SVSM Irish 2024

Brooksie

Brooksie

Well-known member
We are within a month of two a days starting, so I thought this was a great opportunity to retire last year's thread (and all the twists and turns that went with it) and focus strictly on football for the 2023 the season ahead.

Our schedule is what it is for 2023. Whatever side of the Holy War debate you were on, the reality facing our kids is it is go time for 2023 now. The biggest mistake we can make is to take anyone lightly, as there are really no "gimmies" on the schedule. The Irish will need to have their chin straps buckled up tight to land in the top half of the playoff bracket and secure a home game.

Is Mansel the go to starter at QB now? What does the rest of the offense look like? IIRC, the skill positions from last year's squad got hammered by graduation. I would hope the program takes a leap forward now that we are in year 2 of Terry Cistone's leadership.

I'd appreciate anyone else's thoughts who is closer to the team than I am. (SVSM parent from 1995-2004).
 
 
Any newcomers or returning players to look out for as the 2023 season approaches? Heard there was a potential QB battle too?
 
Goodhands - it is seventeen kinds of stupid why the Griffins and the Irish aren't on each other's schedule - to be honest, on an annual basis. I don't know where that miscue originated from - but someone needs to pull their head out of their posterior when making the schedule. Each school deserves a rivalry game as good as this one.
 
Yes should cross town rival good for the people two good team should be every year thing with each other hopefully it happens next year maybe
 
I have a special place in my heart for the Bucthel Griffins and Griffin Stadium. I grew up on Dorchester Rd. in the '60s. As young boys of 7 and 8 (or so), my older brother and I would walk to the stadium on Saturday afternoons. There was an elderly ticket taker working the gate who would always wink at us and then conveniently look the other way as Jim and I scooted in.
That is where my love affair with this game started - and is still raging strong 60 years later.

So yes - two strong past state championship winning programs less than 5 miles apart would be great on an annual basis. Especially with the expanded playoff format, there is no good logical reason why we shouldn't see this game one year on Copley Rd, and the next on Green Street.
 
Brooksie said:
I have a special place in my heart for the Bucthel Griffins and Griffin Stadium. I grew up on Dorchester Rd. in the '60s. As young boys of 7 and 8 (or so), my older brother and I would walk to the stadium on Saturday afternoons. There was an elderly ticket taker working the gate who would always wink at us and then conveniently look the other way as Jim and I scooted in.
That is where my love affair with this game started - and is still raging strong 60 years later.

So yes - two strong past state championship winning programs less than 5 miles apart would be great on an annual basis. Especially with the expanded playoff format, there is no good logical reason why we shouldn't see this game one year on Copley Rd, and the next on Green Street.
Click to expand...
Right should come to Copley and green st fans would enjoy it not to far for either school and in two different divisions and two good teams go at it be cool night time on green st is cool look over the city and Copley wit the new field they got and improved hope can come to agreement make this happen.
 
Thanks for the update S2S.

I remember Joe Burrow had a pair of twin brother WRs that size his senior season at Athens. That was a show!
 
Carter the favorite to start? ABJ had an article about him a few weeks ago, as a potential breakout star. What's the running back situation over there?
 
Brooksie said:
Thanks for the update S2S.

I remember Joe Burrow had a pair of twin brother WRs that size his senior season at Athens. That was a show!
Click to expand...
Was an incredible playoff game. They were unstoppable. You knew whichever team had the ball last was going to win that game.
 
StarstoShine said:
2024 schedule
@Mansfield
Massillon Perry
Elyria Catholic
Warren Harding
NDCL
@Walsh Jesuit
@ Ursuline
Harvest Prep
@VASJ
@Benedictine
Click to expand...
Did I see that VASJ was building their own on campus varsity stadium? From looking at Google Maps - they are severely landlocked around the current practice field. Looks like they are smarter to jest keep going the 25 blocks east (5 min) to Euclid HS.
 
Last edited:
Ever since stvm hired kyle sasala, I feel like he's softening the schedule just a tad bit. We were just playing teams like Massilon Dover steubenville Hoban lasalle.
 
Last edited:
king.jd52 said:
Ever since stvm hired kyle sasala, I feel like he's softening the schedule just a tad bit. We were just playing teams like Massilon Dover steubenville Hoban lasalle.
Click to expand...
I think they got stung a little bit by having some reasonably decent teams that didn't advance to the playoffs as they had substandard records against tough competition, like 2018. Lose to Massillon, Hoban and Perry and end up on the outside looking in. The inclusion of so many teams in the playoffs now takes care of much of that concern but that's always the balance.
 
clarkgriswold said:
I think they got stung a little bit by having some reasonably decent teams that didn't advance to the playoffs as they had substandard records against tough competition, like 2018. Lose to Massillon, Hoban and Perry and end up on the outside looking in. The inclusion of so many teams in the playoffs now takes care of much of that concern but that's always the balance.
Click to expand...
That is exactly right Clark. The way the playoff system is set up is the only way you expedite your way to the playoffs (first level - H2H points) is number of victories.
Playing and beating tougher teams quickly accelerates your path. However, losing to those teams is extremely punitive, as there is no strength of schedule component to the first level and you are shutout from garnering any second level points from those teams.

So yes building a schedule becomes a balancing act.
 
StarstoShine said:
Kyle is doing a fine job with the schedule. Irish fans and alumni need a reality check. Although the program continues to display improvement. The talent is better suited for D3 and the schedule currently being constructed. STVM does not have their own travel grade school tackle Football programs like (U-10 to U-14) like Massillon Glenville or Armor for Hoban. These programs groom and funnel the inner City talent right into their respective high schools. Bottom line is if you want. To invest large 💰 into a program the cost are significant. . STVM has so much to offer on and above the football 🏈 program. The ideal Irish ☘️ program slotted in D3 playing in a Catholic school league with teams from NE Ohio (Not the Hoban Acadrmy). Focus on what they truly are versus what was in the past. Solid program strong academics and incredible organizational opportunities within the school. Very well rounded student athletes. Walsh Jesuit is a good example of this. The Irish are headed in the right direction under Coach Cistone and the current AD.
Click to expand...
Yes Hoban learned the blueprint of how to "groom inner city Kids" from the master, Dru Joyce "AKA" King James AAU" basketball program who funneled inner city Kids from all over the state to the doors of St V academy. Or did we forget that? They would also often have a token player from a "suburban family" with a lot of money who helped fund everything and provide transportation for the "inner city kids". How about playing a basketball schedule with teams from California to NY city? Local small catholic league? Give me a break. You call out Massillon and Hoban while your basketball program has done this for years. Leaned from the master.
 
At the risk of us missing out on our perennial SVSM-Hoban pissing contest, Summit County is fortunate to have 4 solid private coed schools, all of which do a great job of providing an education and top notch extracurriculars. At any given time, these schools have a lot of similarities while having some different priorities. SVSM has a fantastic basketball program, a number of top notch extracurriculars and is turning out solid graduates. Hoban's football program has become a national power, the school has some top notch extracurriculars and is turning out top notch graduates. Walsh is having similar successes. Choosing a school for your child is a very personal decision and there are enough differences that each of these schools is not the place for every kid, but let's not pretend that just because a school is a rival it is some some vastly inferior. That's just plain homerism, not reality.
 
Last edited:
King James AAU had teams from 4th grade to seniors juniors in high school. Sometimes more than one team per age group. So you were talking about 10-12 teams of 8-10 players. That's 100-120 kids in a program that were not just playing locally. They travelled all over the country. Ever attend the king James tournament held in Akron? 150-200 teams from across the nation playing in every gym from canton to Cleveland. Point was you called out Hoban for doing exactly what St V has done for years. The great thing about Hoban is that it has spread across all sports, not just 1. They compete for state titles in multiple sports now, not just 1.
 
Cougarfan22 said:
King James AAU had teams from 4th grade to seniors juniors in high school. Sometimes more than one team per age group. So you were talking about 10-12 teams of 8-10 players. That's 100-120 kids in a program that were not just playing locally. They travelled all over the country. Ever attend the king James tournament held in Akron? 150-200 teams from across the nation playing in every gym from canton to Cleveland. Point was you called out Hoban for doing exactly what St V has done for years. The great thing about Hoban is that it has spread across all sports, not just 1. They compete for state titles in multiple sports now, not just 1.
Click to expand...
There is no question when a school wins a state championship in one sport it raises the bar for the other sports programs in the school. Since Coach Joyce has been winning state championships in basketball 4 other sports/teams have won state championships as well. This is not unique to Hoban
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top