St. Xavier High School 2014 Fall Sports Recap Football The St. Xavier Football program had a great fall! The Varsity football team finished with a regular season record of 8-2 after playing a tough schedule where every team on the schedule competed in their respective State Playoffs. Highlight wins included a Week One 35-20 win over a highly ranked East St. Louis (IL) football team, victories over Ohio powerhouses Colerain, Elder, LaSalle, and St. Ignatius, two more wins over Indiana teams, Warren Central and Indianapolis Cathedral, the latter of which is playing for the Indiana State Title. The eighth win of the season came against Louisville St. Xavier who advanced to the Regional Finals in the Kentucky State Playoffs. The team only got better as the season progressed thanks to great commitment and leadership from the senior class and great coaching by Steve Specht ( 86) and his staff. It showed in the playoffs as the Bombers finished with the #2 seed in the Region 2 Harbin Ratings and dismantled Grove City Central Crossing at home, 50-13, in the First Round. St. Xavier faced Colerain again and won, this time 29-21, to advance to the Regional Semi Finals. The team had great accomplishments by earning a split of the GCL Championship, finishing #8 in the final State AP Coaches Poll and earning the right to host the First Round Playoff Game. Below are the individual awards presented to those student-athletes who helped lead the team. GCL 1 st Team RB Ronnie Fricke, RB Ben Glines, LB Justin Hilliard, LB Cole Jones, DL Simeon Lane, OL Daniel McHale, DB Hayden Specht GCL 2 nd Team DB JP Bitzenhofer, OL Matt Bockhorst, TE Noah Davis, TE Alexander Deters, DB David Leisring, DL Nathaniel Winning All District 1 st Team RB Ben Glines, DL Simeon Lane, LB Justin Hilliard, LB Cole Jones All District Defensive Player of the Year LB Justin Hilliard All District 2 nd Team OL Daniel McHale All District Honorable Mention RB Ronnie Fricke US Army All American Bowl Participant LB Justin Hilliard The JV football team went undefeated posting a 9-0-1 record and won the GCL Championship by beating Moeller, Elder and LaSalle in three consecutive weeks. The freshman teams posted a 7-6 overall record with victories over Moeller and LaSalle to go 2-1 in the GCL.
Soccer The Bomber Soccer program had one of its most successful seasons in history. The Varsity soccer team only allowed six regular season goals and posted a 13-2-1 regular season record after winning their final 10 matches of the season. They captured the GCL Championship by going 5-1 in league play and allowing just two goals in the six GCL matches and winning them by a combined 13-2 goal margin. St. Xavier finished the regular season as the #3 ranked team in the State of Ohio. The Bombers were selected as the 2 nd seed in the Region Four playoffs and earned a bye in the First Round and the right to host their 2 nd round match. They beat Amelia handily in the Second Round, 6-0, and beat Elder in the Third Round, 1-0. They faced off against a very tough Vandalia Butler HS team in the District Finals and won 4-0. The season ended in a heart breaking shootout loss in the Regional Semi-Finals. The final record for the Varsity Bombers was 16-3-1 with a winning streak of 13 matches before the final loss. The team was led by a strong senior class and head coach Brian Schaeper and staff. Below are the individual awards for the season. All State 1 st Team Sr. Alex Besl GCL Coach of the Year Brian Schaeper GCL 1 st Team Sr. Alex Besl, Sr. Jack Graves, Sr. Henry Stutz, Sr. Zach Thomas GCL 2 nd Team Sr. Frankie Bauer, Sr. Drew Eagan, Sr. Sam Eagan, Sr. Jack Green Scholar Athlete Award Sr. Zach Huber Best Offensive Player Award Sr. Frankie Bauer Best Defensive Player Award Sr. Jack Graves Coaches Award Sr. Sam Eagan Team MVP Award Alex Besl The JV soccer team finished 13-1-2 overall and 5-0-1 in the GCL and captured the GCL Championship. The freshman team finished 11-3-2 overall and 6-0 in the GCL and completed the GCL Championship sweep for the St. Xavier soccer program.
Cross Country The Cross Country program came into the 2014 season as back to back State Champions at the Varsity level and lived up to the hype during the regular season. The Varsity runners won multiple events throughout the season starting with the Moeller Invitational at Kings Island s Bruin Course, continuing with the St. Xavier Invitational, and the GCL Championship Meet to claim the GCL title for the 4 th straight season. Varsity also placed 3 rd at a meet hosted by Louisville Trinity HS which attracted 21 of the top teams from the Midwest region. St. Xavier finished the regular season as the #1 ranked team in the State of Ohio after improving week to week under strong senior leadership and good coaching from head coach Andy Wietmarschen ( 01) and his staff. The Bombers won the District Meet to qualify for the Regional meet where they placed 2 nd to qualify for the State Meet. At the State Championship Meet, the Bomber runners overcame injuries to finish 3 rd overall. Senior Michael Vitucci had a great season individually winning multiple events and becoming St. Xavier s first Cross Country Individual State Champion by winning the State Championship Meet. Individual State Champion Sr. Michael Vitucci GCL Coach of the Year Andy Wietmarschen ( 01) GCL Athlete of the Year Sr. Michael Vitucci GCL 1 st Team Sr. Brad Eagan, Sr. Matt Osubor, Sr. Michael Vitucci GCL 2 nd Team So. Chris Reischel, Sr. Gabe West Scholar Athlete Award Sr. Cole Grabowski Most Valuable Runner Award Sr. Michael Vitucci Most Improved Runner Award Sr. Matt Osubor Morgan Seitzer Spirit Award Sr. Andrew Luby Peter Mosher Coaches Awards Sr. Gabe West and Sr. Brad Eagan Captain s Awards Sr. Michael Vitucci, Sr. Cole Grabowski, Sr. Michael Gardner The JV and Freshmen runners also ran very well at multiple events throughout the season and completed the Cross Country GCL Meet sweep as both teams won their respective races to make St. Xavier GCL Champions at all 3 levels!
Golf The 2014 St. Xavier Golf program carried on the strong golf tradition at St. X with a very solid season on all levels. The Varsity golf team finished the regular season with a 22-9 match record (not including the GCL Quads), as GCL runner-ups, and with two Varsity Invitational wins at St. Ignatius to retain the Jesuit Cup and Tecumseh. The Bombers finished 2 nd in the Sectional Tournament to qualify for the District Tournament. At the District Tournament, St. Xavier and Moeller were tied after 18 holes of play and proceeded to a playoff to determine the District Champion. The Bombers ended up winning the playoff and took home their 2 nd consecutive District Title. The young squad of three juniors, one sophomore and two freshmen went to the State Tournament and finished in 8 th place. The strong finish by such a young team bodes well for Coach Alex Kepley ( 85) and the golf program in the coming years. Below are individual awards from the season. SW Ohio 1 st Team So. Joey Mcarthy, Jr. Kirran Magowan SW Ohio 2 nd Team Jr. Domenic Maricocchi, Fr. Cameron Frazier, Jr. Paul Maricocchi SW Ohio Honorable Mention Fr. Michael Prebles, Sr. Ben Keating, So. Alex Wolf, Sr. Ben Wright, So. Zachary Pavlin GCL 1 st Team Jr. Kirran Magowan GCL 2 nd Team Fr. Cameron Frazier, Jr. Domenic Maricocchi, So. Joey McCarthy Joan Whitaker Award Jr. Domenic Maricocchi Team Scoring Leader Jr. Kirran Magowan Andrew Rindfleisch Award So. Joey McCarthy Coach Slinger Student Athlete Award Sr. Jack Perez Magis Award So. John Robertson and Fr. Garrett Madden The JV team compiled a 25-7 overall match record (excluding GCL Quads) and won four of six Invitationals. The JV team won the GCL Championship for the fourth consecutive season.
Water Polo The 2014 Water Polo season started out with a record number of student athletes as the sport continues to gain popularity. The Varsity water polo team had a strong season finishing with a 20-19 record. At one point during the season, St. Xavier was named the Marco s Pizza High School Team of the Week. The Bombers played host to their First Annual St. Xavier Invitational which saw many of the top teams from around the State compete. St. Xavier was also invited to a big time national meet held in Reading, PA called the Beast of the East Tournament. The Bombers held their own against some of the top teams in the nation as they went 2-2 in the tournament. The strong competition scheduled by Head Coach Mike Roberts and his staff helped the team prepare for the State Championship Meet. The Bombers won their first match at the State Championship meet over Sycamore by an 11-7 score. In the second match, the Bombers lost a heart breaker to Mason, 11-10. St. Xavier regrouped and won the 3 rd place match 12-9 over Thomas Worthington. The Bombers 3 rd place finish speaks volumes to the seniors commitment to making Water Polo a popular sport at St. Xavier HS throughout their four years. Below are the individual awards for the season. Scholar Athlete Award Sr. Alex Lutmer Team MVP Award Sr. Matt Doyle Most Improved Players Awards So. Charlie Leibson and So. Gordon Wheeler Magis Award Sr. Liam Moran The JV team finished the season 16-9.
2014 GCL ALL SPORTS TROPHY STANDINGS AFTER FALL SPORTS School Cross Country Football Golf Soccer Total St. Xavier 8 6 6 8 28 Moeller 2 6 8 4 20 LaSalle 6 6 4 2 18 Elder 4 2 2 6 14