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High School Cincinnati St. Xavier Bombers

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Sunday, November 27, 2005 Bombers hold on to win
Morand interception seals St. X's hard-fought 17-10 win
By Tom Groeschen
Enquirer staff writer
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The Enquirer/Tony Jones
St. Xavier's Fred Craig (7) causes Hilliard Davidson quarterback Don Curtis to fumble. It was returned 2 yards for a key touchdown.
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs....27&Kategori=SPT030101&Lopenr=511260803&Ref=PH


OXFORD - St. Xavier senior defensive back Frank Morand was itching to make a play. He did, and the Bombers are headed to the Division I state football final for the first time since 2001.
Morand intercepted a pass in the end zone with 44 seconds left, clinching a 17-10 win for No. 1-ranked St. X over No. 7 Hilliard Davidson in a state semifinal game at Miami's Yager Stadium on Saturday night. Attendance was estimated at about 10,000.
Morand said he wanted to make up for a 72-yard Hilliard Davidson touchdown pass in the first half. Morand was among St. X defenders in the area, and he lost his footing as Wildcats receiver Joey Ciamacco raced untouched into the end zone.
"Fortunately, I was able to make up for it," a smiling Morand said. "We knew we had to get it done on that last drive. This is what we've been working for all year."
St. X (14-0) will vie for its first state title in four championship game appearances, having finished runner-up in 1992, 1998 and 2001. The Bombers will face No. 8-ranked Massillon (13-1) for the state title at 7 p.m. Saturday at Canton's Fawcett Stadium. Massillon beat Lakewood St. Edward 21-17 in Saturday's other state semifinal in Akron.
"We're not ready to celebrate yet," said Steve Specht, the Bombers' second-year head coach.
"When it's over we'll look back and realize what we've done, but right now, we've got to get ready for Massillon," Specht said.
St. X was ranked No. 1 in the final Associated Press state poll and is No. 9 nationally in the USA Today ratings. Davidson (13-1), located near Columbus, was No. 7 in the final AP state poll.
One Columbus-area newspaper billed the game as "Davidson vs. Goliath." Although both St. X and Davidson were 13-0, Cincinnati schools have had their way with Columbus teams at this level. Since the Ohio playoff system began in 1972, Cincinnati teams are 13-2 vs. Columbus schools in the Division I state semifinals and/or final.
"It was a battle," Specht said. "We knew it might be this way. If you see Davidson on film, you'll see they're kind of small but they're very quick. They're a lot like us, and those kids played us awfully hard."
The pivotal play, in retrospect, was St. X linebacker Fred Craig's sack and forced fumble on Davidson quarterback Don Curtis near the Bombers' 7-yard line just before halftime. Bombers defensive end Alex Albright recovered the loose football on the 2-yard line and went in to score, and St. X led 17-7 with 1:24 left before halftime.
"I just got a pretty good read on it, and I was able to knock it away from him," Craig said. "Alex was able to take it in, which was great."
St. X was outgained 248-182 in total yards, but the offense made enough plays to win.
Bombers running back Darius Ashley carried 15 times for 99 yards. Ashley's 55-yard run to the 2-yard line set up a 2-yard TD run by Chris Cionni, which gave St. X a 10-0 lead in the second quarter.
Davidson stifled the Bombers' offense in the second half, holding St. X to 35 total yards after halftime. On the final drive, Davidson marched to the Bombers' 22-yard line with time running short.
Brad Brookbank tipped away a Davidson first-down pass, Albright made a tackle for a 1-yard loss on second down, and a Davidson pass was incomplete on third down. On fourth down, Morand came up with his theft.
Davidson coach Brian White said his team earned some respect, but the upset obviously would have been better.
"We always hear about how Central Ohio teams can't compete with the Cincinnati teams, but I thought we played well enough to be mentioned in the same sentence with them," White said.
St. X doesn't mind, for the Bombers are the ones who will be taking the field in Canton next week.
"It's been elusive for us," Craig said, referring to St. X's 0-for-3 championship game record. "We can't think about that, so we'll just focus on next week. That's all that matters."
St. Xavier31400 -17Hilliard Davidson0703 -10 SX-Milligan 36 FG
SX-Cionni 2 run (Milligan kick)
HD-Ciamacco 72 pass from Curtis (Larger kick)
SX-Albright 2 fumble return (Milligan kick)
HD-Larger 19 FG
Records: St X 14-0, HD 13-1


UPSTATE
 
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12/1/05

Absence worked on Specht
After two years away, he returned to sidelines

St. Xavier coach Steve Specht found out how much he loved teaching and coaching by giving it up.
Specht took a job at Lakota High right out of Earlham College. After two years at Lakota, Specht moved into the real world as a manager for Planes Moving & Storage.
"It was two long, painful years," he said. "I was miserable. The only good thing was I met my wife."
Specht's wife, Becky, worked for Planes in Indianapolis. Specht worked in Columbus.
"He was taking clients to a golf outing in Indianapolis and got lost," Becky said. "He called me for directions. We started talking."
Then they started dating. Becky quickly discovered Steve's passion was coaching and teaching.
When a job opened at St. X - Steve's alma mater - Becky encouraged him to take it.
"He said, 'I'm not going to make a lot of money,' " Becky said. "I said, 'As long as you buy me the ring first you can take it.' "
So Specht took a job at St. X teaching English and coaching defensive backs.
That was in 1996. He became defensive coordinator the next year. He was named head coach to replace Steve Rasso, who retired Dec. 10, 2003.
Saturday, Specht will try to reach the high school coaching pinnacle when he leads the Bombers into the Division I state championship game in Canton against Massillon Washington.
Specht, 38, is a walking, talking St. Xavier public relations campaign.
The Bombers are 25-1 in his two seasons as head coach, but that's not what St. X principal Dave Mueller talks about when he talks about Specht.
"I've known Steve since he started teaching here," Mueller said. "He lives and breathes the school mission. He knows football is important, but he doesn't see it as an end in itself.
"He gets it."
The two years Specht spent working for Planes re-enforced that.
"I wasn't building anything," he said.
"In this job, you have a chance to influence young men's lives every day," Specht continued. "That's what I missed."
Specht teaches four classes of oral communications these days.
"I teach every freshman who comes through St. Xavier," he said.
On a trip through the halls of the school, Specht greets a dozen or so students by name.
They greet him right back.
Specht is popular at St. X. So popular, in fact, that when Rasso announced he was stepping down, Specht was the only candidate for what arguably is the premier prep coaching job in the city.
"We posted the job internally," Mueller said. "Steve applied. Everyone else on the staff said Steve's the guy. It was a no-brainer."
And Specht does things the way Rasso did them.
"Everything I learned about coaching I learned from Steve Rasso," he said.
Like Rasso, Specht delegates.
"Steve gave assistants the freedom to fail," Specht said. "I failed a lot. But it's important to give assistants that ownership."
Specht has held on to the defensive play-calling.
"I can't get away from that," he said. "Game night, calling the plays, is my fun."
Specht puts in the typical hours for a football coach: Arrive at St. X around 7 a.m. and work until midnight during the season.
That's the one drawback to the job. Specht has three children - daughter Bailey (13) and sons Hayden (7) and Cameron (6).
"That's the hardest part," he said. "My oldest son is a ball boy, so I was with him all day Saturday. But I haven't seen the rest of them since Friday. I know how hard it is for me. I can't imagine how hard it is for them."
Specht tries to get his kids to games and he allows his assistants to do the same. But he admits he relies heavily on Becky.
"She's the anchor," he said. "She holds it all together."
"It's hard," she said. "It's a long fall. There's a tradeoff. The boys love going out to St. X. They're out there all summer long."
But Becky was one of the people who encouraged Steve to get back into coaching when they were co-workers at Planes back in 1996.
"It was passion," she said. "It still is."
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12/2/05


St. Xavier sports 60 seniors against Massillon
Friday, December 2, 2005 [FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]By Todd Porter REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER[/FONT]


One coach laughed.
The other dreamed and maybe tossed and turned.
Cincinnati St. Xavier coach Steve Specht doesn’t have to count his roster. He knows the number by heart.
How many senior football players will be in uniform Saturday night when St. Xavier tries to win its first state title at Fawcett Stadium against Massillon?
“Seniors? A lot. We have 60,” Specht said. “It’s a very strong class and a great group of kids.”
Most don’t start or see significant time. However, all of them contribute. There is a lot to be said for the Bombers’ scout team. Imagine the look the starting offense and defense gets when facing teammates who are in their fourth year of high school football.
“About a third, if that, get a considerable amount of playing time,” Specht said. “Each of the kids has accepted the role ... (and) relish that role and work their tails off. If I could pinpoint one reason for our success, it would be the development of this senior class.”
But 60 on one team?
Massillon head coach admires the number.
“That’s where we’d like to be one day,” Stacy said. “That’s something for us to build toward.”
St. Xavier is an all-boys parochial school with more than 1,100 enrolled. It isn’t easy to get in. The school offers courses such as Introduction to Java Programming, Bioethics and Relationships.
The Bombers’ roster of 110 is so large that some players wear the same number.
Specht doesn’t mind. He has 22 assistant coaches to help.
Specht graduated from St. X in 1986 and has spent the last 11 years coaching at his alma mater. This is his second season as head coach, and he’s lost just one game out of 26.
“The numbers get daunting at times,” Specht said. “But ... I don’t think it’s fair to tell any young man he’s not good enough to be a part of this. The lessons learned from this season will carry them over a lifetime. They’ve learned enough to continue to succeed in whatever they choose to pursue.”
Like Massillon, St. Xavier is looking for its first state title. The Bombers bring a three-game championship losing streak to town. The Tigers are 0-2 in this game, last getting here in 1982.
St. Xavier lost to Ignatius in 2001 and 1992, and McKinley in 1998.
This season the Bombers were a known commodity. It was assumed the state title would be decided between St. X and Colerain early in the playoffs.
St. Xavier spent most of the season as the Associated Press’ No. 1 team after beating Colerain 7-0 to start the year. The Bombers finished 10-0 and won the AP poll title.
“Fame is fleeting,” Specht said. “We’re 0-0. If we want to continue to be remembered, we have to continue to go 1-0 this week.”
Specht uses a traditional I-formation, but he adjusted the focus. A year ago, the Bombers had Ohio State freshman Robby Schoenhoft at quarterback. This year it’s Brad Scherer.
The difference? About 8 inches and 65 pounds. Schoenhoft is 6-foot-6, 225. Scherer is 5-10, 160. But Scherer’s stats aren’t far from Schoenhoft’s, albeit in two more games. Scherer has thrown for 1,017 yards, nine TDs and just three picks. He’s the team’s second-leading rusher with 463 yards.
Tailback Darius Ashley is just a sophomore.
“He doesn’t play like a sophomore,” Massillon defensive coordinator Steve Kovacs said.
Ashley (5-9, 170) has 1,480 yards and was good enough to take the starting role from a returning starter, senior Chris Cionni, who ran for 1,500 yards last year.
“God’s given (Ashley) an awful lot of talent,” Specht said. “He knows he won’t do a whole lot if the big guys up front aren’t blocking. Darius understands that.”
Perhaps the best part of St. Xavier is the defense. Opponents are averaging less than 6 points a game, less than 100 yards on the ground and the air a game as well. All three of the starting linemen are seniors (Kyle Meyer, Kevin Davis and Alex Albright). Albright is a big, not just in size (6-6, 220) but in plays.
The Bombers use an odd-stacked 3-3 defense with a monster back (Fred Craig) who roams the field. Mentor and Elder played the same defense against Massillon. But St. X is more aggressive and brings pressure from angles.
Specht’s team doesn’t make many mistakes. This adds up to making Massillon coaches work overtime this week. “If you took a poll of Ohio before the playoffs started, most people would have picked St. X to be the state champs, and rightfully so,” Stacy said. “They’re, by far, the best defensive football team we’ve seen on tape all year. ... Offensively, they’re solid. They don’t turn the ball over. They’re diversified. They are, I think, the complete package.” Reach Repository sports writer Todd Porter at (330) 580-8340 or e-mail: [email protected]
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12/2/05

1st football title 'would be huge'

No high school in Cincinnati has accomplished what St. Xavier has in the past few decades, so pardon the Bombers if they seem extra excited this weekend.
Sure, St. Xavier seemingly wins state championships almost every year, including the last seven consecutive Ohio swim titles. In fact, the Bombers share the Ohio high school record with Upper Arlington for most state titles: 35.
But all that takes a back seat this weekend as St. Xavier vies for the most coveted, elusive title of all: the school's first Division I state football championship. The Bombers, ranked No. 1 (by the Associated Press) in Ohio and with a 14-0 record, play No. 8-ranked Massillon (13-1) Saturday at 7 p.m. at Fawcett Stadium in Canton, with the title of Ohio's No.1 sports powerhouse at stake.
"We try to treat every championship the same, but there's no denying football is king," said John Sullivan, St. Xavier athletic director. "It makes the most money, has the most fans, and it's the sport everyone talks about the most."
St. Xavier has come close in football, with state runner-up finishes in 1992, 1998 and 2001.
"Football is the one thing we haven't won," Sullivan said. "I don't think it's something that bothers anybody to an extreme degree, but it certainly would be special to win that first one."
St. Xavier has 27 swimming championships - the seven straight extend from 1999 to 2005 - plus three cross-country championships, two golf titles and one championship each in boys' soccer, boys' basketball and baseball.
St. Xavier students, parents, teachers and coaches are caught up in the state championship buzz.
"Football is a pretty loved sport at this school," said Anthony DeGregorio, a St. Xavier junior and percussionist in the school's marching band. "Just look around."
Anthony, sitting in a bustling St. Xavier cafeteria earlier this week, nodded toward scores of banners listing the names of Bombers football players.
"It would mean a lot if we won state," he said. "It would prove we're the best, at least for one year. As part of the band, I'm going to assist in making as much noise as I can."
David Mueller, a 1972 graduate of St. Xavier, is in his 13th year as school principal. Mueller said academics obviously come first at a school known for elite students, but acknowledged that a football title would bring pride to the entire St. Xavier community.
"It will be a pretty big deal if we win it," Mueller said. "This fall alone, we've had our golf team finish third at state and our soccer team was state runner-up. It certainly would be the icing on the cake to win the football title."
Sports are just part, albeit a highly publicized part, of the St. Xavier experience. The 175-year-old school, located in Springfield Township, is a Catholic, Jesuit institution known for academic excellence.
Mueller said St. Xavier this year has 23 National Merit Scholarship semifinalists, second in Ohio to fellow Jesuit school Cleveland St. Ignatius (24).
Most years, the entire St. Xavier senior class goes to college. Officially, slightly more than 99 percent of St. Xavier's 2005 graduating class went to college, according to St. Xavier director of publications/communications Mark Motz.
Mueller said the academic excellence carries over to the Bombers' athletic pursuits.
"The self-discipline, the time management, the competitive drive and the teamwork are all part of it," Mueller said. "We often say that the basketball court and the football field are just different kinds of classrooms."
St. Xavier is trying to join fellow Greater Catholic League South powers Moeller (seven state football titles) and Elder (two) as Ohio football champions.
For Elder, its two consecutive state football titles (2002 and '03) were the crowning moments of a glorious athletic tradition that includes 12 state baseball championships, five state cross-country titles and three state basketball championships.
Dave Dabbelt, Elder athletic director, knows how St. Xavier feels as it chases the football title.
"When you haven't done it before, there's not a lot of expectation that it will ever happen," Dabbelt said. "Yes, it's in the back of your mind that you've never won one. Then when you do win it, there's even more pressure to win another one."
St. Xavier would love to see how that feels.
"In Ohio, football is the No. 1 prep sport," said Brad Brookbank, a St. Xavier senior defensive back. "To win the first state title for St. Xavier, that would be huge."
Steve Specht, St. Xavier's second-year head football coach, is trying not to get ahead of himself.
"All I know is we're facing a great Massillon team, and that's our entire focus," Specht said. "When it's over, we'll look back and think about what we've done."
Specht has a 25-1 record as head coach, and he knows that is not enough for some people.
"People are going to say what they want, regardless," Specht said. "All I know is we've got a great group of kids, it's their game, it's their year. What happened before doesn't matter."
Specht was an assistant coach for the Bombers' 1998 and 2001 state runner-up teams under Steve Rasso. Specht also was an all-league defensive back for Rasso at St. Xavier in the mid-1980s.
"I learned so much from Steve Rasso," Specht said. "I could have coached under him forever."
Rasso, 67, retired as St. Xavier coach in November 2003. Rasso had a 189-86-2 record in 26 years as Bombers' coach, including the three state runner-up teams.
"When somebody you coached takes over and does such a great job, you feel a part of it," said Rasso, still at St. Xavier as a physical education teacher. "I'm definitely hoping this is the year we win it."
Chris Cionni, a senior running back and team captain, said the team has pulled together without concern for individual glory.
"We had a good team last season (11-1), and this year, we've talked about how this is our year," said Chris Cionni, a St. Xavier senior running back and a team captain. "It would be big for us as players to win it, but it really would be for the whole St. X community."
St. Xavier football parents and alumni have been turning out by the thousands this season, with busloads and carloads of blue-shirted Bombers fans set for the four-hour trek to Canton Saturday.
Tony Cionni, a former St. X football player (class of '74) and father of Chris Cionni, said this year's team has not flinched when times got tough. Included were two close wins over Colerain, then last week's tension-packed 17-10 state semifinal win over Hilliard Davidson.
"I think this senior class is driven to win a championship," Tony Cionni said. "They're very businesslike about the whole thing, which is good. I just hope the stars are all aligned for us Saturday night."
Tony Cionni's wife, Cathy, is one of the St. Xavier football Moms who coordinate off-field activities. Another is Judy Morand, mother of St. Xavier senior defensive back Frank Morand.
"The spirit surrounding the team is so great, and it's not just in the stands each game," Mrs. Morand said. "We've had calls this week from Frank's grade-school baseball and basketball coaches, and he got a letter today from his second-grade teacher. The buzz is so neat. The excitement in everybody's face is something you can't describe."
Jimmy Hobson, St. Xavier's starting senior fullback, said the school's spirit is something unique. St. Xavier has no geographic boundaries and draws students from all over town, and the massive fan base makes the Bombers more of an all-Cincinnati story than most local schools.
"Coming from all parts of the city and not really knowing each other, it takes us a while to come together," Hobson said. "Through the years and developing those strong relationships, that's what makes this so special."
Football may be king this week, but there also is some perspective. St. Xavier students do a food drive for the needy each Christmas season, and the big canvassing day - where students go out to area homes and seek donations - is this Sunday.
"Coach Specht got on the P.A. system earlier this week and reminded students about our food drive," Mueller said. "He's worried that the football game will take too much steam out of it, and he wants everybody to remember the food drive. That's the kind of man he is."
The fact that Saturday is the Catholic feast day for school patron St. Francis Xavier is considered a good sign.
"There is a sense that this is the one," said Steve Balmat, St. Xavier booster club president. "This team seems like it has everything in place."
So, yes, a state football title would mean a lot. But if it doesn't happen, there are more important things like the food drive and schoolwork and picking a college for next year.
"We're going to play the best game we know how," Specht said. "If that's good enough to win, great. If not, then so be it."
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Wins D1 State Title.

Their coach steve specht seems to be a real class act. took a knee at the end of the game inside the 5. deflects all questions to his kids, staff and those who came before him. i dont know much about him but seems like a class act to me.
 
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..And only in his 2nd year as head coach. 26-1 now with quite a bit of talent returning, although this senior class had a lot of great players and provided great leadership to make this season a reality. Keep an eye on RB Darius Ashley, LBs Nick Schneider and Fred Craig, and possibly K/P/WR Danny Milligan in the next couple years, they are all big time players that started as sophomores.
 
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Cincy

2/28/06

St. X headlines Showdown

BY TOM GROESCHEN | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

We don't know who the 2006 Ohio Division I state football champion will be, but odds are that team will be at the annual Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown come August.
St. Xavier heads the ninth annual Showdown field for '06, as the Bombers become the fourth consecutive team to begin their state title defense in the Showdown. The '06 field was announced Monday by Tom Gamble and Jay Myers of DSA Prep Sports, the event organizers.
St. X coach Steve Specht said the '05 Showdown, when the Bombers upset reigning state champion Colerain 7-0 at UC's Nippert Stadium, was the springboard to his team's unbeaten (15-0) season.
"The greatest thing is, it gives you a barometer of where your season will shake out," Specht said. "That first week will show you where you stand . . . We always love playing in the Showdown."
Elder (state champ in both 2002 and '03) and Colerain ('04) also opened their championship seasons with Showdown victories.
St. Xavier this year will meet Huber Heights Wayne in the final game of the event, Aug. 26 at Nippert Stadium at 7:15 p.m. The Bombers beat Wayne 42-7 in the regional finals at UC last season.
St. Xavier has never lost in the Showdown, going 7-0.
The three-day, eight-game event will be played at three venues: Princeton's Viking Stadium, Miami University's Yager Stadium and UC's Nippert Stadium.
The Showdown welcomes Northern Kentucky teams again in 2006, after a two-year hiatus because of scheduling conflicts. Ryle will play Glen Este at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 26 at UC's Nippert Stadium, and Covington Catholic faces Elder at 4:30 p.m. that day at UC.
E-mail [email protected]
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2006 Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown(Opening weekend of the high school football season)

Thursday, Aug. 24

(at Princeton High School)

Wilmington vs. Winton Woods, 6 p.m.

Edgewood vs. Lebanon, 8:15 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 25

(at Miami's Yager Stadium)

Lakota West vs. Moeller, 6 p.m.

Colerain vs. Mason, 8:15 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 26

(at UC's Nippert Stadium)

Glen Este vs. Ryle, 11 a.m.

Lakota East vs. La Salle, 1:45 p.m.

Covington Catholic vs.

Elder, 4:30 p.m.

Huber Heights Wayne vs. St. Xavier, 7:15 p.m.

Ticket information: www.dsaprepsports.com (available beginning May 1).
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St. X, others begin practice
Bombers tops in area once again
BY TOM GROESCHEN | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER
Steve Specht strolled onto the hot, steamy artificial turf at St. Xavier with a bounce in his step and a football-wide smile.
The Bombers' coach welcomed his reigning Ohio Division I state champions to the first official day of two-a-day drills Thursday, and nearly 100 other local schools went through the same rituals. The weather was oppressive with temperatures in the upper 80s, but somewhat tolerable after excessive heat warnings earlier this week.
"I've ordered up some breeze, come on," Specht yelled to his players, jokingly. "Tomorrow it's only going to be 85."

St. Xavier last season won its first Ohio Divison I title, the only Cincinnati team to win a 2005 state football championship. Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy was state runner-up in Division V and, like St. Xavier, again forecast to threaten for a state title in its class.
St. Xavier, with running back Darius Ashley returning after a sophomore year of 1,633 yards and 28 touchdowns, is rated No. 4 nationally by Student Sports/Rivals.com and No. 7 by Fort Worth, Texas analyst Tony Bianco (TonyBian co.com). The USA Today ratings are scheduled to come out Aug. 25.
"Honestly, I don't pay attention to that stuff," Specht said. "For me, the fun part is taking a different puzzle every year and trying to put it together. You have some kids back and some new kids, and you see how they've grown and matured. I've always loved this time of year."
Preseason forecasts have Colerain, last year's No. 2 area team, again challenging St. Xavier for area supremacy. Beyond that, there is no consensus on which of St. Xavier's fellow Greater Catholic League South opponents - Elder, La Salle and Moeller - is best. Outside the GCL South and Colerain, top teams should include Lakota West and Fairfield of the Greater Miami Conference.
The area's top senior players are La Salle defensive end/linebacker Ben Martin and Colerain safety/wide receiver Eugene Clifford, who are rated Ohio's top two prospects by most scouting services.
The opening weekend of games is Aug. 24-26, highlighted by the ninth annual Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown games at three sites. The Aug. 26 games at UC's Nippert Stadium include Elder vs. Covington Catholic and St. Xavier vs. Huber Heights Wayne. Matchups and ticket information are available at dsaprepsports.com.
The annual Enquirer football preview section will be published Aug. 17.
 
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Opener comes early for St. X
Threat of strike moves game to today
BY TOM GROESCHEN | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER
Steve Specht never will look a gift home game in the mouth, but the St. Xavier football coach has mixed feelings as his defending Division I state champions open the season tonight.
St. Xavier will play host to Huber Heights Wayne at 7:30 p.m. today in a Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown opener. The game was moved up two days because of a teachers' strike - which would cancel extracurricular activities - threatened for Friday in the Huber Heights district.
The game was to be played at the University of Cincinnati's Nippert Stadium at 7:15 p.m. on Saturday, but after several days of negotiations, both schools agreed to the new site and time.
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"We're excited just to be playing and happy to be playing at home, but it's unfortunate what the Huber Heights school district is going through," Specht said. "We do get a home game out of it, and that's always a positive."
St. Xavier is 12-0 at home over the past two seasons.
Last November, St. Xavier routed Wayne 42-7 in a regional final at UC.
Jay Minton, head football coach and athletic director at Wayne, said his team knows it faces long odds on St. Xavier's field. St. Xavier is ranked No. 1 in the Enquirer Division I area coaches' poll, and Wayne is No. 4 in the preseason Dayton Daily News area Division I ratings.
"It's not the ideal situation, but the game was supposed to be in Cincinnati in the first place," Minton said. "Our field wouldn't have held their crowd, and it was never discussed to play it at our place. ... With what these kids have gone through recently, who cares? We just want to play."
Because of the strike situation, Crosstown Showdown organizers DSA Prep Sports spent several days trying to rearrange their three-day, eight-game schedule. Tonight's originally scheduled Showdown openers at Princeton High School remain the same: Wilmington-Winton Woods at 6 p.m., then Edgewood-Lebanon at 8:15 p.m.
"Believe me, we explored every option," said Tom Gamble, director of DSA Sports' prep division. "The easiest option would have been to switch the Edgewood-Lebanon game to Saturday and replace it with St. X-Wayne at Princeton (tonight), but Lebanon and Edgewood didn't want to do that. That's their prerogative. We tried to do what's right by everybody."
St. Xavier will be led by junior running back Darius Ashley, who rushed for 1,633 yards and scored 28 touchdowns as the Bombers went 15-0 last season.
The Bombers' quarterback will be senior Ryan Morris, a transfer from Moeller who replaces the graduated Brad Scherer.
 
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Bombers win 52-14. From the stats I can't figure out how it was so lopsided. Even turnovers were only 4-2 for X. Big first win, and a surprising result. The stats show a rather even game (Wayne actually outgained X). There are some special teams differences, but not 38 pts. worth.

Ashley scored 4 td's, but only rushed for 74 yards on 15 attempts.
 
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X had several short drives due to Wayne miscues, plus ashley returned a kickoff for a TD. Just goes to show how shooting yourself in the foot can snowball, Wayne did in fact play better than the score indicated, but X took advantage of the gimme field position.
 
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