receiving No. Yards TDs
Kareem Orr 21 377 6
Nick Chambers 28 257 4
Roster
No. Name Class
1 Kareem Orr Junior
2 Andrew Banks Freshman
3 Josh Russell Junior
4 Jared Andrews Junior
5 Ricky Ballard Sophomore
6 Auston Banks Junior
7 Clay Heltzel Senior
8 Anthony Flemister Junior
9 Chris Hornsby Junior
10 Jacory Elston Junior
11 Nick McGid Senior
12 Noah Bankston Sophomore
13 Joe Enos Junior
14 Alan Dunlay Sophomore
15 Alex Darras Sophomore
16 Nicholas Coronis Sophomore
17 Addison Hutton Sophomore
18 Davian Wheeler Sophomore
21 Michael Quatrano Sophomore
22 Brandon Harris Senior
25 Alex Buechler Sophomore
26 Calvin Sims Freshman
30 Aaron Marini Sophomore
32 Michael Flynn Junior
34 William Montgomery Junior
35 Jack White Sophomore
39 Spencer Sutton Sophomore
40 Quinn Summers Freshman
42 Patrick Johnson Freshman
43 Gehrig Johnson Sophomore
44 Kesley Green Junior
45 Tyler Enos Sophomore
50 Nick Caronis Junior
51 Zach Leach Sophomore
55 Joe Dossett Junior
60 Medaro Camacho Senior
61 Hunter Stolpmann Junior
63 Robert Murphy Sophomore
64 Robert Kidwell Senior
65 Kobe Bragg Freshman
67 John Tiller Sophomore
70 Hunter Whiting Junior
71 Thomas Kulik Freshman
73 T.J. McDonald Sophomore