By Zachary Harmuth
Father Ryan (5-3, 2-2) travels to Chattanooga this Friday to play McCallie (3-5, 1-3).
This is a hard game to predict, as McCallie is on a five game losing streak but is still a very dangerous team. Maxpreps ranks them as the 16th best team in the state; Father Ryan by the same rankings is 20th.
For a reference point, they have played three of the same teams: Ensworth, Brentwood Academy and Pope John Paul II. Father Ryan is 2-1 against these three while McCallie is 1-2.
Both teams blew out PJP. Both lost to Ensworth (ranked best in the state by maxpreps). Only Father Ryan was blown out (41-7), while McCallie put up a fight but still lost (28-14).
Then there is Brentwood Academy. Father Ryan gave BA its first loss of the season, which sent the Eagles on what would be a three game losing streak, winning 24-20 in the first week of September.
McCallie just played BA last week, and lost 39-16.
Both teams have played difficult schedules. The combined record of the teams McCallie has lost to is 32-8.
The combined record of the three teams that Father Ryan lost to? 22-1. And that one loss belongs to MBA, which lost to . . . Ensworth.
So, really, Father Ryan has only lost to teams that are extremely good this year. McCallie is not extremely good.
Father Ryan has won all year by playing very good defense and controlling the clock with its run game. It does everything it can to keep explosive, high octane offenses off the field. It averages over 190 yards per game on the ground. Joe Holzmer leads the team with 474 yards, and three touchdowns, but a lot of other players get in on the action, especially Dekeivis Perry, who is averaging over seven yards per carry.
But the biggest difference between these two teams becomes apparent when you look at defense. Father Ryan allows on average 10 points less per game than McCallie (17 to 27). On offense, the two are almost equal: Father Ryan scores about a point less per game (30 to 31).
