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WSN15: Football Top Teams #9 - 2016 Catholic Memorial Crusaders

12/13/2017, 7:00pm CST
By Travis Wilson

The WSN15 series will celebrate the 15th Anniversary of WisSports.net by looking back at the top players, teams, and moments of the past 15 years (2003-2017). 

For the Top 15 Teams countdown, more than one season of a program was considered for inclusion on the list, as long as the seasons featured different waves of players. For example, the 2008 and 2012 teams of the same school would be considered, but not necessarily the 2012 and 2013 teams.

The Top 15 Teams countdown is not a "Who would beat who?" list, as that would be heavily weighted towards big schools. Factors in determining the Top 15 Teams included: how dominant the team was compared to contemporaries, how impressive the team was in big games, quality of competition faced, number of high-level players, and more.

Top 15 Teams: #9 - 2016 Catholic Memorial Crusaders

The Catholic Memorial football team is no stranger to success, advancing to 10 state championship games in WISAA with four titles. Since joining the WIAA with the other private schools in 2000, the team has 15 playoff appearances in 18 seasons, including three runner-up finishes and a pair of championships.

What the 2016 Catholic Memorial team did is as impressive as any, however. Playing in the larger Classic Eight Conference, considered by many as the top football league in the state, the Crusaders would go unbeaten to claim a conference title and Division 3 state championship.

It was a season of redemption for the Crusaders, who a year earlier had lost to Notre Dame in the title game, 19-17, despite out-gaining the Tritons 418-273, as four Catholic Memorial interceptions were a big part of their undoing.

With a boatload of talent coming back in 2016, it was expected that the team would be a strong contender for a return trip to Madison once again, but the regular season path would not be easy. 

In the non-conference schedule, CMH got impressive victories over Milwaukee Riverside and Germantown. Several tough Classic Eight victories in the middle of the season over Muskego, Arrowhead, and Waukesha West made it known that the team was on a mission once again.

Receiving a top seed in the playoffs, the Crusaders got past New Berlin West, but were in quite a hole against Wisconsin Lutheran in Level 2. Down 27-13 after Wisco scored with 5:45 left in the game, Catholic Memorial got a touchdown on a long pass from Ben Nimz to Max Cooper just 13 seconds later, then the two hooked up again to tie the game at 27 with 1:18 remaining. The Crusaders got one more chance late, and Eric Fridl booted a 51 yard field goal with one second on the clock to give CMH an improbable 30-27 victory.

Things were easier the next two weeks against Kewaskum and Pewaukee in multi-score victories, setting the stage for a rematch with Notre Dame in the title game.

For a while in the Division 3 state title game, it felt a lot like deja vu, as Catholic Memorial went up early but committed a number of mistakes to allow Notre Dame to stay in it. It was eerily similar to the previous year, when Notre Dame hung around and took advantage of a number of Crusader miscues to claim the title.

This time around, Catholic Memorial made some big plays and held off Notre Dame to claim a 24-14 victory and the Division 3 state championship.

Jaylen Campbell rushed for 167 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries, with Cooper catching four passes for 68 yards and a score. Fridl booted a 27-yard field goal, had the Pick-6, and finished with six tackles on defense. Junior linebacker C.J. Goetz was a monster all game, finishing with 8 tackles, 2 sacks, and 2 pass break-ups.

Goetz would commit to Wisconsin a few months later, while Cooper, a senior) switching his commitment late from Central Michigan to Iowa. Campbell would head to North Dakota State on scholarship while several others are playing D2 and D3.

Unbeaten in the toughest conference in the state, a playoff comeback for the ages, multiple elite players, redemption in the state finals. There was a lot to be proud of for the 2016 Catholic Memorial Crusaders.

For the latest and most up to date football news and recruiting information, follow Travis on Twitter @travisWSN. Email story ideas, recruiting info, etc. to Travis at travis(at)wissports.net.

Tag(s): News Archive  News  Travis Wilson  WSN15