Cincinnati St. Xavier Bombers

[wadc45]

10/20/05

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St. Xavier (8-0) is the No. 1-rated prep football team in America by a Web site called MaxPreps.com, based in Sacramento.

The MaxPreps power ratings are based on a computer model that is "100 percent objective" and takes into account factors such as quality wins and strength of schedule. In other words, no human "bias" as in other ratings.

For what it's worth, the top five teams are St. X, Duncan Byrnes (S.C.), Springdale (Ark.), Maryville (Tenn.) and Southlake Carroll (Texas). Other Ohio teams listed: Lakewood St. Edward at No. 12, Massillon at No. 13 and Colerain at No. 20.

The USA Today Super 25 -- done by actual humans, we are told -- has Lakeland (Fla.) at No. 1, St. X at No. 16 and Colerain at No. 21.

But anyway, props to the Bombers. It's not every day you're No. 1 in the nation in something.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

link

10/20/05

Cincinnati St. Xavier vs. St. Ignatius

What, when, where: Nonleague game, 1:30 p.m., Parma's Byers Field. Byers is located at the intersection of Ridge Road and Day Drive, adjacent to Parmatown Mall. Call 216-651-0222.

Records: St. Ignatius 5-3; St. Xavier 8-0.

What to watch: The Bombers of St. Xavier enter this game as the top-ranked Division I program in Ohio. St. Xavier is ranked among the top 20 teams in the country in some national polls. Led by senior defensive end and Boston College recruit Alex Albright, the Bombers have yielded just 45 points this season. Keying St. Xavier's offense is sophomore running back Darius Ashley, a player Bombers coach Steve Specht describes as "special."

St. Ignatius, which is a little banged up from last weekend's 10-7 loss to St. Edward, can secure its 18th consecutive Division I playoff appearance by upsetting St. Xavier. A loss to the Bombers will not automatically eliminate the Wildcats from the postseason, but it will put them in a situation where they will need some help from other teams, such as Mentor.

[X Buckeyes07 X]

Originally Posted by wadc45

But anyway, props to the Bombers. It's not every day you're No. 1 in the nation in something.

Except swimming

[scott91575]

Originally Posted by X Buckeyes07 X

Except swimming

Yeah, the Bombers only finish #1 in the nation in swimming every 5-10 years. State titles are just a given.

Ah yes, the old Keating Natatorium...I still wonder just where that money came from.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

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10/21/05

St. Xavier at Covington Catholic

WHEN/WHERE: 1 p.m. Saturday at Covington Catholic HS, 1600 Dixie Highway, Park Hills, Ky.

RECORDS: St. Xavier 4-0, Covington Catholic 4-1.

WHAT TO WATCH: It's Cincinnati's top-ranked team against Northern Kentucky's top-ranked team. The Bombers expect 2004 all-city senior RB Chris Cionni (back injury) to return after missing two games. Sophomore RB Darius Ashley has rushed for 306 yards and six TDs in two games as Cionni's replacement. The St. X starting defense, led by LB Louis Miller and DE Alex Albright, has not allowed a point in three of its four outings. CovCath senior QB Drew Ellison has passed for 977 yards (nine TDs) and has rushed for 545 yards (eight TDs).

BOTTOM LINE: CovCath's only loss was 16-6 to Moeller. St. X, No. 19 in the USA Today national poll, is the favorite.

[dfaulkne]

St. X's defense is incredible. 45 points in 9 games. And most of those were garbage points...

this will go down as one of the three greatest d's in the history of ohio high school football.....

Let's see if they can finally finish it off and win the state title.

[X Buckeyes07 X]

St. X shutout St. Ignatius in the battle of the Jesuits today, 22-0. Darius Ashley rushed for 135 yards on 19 carries with 2 TDs, and Matt McFarland had a receiving TD. Danny Milligan (Sophomore starting kicker, punter, kick/punt returner, and WR) got hurt early in the game on a punt return. This kid is a stud, he's made 50+ yarders in practice and I believe hit a mid-40 yarder in a game this year. I talked to some players and they said it was just an ankle sprain on his kicking foot, and that he was expecting to be okay for next week, but a friend of mine that's close to the program feared it was worse than that.

The Bombers D got their 3rd safety in the last 2 weeks.

Next week the Bombers finish off the regular season against Moeller. The game is Friday night, I believe at 8:30 following the Colerain-Oak Hills (of course, it will likely start later than that considering how badly Colerain is going to blow out OH) at Paul Brown Stadium.

[X Buckeyes07 X]

Originally Posted by dfaulkne

St. X's defense is incredible. 45 points in 9 games. And most of those were garbage points...

If I'm not mistaken, X's starting D has only allowed one or two touchdowns all season, which was (were) against Indy Cathedral.

[scott91575]

Originally Posted by X Buckeyes07 X

If I'm not mistaken, X's starting D has only allowed one or two touchdowns all season, which was (were) against Indy Cathedral.

Total 6 TD's all year. 3 vs. Indy Cathedral. Since then the team has given up 3 td's and and average or 3 pt's per game. Most were garbage time points.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

scout.com (free)

10/24/05

Photo Gallery - St. Ignatius vs. St. Xavier


Darius Ashley is an emerging star.

By Gary Housteau

Date: Oct 23, 2005

Led by the rushing of sophomore Darius Ashley, who recorded 136 yards in the game and scored on two long touchdown runs of 27 and 39 yards, St. Xavier went up early on the home St. Ignatius Wildcats and never looked back. The Bombers defense shut out the Wildcats for the first time during the regular season since the 1991 campaign. St. Xavier, who lost to St. Ignatius in the state title game in 2001, has beaten the Wildcats five straight times in the regular season now. The Bombers won 22-0.

Photo Gallery - St. Ignatius vs. St. Xavier

Sophomore running back Darius Ashley ran for 136 yards on 19 carries including first-half touchdown runs of 27 and 39 yards.

Rudy Kirbus was 10 of 22 for 92 yards with three interceptions in the game. If you look closely on Kirbus' wristband, the number 85 is there for his injured teammate John Ryan.

After a big first half, Ashley was held to just 25 yards in the second half.

Ashley was tackled by Reilly Lauer, #65, on this play.

Senior quarterback Brad Scherer gives the Bombers another running threat in the backfield.







Defensive tackle Marty Kern makes the tackle on Scherer on this play.

Brian Neff, #92, the other defensive tackle, takes down Scherer on this play.



Sophomore linebacker, Nick Schneider, trips up Kirbus on this play.



Ashley breaks open on his 39-yard touchdown run...

...and his gone!

Schneider is destined to be a top prospect in Ohio in two years.

Nick Secue was held in check for the game by a good St. Xavier defense.

Linebacker Alex Albright is one of the leaders of the defense.



Kyle Meyer makes the play on Secue on this play.

The Ignatius offense minus John Ryan and Rob Parris.

Louis Miller, #53, and sophomore Fred Craig, #7, converge on this sack of Kirbus.

Craig celebrates on the sack, one of four on the day for the Bomber defense.







Joe Ries brings down Secue on this play.





Neff stops Ashley on this play.

St. Xavier did throw the ball some later in the game.

Schneider tackles Secue in the end zone for a safety.

Seth Robinson makes a nice gain after a catch on this play.



Matthew McFarland had a touchdown catch for the third offensive score for the Bombers.

It's nearly become a nightmare of a season for John Ryan (on crutches) Rob Parris and Kirbus.
The longterm prognosis is good for both guys who will likely resume their careers at Notre Dame in good health.
The Bombers advance to 9-0 while the Wildcats end their regular season at 5-4.

[X Buckeyes07 X]

The Bombers moved up 5 spots to #11 in the nation in USA Today's poll after defeating Ignatius. Beating a 5-3 team 22-0 and moving up 5 spots tells me that the poll is largely historically based, as the Ignatius name is what made us move up so much. Having said that, beating another national name like Moeller this week would probably move us into the top 10 before the playoffs.

[scott91575]

Originally Posted by X Buckeyes07 X

The Bombers moved up 5 spots to #11 in the nation in USA Today's poll after defeating Ignatius. Beating a 5-3 team 22-0 and moving up 5 spots tells me that the poll is largely historically based, as the Ignatius name is what made us move up so much. Having said that, beating another national name like Moeller this week would probably move us into the top 10 before the playoffs.

True, I found it strange they jumped teams above them. All the teams above them won, and most of them in blowouts. Although most national HS polls have St. X in the top 10, and a couple at #1. USA Today has always been one of the lower ones.

[strohs]

Maybe USA today just finally took a good long, hard look at St. X and realized they should be much higher than they were...

[scott91575]

St. X already wrapped up the #1 seed in the D1 Region 4. Congrats to the Bombers. This makes the game at PBS a little anti-climactic, but still a good game. Looking at 4-8 X should walk into the regional finals. More than likely Colerain awaits. Great rematch.

[X Buckeyes07 X]

Not too anti-climatic to me, beating the [censored] out of Moeller is always okay with me. That rivalry is definitely bigger for me personally than the X-Elder game.