For the Roanoke Catholic football team it was Mission Accomplished.
On two fronts.
The first goal was set nearly a year ago after the Celtics, looking for a repeat state championship after bringing home the trophy in 2014, came up just short in losing to Isle of Wight in the title game. State runner up isn’t exactly chump change for most squads, but Catholic wanted the taste of the big prize again in 2016.
The second goal came in week-two of the season after the Celtics dropped their opener to private school rival North Cross, which returned to the Catholic schedule for the first time since 2009.
That loss to the Raiders set the stage for a team coming together to get back on track and winning out through the remaining 8 games of the regular season, good enough to nab the second seed of the four-team VIS Division III playoff format.
“We learned a lot from the North Cross loss,” Catholic head coach Bob Price said during an exclusive interview in early December. “Our kids got back to work and stayed focused and it was a matter of improvement and getting better. We overcame a lot of adversity this season. We lost a number of our top players to injuries, but that provided the opportunity for others to step up. A number of players used that opportunity to make great strides.”
The opening round playoff match up against third-seed Fuqua School at Vinyard Field, the Celtics’ home field stomping ground in Vinton, saw the Celtics prevail 52-30.
That win sent the Celtics on the road to number-one seed Quantico in Northern Virginia to face an undefeated Warrior squad. Catholic wasted no time getting the advantage in the title showdown.
They scored the game’s opening two touchdowns for a 14-0 lead, and led 22-7 at the halftime break. Catholic fullback Mykah English was the early workhorse, scoring those opening pair of touchdowns on runs of 2 and 16 yards. Prolific Celtic scorer Jemel Tyree, who was the second leading point scorer in the “Big-11” this season behind William Byrd’s Larry Basham, added the third score on a 25-yard run that gave Catholic its 15-point halftime advantage.
The Celtics effectively put the game away in the third quarter after running back Chris Pyle scored from 27-yards out and English found pay dirt on a 5-yard run. English capped off both of those third quarter scores with 2-point conversion runs, giving Catholic a 38-7 cushion.
Quantico would make things interesting when they followed English’s last score with a 71-yard kickoff return and a scoring pass late in the third quarter, but the Celtic defense rose to the occasion to keep the Warriors off the scoreboard the rest of the way.
“The championship win was gratifying,” Price noted. “We had to play on the road against an undefeated Quantico team that was well coached and very fast. There were transportation issues in getting there and I had to decide if we wanted to arrive very early or start back late after the game. I thought it was more important to arrive early, so the team visited the National Marine Corps Museum. Our players handled the situation well and showed a lot of maturity in playing through the obstacles . . . As far as the game, our plan was to control their speed. Quantico didn’t have size, so we wanted to play disciplined football and close their running lanes. We felt good about what we accomplished.”
Price, who will be in his 15th year at Catholic next season, says the future looks bright for the Celtics.
“We lose 7 seniors and have a good group coming back. Senior Jemel Tyree did a lot of our heavy lifting all year, but Mykah English (who scored 22 points in the title game) is only a sophomore. He grew up a lot this year. The football program is part of something special at Roanoke Catholic. Our academics are strong and we have good things going on at Catholic. Kids want to be part of something successful.”
Bill Turner
