OK - that was something, and a bit of a tit for tat to Hyland’s letter. Here is the real issue, though, that most people don’t want to address: Hoban’s strength coach has demonstrated behavior that is unbecoming of HS sports on NUMEROUS occasions. While TK and Chris signed their names to something that says, “We reviewed it, we asked officials, and we found nothing” his antics are caught on video when Hoban was playing Avon. This is not something that happens against STVM, it happens week in and week out, year after year.Hoban’s response…
Dear Hoban Family—alumni, students, families, Holy Cross educators and friends:
Following this weekend’s media reports, you may be aware that St. Vincent-St. Mary High School (STVM) has publicly announced an ending to the annual rivalry football game versus Hoban. Undoubtedly, this has left many saddened, frustrated and confused.
First, despite this news, Hoban is focused on delivering the best educational, faith-forming and cocurricular experience possible for students. No challenge will distract our focus from the mission at hand—educating the hearts and minds of young people.
While we were hoping for a different outcome, STVM’s announcement was not unexpected. The vagueness of the announcement undoubtedly leads to imaginative storytelling. In an effort to dispel rumors, we are eager to be transparent about the events leading to this point.
As far back as 2019, Hoban administrators met with the previous STVM administration to address rumors that STVM desired to end the schools’ football rivalry for reasons of competitiveness. Fortunately, the meeting resulted in both schools’ assurance that the tradition would continue.
More recently, Hoban’s administration has met twice with STVM’s current administration to discuss and ultimately handle concerns. Our goal was to resolve conflict so that our students could continue to enjoy the rivalry for years to come. We listened and discussed issues related to the use of improper language during the pregame of the 2021 contest. A review with the game officials, available media footage and game film uncovered no evidence of this claim. Despite this, Hoban President Chris DiMauro, Principal T.K. Griffith and Football Head Coach Tim Tyrrell apologized for the alleged incident and acted swiftly to ensure that nothing of the sort would happen again. Eventually, STVM agreed to play Hoban during the 2022 season. This, however, did not occur until the late spring.
During this year’s regular season game, Hoban’s administrative team rode the fan bus with our students to the STVM stadium, monitored our students and enjoyed a great football game. We considered the game a success and were proud of the respectful behavior of our students and the efforts of our student-athletes. Over the course of 50 years, administrators from both schools have dealt with a number of scenarios ranging from vandalism of school property to student behavior at games to inappropriate messages. In each of these scenarios, school leadership has always been able to use these as teachable moments and placed the tradition above any individual grievance.
We could go on and on about the back-and-forth narratives that occur before and during rivalries. It’s safe to say that there is always a need for ownership and accountability on both sides. Our communities pour their hearts into cheering and emotions run high—from football games to mock trial competitions. But, when the contest is over, Hoban and STVM move forward with class, form lifelong friendships and demonstrate mutual respect for each other. Together, Hoban and STVM alumni represent some of the best in the greater Akron area.
As Catholic, Holy Cross educators, we do our absolute best to personally uphold and model our Holy Cross core values. We teach and ask every Hoban student to practice these core values, including integrity, excellence and discipline. The Brothers of Holy Cross set a very high bar for us all and we do all we can to maintain those standards.
Our current administrative team has over 100 years of Hoban legacy in our blood and understands the sacred nature of tradition. We know this decision impacts our current and future students and for that, we are saddened. We pray for and continue to work towards a better solution that allows students to compete and enjoy this timeless tradition. We appreciate your continued support of our Hoban community.
True to You,
President Chris DiMauro ’99
Principal T.K. Griffith ’89
I know that this is a trend that has been occurring in the NCAA DI ranks for some time, but this is HS sports, which are supposed to be an extension of the classroom. I know things have changed in HS sports over the last 10 years, but come on.
Finally, I find it odd that STVM’s new admins are acting like they are without fault, as I recall their players engaging in multiple on field fights in the last two years before Cistone took over.