I'll give you my answer: Benedictine, and here is why.
Tradition is defined as "the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation, or the fact of being passed on in this way".
Have you ever been to a football state championship reunion at Benedictine? Men from their late 70's to men in their early 20's are represented. Men who are proud to be part of the Bengal tradition. Men who take great joy in passing down this tradition to the next generation. This is in no way a knock on St. Ignatius or any other school, but in the confines of OHSAA football, nobody has done what Benedictine has. Benedictine is truly the "Home of Champions".
P.S. I didn't attend Benedictine, but over the years have come to totally respect what the Monks and school have done for these young men, MOB.
This is a great question and better answer! Thank you Benny Wrestler, you are one of the reasons the Benny thread is so popular. Even the haters enjoy trolling and admiring the strong bond the Benedictine community has! As you look at other Parochial's there is a direct connection between success on the Football field (most popular HS sport) to success in the school. There is not another extracurricular in HS that impacts the overall HS experience. Players/Students want to be part of success! Benny is no different!
What stands out about Benny's titles is that each year the makeup, style, era, and path to championships were vastly different. Going back to the 70's group, the play was still very much impacted by the Lombardi style of play. Triple options, QB runs, very little passing game, just disciplined and hard nosed football. The QB Al Keller was a tough SOB that lead a group packed with young men from blue collar, hardworking families. Most were 2nd generations in the States. Parents worked in mills or labor type jobs. The work ethic and commitment learned from parents was apparent on the field. Players like Glowik, Keller, Delguyd, & Merrill. All tough as nails and all still very connected to the Bengals!
The 80's the Bengals were just stacked with talent! The eastside Cleveland population was still flourishing and the near suburbs of Hts, South Euclid, Mayfield, etc. fed the school with some of the best athletes the school has ever seen. The combination of size, athleticism, and smarts presented matchup issues for all. The 80's teams to me defined what Benny is all about. Teams/Players led by Coach Bossu thru those years were dominating at all levels. Not completely sure but if you compare decades, the overall 80's records/success would rank high on the list.
Moving into the 90's, transitioning to Hodackievic era. The tough, hard nosed style of play remained. With population decline and the meteoric rise of Ignatius impacted enrollment but never deterred the passion and heart on the field. Early 90's were spotty but by the time mid-90's arrived, all cylinders were running hard. These teams showed great balance of speed, size, and versatility. The OL/DL's typically played both ways, QB's were game managers, RB's were studs, and the Defenses under Russ were always well prepared and vicious.
As the century turned in 2000's started, the return of Coach Bortnick from the late 80's eras made it's way thru Benny! A no brainer that these teams were disciplined, dedicated to the weight room, committed to the trenches, these were hard run-centric teams. Similar to previous versions, the Bortnick groups were tough! Watching Ray Williams run the ball was a treat. He was one of the best talents to ever come from the Cleveland area. It's just a shame that some terrible choices led to a young persons life taken and the school taking a major hit both on reputation and enrollment. Although Bortnick is not a MOB, he is one that needs to be considered for the Hall of Honors. He contributed a great deal to the school and impacted a lot of young men during his time! He had to lead a team thru what I would say are some of the darkest days on MLK.
Next up, the Schaefer era. This was too short of an era. But if you ever saw Coach Schaefer play you knew the team was going to be packed with intensity. The roster was packed with DI talent. Their style of play was up-tempo, hard nosed, with the benefit of having 2 future NFL players in Jerome Baker & Justine Layne. If you ever got to see this team play it was blast. The OL would have 6 yard push and the backs could pick a hole. The less publicized player on this team was Pecorao (sp?). This young man was a treat to watch. Big, fast, and aggressive. Im sure hes gone onto great things.
My long winded point, is that each championship team were made up of very different traits. Different decades; different coaches; population changes; different diversity makeups of the team; and different adversities to overcome to reach the pinnacle! As a result, the school, traditions, and team continue to pull in players, alumni, past educators, to support and follow this great tradition created thru the decades!
Now in the Goode area, the team makes the playoffs by going 9-1. The game itself has changed (no huddle, press corners, balanced attack, zone blocking, etc) but the approach of playing tough football from whistle to whistle has re-appeared. It will be fun to watch how this group continues and if administration/supporters can leverage the success on the field to increasing #'s in the school.
In no way is this disrespect to Ignatius. They have done an incredible job of establishing and maintaining a long standing tradition of winning. There's some good learning on how they leveraged the wins to growing the endowment and increasing the amenities that make it a popular/safe choice for families. They have figured out how to leverage their successful years into future years. With Kyle now age 70, it will be interesting to see how long he will continue as HC. At Benedictine, we have had peaks and valleys. The goal would be to create a more consistent high level of success. The roller coaster is tough to ride some times but I wouldn't want it any other way!
Looking forward to the next chapters! Go Bengals!
