2024 St. Edward Football

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EagleFan

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2024 St Edward Eagles (State Champions 2023, 2022, 2021, 2018, 2015, 2014, 2010)
8/23 7PM A Pickerington North
8/31 2PM H Philadelphia St. Joseph's Preparatory (PA) (State Champions 2023, 2022, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2016, 2014, 2013)
9/6 H 1PM vs Boyle County (KY) (State Champions 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2017, 2010, 2009, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999)
9/14 4PM H Cincinnati Elder (State Champions 2003, 2002)
9/20 7PM H Massillon Washington (State Champions 2023)
9/28 2PM H Glenville (State Champions 2023, 2022)
10/4 7PM A Cleveland St. Ignatius (State Champions 2011, 2008, 2001, 1999, 1995, 1994, 1993, 1992, 1991, 1989, 1988)
10/12 2PM H Mississauga Football North (Clarkson) (ON)
10/19 4PM A Archbishop Moeller (State Champions 2013, 2012, 1985, 1982, 1980, 1979, 1977, 1976, 1975)
10/25 7PM H Archbishop Hoban (State Champions 2020, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015)

Tall order to four-peat, plus I suspect Division I will be a bit tougher. Discuss amongst yourselves.
 
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I'd think Hoban is a given and I hope Massillon is but who knows given the home/home precedent. Both have a challenge filling a schedule, more so Ed. Maybe get something going with TCC? Mentor?
 
Mentor is also open week 3.

My guess is that the Massillon game will happen, and likely at PBTS again. I think we will make a push for it to be @ Lakewood but we unfortunately don't have a lot of leverage. I don't see a lot of teams lining up to play the Tigers either. We will see.

Maybe one of the Indiana teams come back, maybe X.

I'm not too worried about 6 games. We can have a full schedule pretty easily, just have to play on the road a lot.
 
eaglesfan216 said:
... just have to play on the road a lot.
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Not necessarily. If they go with team like Rock Creek, River Rouge, Life Christian, other similar schools they will come here without expectation of a home&home. Yes, the better schedule additions would likely require a road trip one year.
 
eaglesfan216 said:
Mentor is also open week 3.

My guess is that the Massillon game will happen, and likely at PBTS again. I think we will make a push for it to be @ Lakewood but we unfortunately don't have a lot of leverage. I don't see a lot of teams lining up to play the Tigers either. We will see.

Maybe one of the Indiana teams come back, maybe X.

I'm not too worried about 6 games. We can have a full schedule pretty easily, just have to play on the road a lot.
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Wouldn’t hold my breath on Mentor. Unless they are in danger of not filling the schedule, we aren’t getting that call.

Be nice to see the Massillon series continue, but I also don’t think it behooves us to go there every year unless we are getting a substantial cut of the gate.

Get Glenville back on the schedule. Hoban should be a staple as well. Would love to see the X series pick back up.
 
Why did the X series end? Was it too much travelling? TCC is another team I would love to get back on the schedule. Agreed on Glenville, that would be a big gate.
 
St. Xavier hasn’t been in the schedule for a long time. I remember the eagles best them a long time ago but had to forfeit the game when sophomore Frankie Edmunds played on a special teams play.

They also lost one game 3-2! These were early to mid 2000s games before the eagles were getting really good teams.
 
eaglepride said:
St. Xavier hasn’t been in the schedule for a long time. I remember the eagles best them a long time ago but had to forfeit the game when sophomore Frankie Edmunds played on a special teams play.

They also lost one game 3-2! These were early to mid 2000s games before the eagles were getting really good teams.
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Question... What do you consider "really good teams?" Obviously, the dynasty took off in 2010, but Eds was stacked in the early 2000's. Just wasn't winning all of their big games quite yet.
 
Worm02 said:
Question... What do you consider "really good teams?" Obviously, the dynasty took off in 2010, but Eds was stacked in the early 2000's. Just wasn't winning all of their big games quite yet.
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I think there are two big changes from the early 2000s to now. First is that the offense has modernized compared to what it was back then. Ed's will always have an emphasis on the running game with a big o-line but we can throw the ball much better than we could back then too. Shaun Carney could throw the ball with the best of them but the receiving corps wasn't nearly as good or as used. Our best receivers generally were going two ways which is no longer the case. Second, I think St. Ed's isn't just big but much faster than we were back in the 2000s. I would attribute this to a dedicated strength and conditioning program, the rise of indoor track as a sport with the facility out at Spire and guys being fresher due to not as many going two ways as they were back then.
 
EagleFan said:
2024 St Edward Eagles
8/23 A Pickerington North
8/31 H Philadelphia St. Joseph's Preparatory (PA)
9/6 OPEN
9/14 H Cincinnati Elder
9/20 OPEN (Massillon?)
9/27 OPEN
10/5 A Cleveland St. Ignatius
10/12 H Mississauga Football North (Clarkson) (ON)
10/19 A Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller
10/25 OPEN (Hoban?)

Tall order to four-peat, plus I suspect Division I will be a bit tougher. Discuss amongst yourselves.
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Great start to the schedule! I think having North on there makes a lot of sense and I commend them for wanting to play us. St. Joe's Prep is a powerhouse, glad they are coming here. Would like to keep Massillon and Hoban on the schedule. For open dates, I wonder if Cathedral from Indianapolis would be available, I think they are usually a solid team. I know someone mentioned TCC getting back on there, I think they would be good to develop a more consistent scheduling plan with too. Avon had Hoban beat this year but blew it and Hoban played us extremely tough, that would be quite a West side rivalry. I don't think they would even entertain it though.
 
I know Cleveland hts wants the smoke!
Glenville probably would entertain playing us
But D-4 doesn’t carry points

I understand we want toughest schedule to get ready for playoffs. I’d like to see tougher schedule later in season. With so many high level players Graduating, week 1-5 not going to look like week 6-threw playoffs. Sort of how Springfield progressed.
 
World breaker hulk 282 said:
I know Cleveland hts wants the smoke!
Glenville probably would entertain playing us
But D-4 doesn’t carry points

I understand we want toughest schedule to get ready for playoffs. I’d like to see tougher schedule later in season. With so many high level players Graduating, week 1-5 not going to look like week 6-threw playoffs. Sort of how Springfield progressed.
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Rock Creek Christian is the equivalent to a D-7. Football North doesn’t get us any points. A D-4 squad the caliber of Glenville is just fine.
 
Worm02 said:
Question... What do you consider "really good teams?" Obviously, the dynasty took off in 2010, but Eds was stacked in the early 2000's. Just wasn't winning all of their big games quite yet.
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The Eds teams since 2010 would beat any Eds team from the 2000s. Some games would be close though.

The 2000s teams were physical and played with a lot of heart and emotion, sometimes to their detriment. The teams since 2010 are far more talented, athletic and better coached.

Street fight? I'll take those 2000s teams. But the 2010-2020s teams have their own brand of physicality as well.
 
sehs said:
I think there are two big changes from the early 2000s to now. First is that the offense has modernized compared to what it was back then. Ed's will always have an emphasis on the running game with a big o-line but we can throw the ball much better than we could back then too. Shaun Carney could throw the ball with the best of them but the receiving corps wasn't nearly as good or as used. Our best receivers generally were going two ways which is no longer the case. Second, I think St. Ed's isn't just big but much faster than we were back in the 2000s. I would attribute this to a dedicated strength and conditioning program, the rise of indoor track as a sport with the facility out at Spire and guys being fresher due to not as many going two ways as they were back then.
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eaglesfan216 said:
The Eds teams since 2010 would beat any Eds team from the 2000s. Some games would be close though.

The 2000s teams were physical and played with a lot of heart and emotion, sometimes to their detriment. The teams since 2010 are far more talented, athletic and better coached.

Street fight? I'll take those 2000s teams. But the 2010-2020s teams have their own brand of physicality as well.
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I agree with both points, but again, what do y'all consider "really good teams?" Eds started 11-0 in 2001, was the state runner up in 2003, was always a major player in Region 1, etc.

Does one have to win state to be considered "a really good team?" Speaking as a Harding fan, how much better would the recent Eds teams fare at slowing down Maurice Clarett or even Elder's Bradley Glathaar? Do you consider the '01 or '03 teams to be "really good?" Understandably, Eds has raised the bar over the last 14 years, but what's the cutoff between "really good" & great?
 
eaglesfan216 said:
The Eds teams since 2010 would beat any Eds team from the 2000s. Some games would be close though.

The 2000s teams were physical and played with a lot of heart and emotion, sometimes to their detriment. The teams since 2010 are far more talented, athletic and better coached.

Street fight? I'll take those 2000s teams. But the 2010-2020s teams have their own brand of physicality as well.
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Not sure I'd agree, particularly the 2003-06 four-year stretch, coached by John Gibbons. They never got it done, but they were in the neighborhood, and getting closer. '03 team, of course, was state runner-up. '05 was a semifinalist. And the '06 team, whose premature exit to Warren got John fired, was the most talented yet. The reason for the firing was expectations for that team were so high. They had a terrible night on the wrong night. But they had been nationally ranked much of that year.

I'd suggest the upward trajectory resulting in the 2010-23 dominance was already underway during the Gibbons' years, with Finotti and Lombardo building on the foundation begun in the previous decade, and the Niedzwicki years being the lone hiccup.
 
ESPN 990 said:
And the '06 team, whose premature exit to Warren got John fired, was the most talented yet. The reason for the firing was expectations for that team were so high. They had a terrible night on the wrong night. But they had been nationally ranked much of that year.
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I want to upload that game to my YouTube, but I can't find my tape to save my life! SMH.
 
The mind plays tricks as you get older but I rank early Moe dynasty, Iggy dynasty, and current Ed dynasty 1, 2, 3 as far as physically talented/dominant. Not to take anything away from Ed. Plus their full chapter hasn't been written yet and no let up in sight.
 
ESPN 990 said:
Not sure I'd agree, particularly the 2003-06 four-year stretch, coached by John Gibbons. They never got it done, but they were in the neighborhood, and getting closer. '03 team, of course, was state runner-up. '05 was a semifinalist. And the '06 team, whose premature exit to Warren got John fired, was the most talented yet. The reason for the firing was expectations for that team were so high. They had a terrible night on the wrong night. But they had been nationally ranked much of that year.

I'd suggest the upward trajectory resulting in the 2010-23 dominance was already underway during the Gibbons' years, with Finotti and Lombardo building on the foundation begun in the previous decade, and the Niedzwicki years being the lone hiccup.
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Just looking back through Eitel that year it is remarkable, and sad in a way, how incredibly strong D1 was then. Mentor was awesome, both Ed and Iggy, St. X, WGH, McKinley, Massillon, Glenville, Whitmer, Colerain, were ALL powers. Of course Hilliard Davidson who won it that year. Talk about a meatgrinder.

Again I can not and do NOT take anything away from St. Ed, they are legit national powerhouse, but just not seeing the depth of quality in D1 today.
 
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ESPN 990 said:
Not sure I'd agree, particularly the 2003-06 four-year stretch, coached by John Gibbons. They never got it done, but they were in the neighborhood, and getting closer. '03 team, of course, was state runner-up. '05 was a semifinalist. And the '06 team, whose premature exit to Warren got John fired, was the most talented yet. The reason for the firing was expectations for that team were so high. They had a terrible night on the wrong night. But they had been nationally ranked much of that year.

I'd suggest the upward trajectory resulting in the 2010-23 dominance was already underway during the Gibbons' years, with Finotti and Lombardo building on the foundation begun in the previous decade, and the Niedzwicki years being the lone hiccup.
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Definitely some really good teams in the Gibby era, and he is surely to be credited for where the St. Edward football program is at today. The '03 squad went on a magical playoff run, but was probably punching above their weight. '05 and '06 were the best teams of that era but came up short.
 
TigerPaw said:
Just looking back through Eitel that year it is remarkable, and sad in a way, how incredibly strong D1 was then. Mentor was awesome, Ed and Iggy both, St. X, WGH, McKinley, Massillon, Glenville, Whitmer, were ALL contenders. Of course Hilliard Davidson won it all. Talk about a meatgrinder.

Again I can not and do NOT take anything away from St. Ed, they are legit national powerhouse, but just not seeing the depth of quality in D1 today.
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Yes, a great time for NEO football overall. The decline of WGH disappoints me the most. Epic playoff battles with the Raiders over the years with some all-timer type of players making all-timer types of plays.
 
EaglePride01 said:
Yes, a great time for NEO football overall. The decline of WGH disappoints me the most. Epic playoff battles with the Raiders over the years with some all-timer type of players making all-timer types of plays.
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They and McKinley were always ALWAYS our hardest hitting games of the year. And yes a real Who's Who between those 2.
 
Would love to see StX - StE play again during the regular season. Obviously StX-Ignatius have the Jesuit thing going on but given some of the teams StX is playing seems like playing StE is a better option. StE is truly on a role right now with their program and I know StX is going to have a super talented team these next couple years.
 
EaglePride01 said:
Definitely some really good teams in the Gibby era, and he is surely to be credited for where the St. Edward football program is at today. The '03 squad went on a magical playoff run, but was probably punching above their weight. '05 and '06 were the best teams of that era but came up short.
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I agree with 2003. Probably the best defense in that stretch of years but their offense and overall talent was a little down compared to the seasons around them. Their style helped them and I credit Gibbons to just putting his best athletes in a lot of different positions. Nakamura was the headliner, I don't think he ever took a play off, but Ryan Bailey, Ryan Marando, Ryan Adkins, Joe Kleinsmith, all took significant snaps going both ways. Heck Gardner was a starting DB and then became their first string option quarterback! Man football was different back then.

The 2002 team doesn't get a lot of love because Gibbons was outcoached pretty bad against Ignatius in the regular season (lost 25-2) and we lost an epic playoff game against Harding where it looked like we were going to win 16-15. Harding hit a huge pass play with less than a minute left to set up the game winning FG. Someone brought it up in a post above but I miss that Division 1, there were years where you could have had 5 or 6 teams end up with the title legitimately.

To answer Worm02's question about really good vs. great. I think you have to look at each year and think about the talent they had and what they did with it against the schedule they played along with expectations. The '03 team had 4 classic games, a 27-20 loss to WGH in the regular season, a nightmare loss against Brian Hoyer's St. Ignatius team 20-17, playoff wins over Harding 21-13 and Mentor 13-10. The 2012 team went undefeated and had more talent but against a softer schedule I would say. And just because they scored a ton of points didn't mean they weren't vulnerable. 2003 beat Massillon 27-6, not much of a blow out points wise but I don't think Massillon moved the ball past the 50 all game, their touchdown was a fumble return by an Ed's d-lineman who ran the wrong way. 2012 beat everyone, including a couple of shoot outs but lost a shoot out too. Same with 2013. I'd put all 3 teams in the really good category.

1975, 2014, 2005, 2023, I think those are the best teams Ed's ever had.
 
sehs said:
I agree with 2003. Probably the best defense in that stretch of years but their offense and overall talent was a little down compared to the seasons around them. Their style helped them and I credit Gibbons to just putting his best athletes in a lot of different positions. Nakamura was the headliner, I don't think he ever took a play off, but Ryan Bailey, Ryan Marando, Ryan Adkins, Joe Kleinsmith, all took significant snaps going both ways. Heck Gardner was a starting DB and then became their first string option quarterback! Man football was different back then.

The 2002 team doesn't get a lot of love because Gibbons was outcoached pretty bad against Ignatius in the regular season (lost 25-2) and we lost an epic playoff game against Harding where it looked like we were going to win 16-15. Harding hit a huge pass play with less than a minute left to set up the game winning FG. Someone brought it up in a post above but I miss that Division 1, there were years where you could have had 5 or 6 teams end up with the title legitimately.

To answer Worm02's question about really good vs. great. I think you have to look at each year and think about the talent they had and what they did with it against the schedule they played along with expectations. The '03 team had 4 classic games, a 27-20 loss to WGH in the regular season, a nightmare loss against Brian Hoyer's St. Ignatius team 20-17, playoff wins over Harding 21-13 and Mentor 13-10. The 2012 team went undefeated and had more talent but against a softer schedule I would say. And just because they scored a ton of points didn't mean they weren't vulnerable. 2003 beat Massillon 27-6, not much of a blow out points wise but I don't think Massillon moved the ball past the 50 all game, their touchdown was a fumble return by an Ed's d-lineman who ran the wrong way. 2012 beat everyone, including a couple of shoot outs but lost a shoot out too. Same with 2013. I'd put all 3 teams in the really good category.

1975, 2014, 2005, 2023, I think those are the best teams Ed's ever had.
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20+ years later and I can still distinctly see Nakamura making plays. Was in on EVERY PLAY! Joe Kliensmith torched Harding in the '04 playoffs! They are among the biggest reasons why I ask what y'all consider to be "really good teams."

The '03 regular season game was a classic! Need to upload it to my YouTube one day.
 
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