In 2011, the St. Xavier Bombers were the pre-race favorites to win the OHSAA State Cross Country Championship at National Trail Raceway in Hebron, Ohio. However, a sixth place finish made it clear that it wasn’t St. X’s turn to command the podium. Not yet, at least.
After months of intense training in winter track, spring track, and summer running, St. X was the preseason favorite to win the state meet in 2012. Six of the team’s top seven runners from 2011 were returning: junior Michael Hall, senior Jake Grabowski, junior Evan Stifel, senior Alex Kuvin, senior Michael Momper, and senior Andrew Gardner.
St. Xavier had no competition in the district meet that was held at Corwin Nixon Park at Mason High School. Jake Grabowski won with a time of 15:54 and the Bombers won with a score of 19. They took the first, second, third, sixth, seventh, eleventh, and thirteenth spots in the race, which allowed them to beat second place Turpin by fifty points.
The Bombers dominated the field in the regional meet at Troy, Ohio by claiming five of the top eleven spots, including second, third, and fourth place. They won with a team score of thirty points, beating second place Mason by forty, and St. X had a team 5k average of 15:55.
St. X claimed its fourth state cross country title in school history on November 3rd. Led by Grabowski, who finished ninth overall with a time of 15:38, the Bombers’ first five finishers were all in the top twenty places (not including the individual runners whose teams did not qualify).
At Nike Cross Regionals in Terre Haute, Ind., St. X placed third, behind Kroy and Carmel Distance Alliance, with 211 points. The top two teams qualify for Nike Cross Regionals, which meant that the Bombers would need an at-large bid to make it to Portland, Ore.
The Bombers were thrilled to find out that they advanced to Nike Cross Nationals. (Photo courtesy of Jeremy Mosher)
St. X Coach Mike Dehring received the call from a representative from Nike but the OHSAA would not allow Nike to pay for transportation. St. Xavier was able to pay for the team to fly across the country. Saturday, December 1st was the first time that the Bombers had advanced to Nike Cross Nationals and they made the most of their opportunity. The team placed ninth out of 22 teams and got revenge by beating regional rival Carmel in the process. The course was in horrible condition and the runners had to face over three miles of mud, which greatly slowed down the times. They were lead by Alex Kuvin, who finished in 18:14 and thirty-seventh place.
The Bombers finished the 2012 cross country season as the 9th best team in the country. (Photo courtesy of Jeremy Mosher)
The 2012 St. Xavier cross country team goes down as the best Bombers team in history. Congratulations to all of the runners and the coaching staff for their great successes this season!
It isn’t a new concept for top teams to schedule non-conference games against some of the worst programs. The powerhouses get to run up the score, often in excess of seventy points, in exchange for a couple hundred thousand dollars for the lesser team’s athletic budget.
Savannah State has made the headlines this season for just this. Representing the MEAC, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, the FCS school is from a conference where the best teams are Bethune-Cookman and Norfolk State. The Tigers are just the kind of team that attracts the top of the AP poll. In their season opener, Savannah State was run off of the field in a 84-0 drubbing against #19 Oklahoma State. It was 35-0 by the end of the first quarter. The Cowboys collected 682 total yards to Savannah State’s 139. In Week 2, the Tigers had it easy. The only lost 55-0 to #5 Florida State. And that was only because the game was called due to bad weather in the middle of the third quarter. Once again, the Tigers were losing by 35 at the end of the first quarter. Savannah State’s offense was pathetic. They accumulated 28 total yards. Antonio Bostick, the quarterback of Savannah State, was 2/15 for 9 yards.
Luckily for the sake of Savannah State’s self-confidence, record, and health of their players, they ran the gauntlet with enough players still healthy and with a passion for football that they can field a team for the MEAC portion of their schedule. Savannah State pocketed $860,000 from taking the beatings. Yes, that money can do a lot in terms of scholarships, paying employees’ salaries, and upkeep of the athletic facilities, but the question needs to be asked: Is it really worth it for bad teams to sell themselves?
Yes, college athletics are all about money when you get high enough in the food chain. According to the Atlanta Blackstar, Savannah State’s athletic budget is $5.1 million. The school made almost seventeen percent of its annual budget from its two blowouts. That is the only beneficial or productive aspect of these deals. What else is gained? We find out that the best teams can put up triple-digits of scoring against the worst teams if their starters played for four quarters. After Savannah State lost to Oklahoma State and Florida State, we know that OSU and FSU are really good and Savannah State is really bad. But anyone with limited knowledge of college football could have told you that. There was no reason for those matchups. They are both college football programs but they are on completely different levels. If the AP top 25 is looking for teams they can steamroll, I’ll nominate my alma mater. St. Xavier High School would love an extra eight-hundred grand for scholarships and to be able to expand their athletic facilities. The college teams would destroy St. X and no one would learn anything from the matchup but at least they would get the money. What would make a matchup between Florida State and St. Xavier High School any different than Florida State and Savannah State?
If the best teams want to make it to the BCS National Championship or a good bowl game, schedule respectable teams and beat them. If they are as good as they think, then they shouldn’t have a problem winning their non-conference games.
I have a lot of respect for Michigan and Alabama for arranging a matchup in the opening week of the season. College football fans don’t love the sport and the culture because of 84-0 victories. It is fun to see how many points a team can score in a total mismatch but after the first quarter, the game is essentially over.
If teams really want to go into conference play undefeated, schedule a game against Boise State, BYU, or Cincinnati. An AP top 25 team should have no problem defeating some of the teams from the power six conferences who are on the outside of the rankings. Make the matchup at least somewhat interesting. Not only could a win against a formidable opponent improve a team’s ranking but it could go a long way in a team’s overall resume when it comes down to deciding which teams make which bowl games.
Having a graduate of your high school drafted in the NFL is quite an accomplishment. Having two in the same year is almost unheard of. St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati, Ohio was one of ten high schools in the United States that had two players drafted in the 2012 NFL Draft. One of those players was Greg Scruggs ’08 who, despite playing only one year of high school football, impressed Louisville Cardinals scouts enough to be recruited. In his senior season at St. X, he started all fifteen games for the Bombers in their perfect season, in which they finished the year as the #1 team in the country. Scruggs compiled fifty-seven tackles, nine sacks, two forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and fifty-one quarterback pressures at defensive end. In addition to being a talented football player, the 6’3″ 284 lbs. Bomber was a three-year member of the marching band and a four-year basketball player.
At Louisville, Scruggs totaled sixty-one tackles and eight sacks over the course of his four-year career. Unfortunately, his senior season was limited due to his turf toe injury, but he did not let it hold him back, as he was drafted in the seventh round of the NFL Draft (#232 overall) by the Seattle Seahawks. Greg was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule with Seattle’s minicamp to give me a call to talk about St. Xavier High School’s influence on him, the adjustments he will have to make from the college level to the NFL, and his NFL goals.
Andy Wittry: What did it feel like when you got the call saying that you had been drafted by the Seattle Seahawks?
Greg Scruggs: It was a huge sense of relief. I had done a lot of waiting in the draft and it was finally a dream come true to have the opportunity to play football at the highest level in the NFL.
AW: What about St. X as a school or its football program, with its excellent strength and conditioning program, allowed you to have so much success at Louisville and get drafted in the NFL?
GS: The biggest thing that the St. X football program taught me was discipline. I also learned humility and how to work hard. Carlo and the strength and conditioning staff have no favorites so there is equal treatment for all of the players. I learned to keep my head down and always work hard.
AW: What are your thoughts on former teammate Luke Kuechly, who was drafted ninth overall by the Carolina Panthers, as a player?
GS: He is a one of a kind football player. We knew during his junior year that he would play on Sundays. I’m proud to call him my teammate and it’s great to see a Bomber have the kind of success that he has had. I think he represents everything that St. X is about.
AW: What is the biggest adjustment you’re going to have to make from college football to the NFL?
GS: Understanding money management is obviously a big adjustment. The next big change is the speed of the game and the environment. The NFL is a business so as opposed to in college, where scouts recruit players, NFL team drafted players. Players have to work to keep their job and make one of the limited roster spots.
AW: What is your first impression of minicamp with the Seahawks?
GS: Everything about minicamp is really fast. The coaches expect you to know the plays and there’s always constant action. You get up go to practice, have a meeting, get lunch, read the playbook, have another practice, meet with your teammates, rest your body, grab a bite to eat, go to sleep and wake up the next morning to do it all over again. It’s a daily routine, and it may have a negative reputation, it’s a lot of fun. At the end of the day, it’s football and not many people have the chance to play a professional sport as their profession.
AW: I know that you dealt with turf toe last season, how has your foot held up in practice?
GS: My foot has been great. It was frustrating during draft with teams afraid of the risk with my injury even though I knew that I was healthy. Now I have my chance to prove them wrong.
AW: Who is someone on defense that you are looking forward to learning from and an offensive player that you’re looking forward to competing against?
GS: Red Bryant is a player who has been in the league for while, has had success, and knows how to stay in the league. Another player is Alan Branch, a former high draft pick from Michigan and he has had a long tenure in the NFL. They told me about a player who Seattle signed two years ago for $34 million dollars and is no longer in the league, so they’re great guys to learn from. I’ve had the chance to compete against Russel Wilson and it’s exciting with Matt Flynn in Seattle. Also, a former University of Louisville teammate of mine plays right tackle so it will be fun to compete against him.
AW: Have you discussed your role with the Seahawks coaching staff and do you know whether you will be a defensive end or defensive tackle?
GS: The coaching staff is going to have me play both defensive end and defensive tackle as a third down pass rush defender.
AW: If you had to compare yourself to one player, or at least strive to match the play of another defensive end or defensive tackle, who would it be?
GS: I would like to strive to be the next Michael Strahan. He played the game with a high motor and was a very smart player. He was a three down player, led the league in sacks, and set numerous records. It was most impressive that he also played the run in addition to the pass, which made him a high commodity.
AW: If you could give advice to a St. X football player, what would it be?
GS: Work. If you’re good enough, then you will play for St. X. You don’t have to be the most talented player on the team but if you work hard you will get an opportunity. I am living proof of that. Obviously being blessed with talent helps but all you have to do is show Coach Specht that you’re a hard-working player. In addition to working hard, it is very important to get a college degree.
AW: What are some of your goals for your rookie season as well as for your NFL career?
GS: The biggest goal is to simply make the team. All of the draft picks from rounds one through round seven are still rookies and can get cut. I want to contribute to the Seattle Seahawks in some way and be remembered for my play on the football field. Unless I am injured, I won’t stop working at improving as a player. Before the draft I said that I want to spend my entire career in the city that drafted me, so I want to stay and finish my career in Seattle.
Click here to watch Greg Scruggs’ first press conference with the Seattle Seahawks at training camp.
It’s a shame that I’ve found one of the best kept secrets as well as one of the coolest clubs at my high school during the second semester of my senior year. My involvement as the Student Sports Information Director for the cross country team last fall led to me joining the Student Broadcasting Club in January. My first assignment was to broadcast St. Xavier High School’s JV B basketball game against the Moeller Crusaders. I wasn’t very familiar with our roster and I had never seen either of the teams play, so I was nervous going into the broadcast. By the end of the game, I felt exponentially better about my broadcasting ability and it turned out to be a lot of fun. Historically, St. X only broadcasts home football and basketball games, but with the club wanted to expand to other sports.
The club moderators looked at the athletic schedules of all of the spring sports teams and we decided to broadcast the St. X vs. Moeller volleyball game. Not only did I not know that boys high school volleyball existed until my freshman year of high school but I had never actually seen a volleyball match (with the exception of 2 v. 2 sand volleyball). I looked on the Internet for all of the important volleyball slang, printed off the rosters for both schools, and broadcasted for four hours. I was incredibly fortunate in that the varsity teams were #1 and #2 in the state of Ohio and #17 and #26 in the nation according to ESPN Rise. Seeing two of the top teams in the country battle back and forth for five sets was very entertaining to watch and made for a great broadcast. While I am by no means a volleyball guru now, I have a much greater appreciation of the game, especially at the varsity level, and I have a sense of the strategy that the best teams use.
Each broadcast is over an hour long but if you’re interested in listening for a few minutes, it would be greatly appreciated:
Mike Gordon is the Head Athletic Trainer at St. Xavier High School and has worked with both the Cincinnati Bengals and Cincinnati Reds. He worked with Luke Kuechly during Kuechly’s four years at St. X and even after graduating from high school. With the first round of the NFL Draft only one week away, Mike Gordon shared his insights with me about the St. X grad and first round prospect Luke Kuechly.
· Did you ever think that Luke Kuechly had NFL potential while he attended St. X?
Mike Gordon: I came to St. X in 2005, which was Luke’s Freshmen year. I have worked in the NFL with athletes such as Carson Palmer, Chad Johnson, and David Pollack’s broken neck for the past decade or so. I never would have believed that Luke had that potential his Sophomore year when he played Tight End for the JV Football team. When he moved to the LB/Adjuster position his Junior and Senior season, he was extremely athletic, smart, and versatile. I was excited for him to get college offers of the Stanford/Virginia/BC variety, but never really believed that he would be a 1st round pick in the NFL draft. You can always hope, but never realistically did I believe he’d be one of the best 32 guys drafted into the NFL in 2012. Unbelievable! So proud of him.
· When was the first time that you realized that he was a “special” player and could be very successful at the next level?
MG: Steve Daniels told me a story that when he was a sophomore at St. X (and Luke was a Senior), Luke would call out the play before it even happened, and then tell Steve which gap to go into. Steve said he was right way more often than not, and could read plays before they happened from some great teams. When I watched him play his Freshmen year at BC (when he was forced into action after Mark Herzlich’s cancer diagnosis), he was just as good at the D1 ACC level as he was at St. X. It was awesome to watch him rack up 10+ tackles every game, and to see how he was able to lead the defense in every way. After his freshmen season (158 tackles, ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year), that’s when I thought he had a chance to play at the NFL level.
· What separates Luke from other linebackers and defensive players?
MG: He’s so instinctive, able to turn a switch that few athletes can – vicious and mean on the field, quiet and easy going off the field. He carries himself with such easy confidence, it certainly sets him apart from many of the guys who are already in the NFL.
· What is Luke’s best characteristic that will make him successful in the NFL?
MG: His ability to see the play happen before it happens, his knowledge of the game, and his intelligence will allow him to be a 12+ year player in the NFL. If he can stay healthy, he has a chance to be an All-Pro for a decade.
· If you could give Luke one piece of advice, what would it be?
MG: His ability to handle being famous/everyone coming at him for money now that he’s an instant millionaire… to keep his true friends close to him, and not allow the leaches that come out of the woodwork to suck the life out of him or his bank account. So basically don’t allow money to change your friends.
· One word to describe Luke is……
MG: Freak.
· Is there a “best fit” team for Luke in the NFL? If not, what is an ideal situation?
MG: I don’t know if he’ll be picked at 11 to Kansas City, 12 to Seattle, 15 to Philly, or 17 to Cincy, or somewhere unknown… wherever he gets picked will love his work ethic, love his ability, and plug him in as the new MLB in for the next 10 years. I can’t wait to see where he’ll end up.
St. Xavier High School is known both within the state of Ohio, as well as the national level, as a football powerhouse. The Bomber football program won state 2005 (#2 in the country) and 2007 (#1 in the country), has an accumulative 521-285 record, and has over thirty graduates currently playing at the college level. The football program’s biggest claim to fame is Rocky Boiman, a linebacker who played for Notre Dame and was drafted in the 4th round of the 2002 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans. He bounced around several teams, including the Super Bowl winning 2006-2007 Indianapolis Colts. Once again, St. X has the chance to leave its mark on the NFL with St. Xavier High School graduate (’09) and former Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly. Over his three-year career at BC, Kuechly led the nation in tackling twice (finished second in the country as a freshman), collected 532 tackles, was a two-time consensus All-American, won the Butkus Award (awarded to the best linebacker in the country, and the Lombardi Award (awarded to the best lineman or linebacker in the country). According to Scouts Inc., Kuechly is the 10thbest prospect in this year’s draft class and will be a likely top 15 pick in the NFL Draft.
With a member of the Long Blue Line making it to the highest level of football, I decided to see what makes Luke Kuechly such a great linebacker from his high school coach at St. X, Coach Steve Specht.
Did you ever think that Luke Kuechly had NFL potential while he attended St. X?
Coach Specht: Talent and work ethic was never a question with Luke. He was always the first in and one of the last to leave. He wanted to get better and studied the game as much if not more than anyone I’ve ever coached. The question was always how much would he grow and how would he develop his game at the next level. As a high school coach you can only say, “I think he has a chance” and God takes care of the rest.
When was the first time that you realized that he was a “special” player and could be very successful at the next level?
CS: Watching Luke’s development when we moved him from Will linebacker to our Adjuster (Free Safety) position was very telling. Luke reminded me of Rocky Boiman the way he covered so much ground so quickly. He, like Rocky, had an incredible instinct and understanding of the game. More importantly, he worked at his game every day. Luke wanted to be the best he could be and worked very hard at his game.
What separates Luke from other linebackers and defensive players?
CS: I’d have to say his work ethic, instinct and understanding of the game sets Luke apart.
What is Luke’s best characteristic that will make him successful in the NFL?
CS: Luke is very humble and a team guy. He knows where he came from and what it took to get him to this level. He knows he is only as good as his last snap and will always work to get better….at any level.
If you could give Luke one piece of advice, what would it be?
CS: Thank your mom and dad and let them know how much you appreciate and love them. Be true to yourself…and ALWAYS REMEMBER…every day is a GREAT DAY TO GET BETTER!
One word to describe Luke is……
CS: I couldn’t describe Luke in one word….I’ve always said we want St. X football players to represent class, character and integrity off the field. We want gentlemen off the field, but once they cross that white line we want vicious football players. Luke’s able to “flip that switch” in ways I haven’t seen in many players. I’ve always referred to him as “the silent assassin”. You can’t put all of that into one word…
Andy Wittry 