When Catholic got the call a week before the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions that it had a late dropout and needed a team to fill in, the Fightin' Irish couldn't have been more excited.
It was going to be the Irish's second appearance on the biggest stage in southwest Missouri sports. They were going to have the chance to play in front of thousands against some of the best teams in the country.
Unfortunately, the Irish couldn't come out on the winning side in any of their three games, including Saturday's 50-39 loss to New Madrid County Central in the seventh-place game, but they had chances in all of their games including in one against one of the nation's best.