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Almost football season again
BY TOM GROESCHEN | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER
<!--ARTICLE BODY TEXT--> It's never too early to talk Cincinnati prep football, with St. Xavier the preseason choice to repeat as No. 1 in the city and possibly the state.
"I think everybody is chasing St. X, and there's no doubt about that," said Colerain coach Kerry Coombs, whose team again is forecast No. 2 in Cincinnati.
With two-a-day workouts beginning in just 38 days (Aug. 3), area players are preparing for the 2006 season via running, lifting weights and acceleration training. While the players work and sweat in the heat, preseason pollsters and Internet chat boards already are buzzing:
Ohio High magazine predicts St. Xavier, the reigning Division I state champion, again will be Cincinnati's best but will finish state runner-up to Lakewood St. Edward.
Ditto the results of a fans' poll on Yappi.com, a popular prep Web site that features news, information and forums for Ohio high school sports.
Ohio High predicts one state champion from the area, CHCA (Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy) in Division V. CHCA was Division V state runner-up last year.
Colerain strong safety/wide receiver Eugene Clifford and La Salle defensive end Ben Martin are the two best players not only in Cincinnati but all of Ohio, according to recruiting services including Rivals.com, Ohio High magazine and Louisiana-based Max Emfinger. Some rank Clifford No. 1 and others say Martin is No. 1 in the state. Neither player has picked a college yet.
St. Xavier last season went 15-0 and won the program's first Division I state championship. The Bombers will be led by running back Darius Ashley, who rushed for 1,633 yards and scored 28 touchdowns as a sophomore last season.
Rumors that Ashley might transfer indeed are just rumors, St. Xavier coach Steve Specht said.
"Darius is here and he's looking good," Specht said. "Our offensive line will be very good. Now, if we can find a guy who can pull the trigger."
That would be quarterback, where the graduated Brad Scherer will be tough to replace. Top candidates include Moeller transfer Ryan Morris (will be a senior) and John Hurley (junior).
Defensively, the Bombers lost standout lineman Alex Albright (Boston College) among 59 graduating seniors. Strong safety Fred Craig is among the junior class that Specht calls "special."
St. Xavier supplanted Colerain atop Ohio prep football last season. Colerain was the 2004 Division I state champion but lost twice to St. Xavier last year, including a 12-9 overtime playoff game when Ashley caught a game-ending 20-yard touchdown pass.
Colerain returns Clifford as a multiple threat including strong safety, wide receiver and kick returner. Incumbent quarterback Gary Pride and running back Trammell Williams, who both rushed for over 1,000 yards last year, return for their senior seasons.
Colerain also has a notable transfer in senior-to-be Je'Sean Godfrey, who was Mount Healthy's starting quarterback last year but figures to be a running back at Colerain.
Beyond St. Xavier and Colerain, there is some debate about who will challenge in Division I. Elder, La Salle and Moeller will join St. Xavier in the always strong Greater Catholic League South, with no clear preseason choice for No. 2 in the league.
Among Divisions II-V, top players will include Winton Woods RB Hosea Simpson, who returns for his senior year after leading the area with 1,674 yards rushing last season. Simpson also scored 25 TDs last year and is considered a Division I college prospect.
In Division V, CHCA returns senior quarterback Doug Browne, who led his team to a state runner-up finish last year by throwing for 3,298 yards with 41 TD passes.
"We'll have a lot of offensive firepower, but we'll have to replace a lot of good kids on defense," CHCA athletic director Cliff Hern said. "Hopefully we'll get there again."
The first games of the year, as usual, are the Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown games Aug. 24-26 at three sites. It starts Thursday, Aug. 24 at Princeton High School (Wilmington vs. Winton Woods at 6 p.m., followed by Lebanon-Edgewood at 8:15 p.m.).
The mega-events also will include the third annual i-wireless FOX19 Prep Classic at Paul Brown Stadium (Sept. 9, including Moeller-Massillon and St. Xavier-Lakewood St. Edward) and the second annual Kirk Herbstreit Ohio vs. USA Challenge (Sept. 15-16 at Nippert Stadium, including Elder vs. De La Salle, Calif., and St. Xavier vs. 2005 USA Today national champion Lakeland, Fla.).
Almost football season again
BY TOM GROESCHEN | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER
<!--ARTICLE BODY TEXT--> It's never too early to talk Cincinnati prep football, with St. Xavier the preseason choice to repeat as No. 1 in the city and possibly the state.
"I think everybody is chasing St. X, and there's no doubt about that," said Colerain coach Kerry Coombs, whose team again is forecast No. 2 in Cincinnati.
With two-a-day workouts beginning in just 38 days (Aug. 3), area players are preparing for the 2006 season via running, lifting weights and acceleration training. While the players work and sweat in the heat, preseason pollsters and Internet chat boards already are buzzing:
Ohio High magazine predicts St. Xavier, the reigning Division I state champion, again will be Cincinnati's best but will finish state runner-up to Lakewood St. Edward.
Ditto the results of a fans' poll on Yappi.com, a popular prep Web site that features news, information and forums for Ohio high school sports.
Ohio High predicts one state champion from the area, CHCA (Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy) in Division V. CHCA was Division V state runner-up last year.
Colerain strong safety/wide receiver Eugene Clifford and La Salle defensive end Ben Martin are the two best players not only in Cincinnati but all of Ohio, according to recruiting services including Rivals.com, Ohio High magazine and Louisiana-based Max Emfinger. Some rank Clifford No. 1 and others say Martin is No. 1 in the state. Neither player has picked a college yet.
St. Xavier last season went 15-0 and won the program's first Division I state championship. The Bombers will be led by running back Darius Ashley, who rushed for 1,633 yards and scored 28 touchdowns as a sophomore last season.
Rumors that Ashley might transfer indeed are just rumors, St. Xavier coach Steve Specht said.
"Darius is here and he's looking good," Specht said. "Our offensive line will be very good. Now, if we can find a guy who can pull the trigger."
That would be quarterback, where the graduated Brad Scherer will be tough to replace. Top candidates include Moeller transfer Ryan Morris (will be a senior) and John Hurley (junior).
Defensively, the Bombers lost standout lineman Alex Albright (Boston College) among 59 graduating seniors. Strong safety Fred Craig is among the junior class that Specht calls "special."
St. Xavier supplanted Colerain atop Ohio prep football last season. Colerain was the 2004 Division I state champion but lost twice to St. Xavier last year, including a 12-9 overtime playoff game when Ashley caught a game-ending 20-yard touchdown pass.
Colerain returns Clifford as a multiple threat including strong safety, wide receiver and kick returner. Incumbent quarterback Gary Pride and running back Trammell Williams, who both rushed for over 1,000 yards last year, return for their senior seasons.
Colerain also has a notable transfer in senior-to-be Je'Sean Godfrey, who was Mount Healthy's starting quarterback last year but figures to be a running back at Colerain.
Beyond St. Xavier and Colerain, there is some debate about who will challenge in Division I. Elder, La Salle and Moeller will join St. Xavier in the always strong Greater Catholic League South, with no clear preseason choice for No. 2 in the league.
Among Divisions II-V, top players will include Winton Woods RB Hosea Simpson, who returns for his senior year after leading the area with 1,674 yards rushing last season. Simpson also scored 25 TDs last year and is considered a Division I college prospect.
In Division V, CHCA returns senior quarterback Doug Browne, who led his team to a state runner-up finish last year by throwing for 3,298 yards with 41 TD passes.
"We'll have a lot of offensive firepower, but we'll have to replace a lot of good kids on defense," CHCA athletic director Cliff Hern said. "Hopefully we'll get there again."
The first games of the year, as usual, are the Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown games Aug. 24-26 at three sites. It starts Thursday, Aug. 24 at Princeton High School (Wilmington vs. Winton Woods at 6 p.m., followed by Lebanon-Edgewood at 8:15 p.m.).
The mega-events also will include the third annual i-wireless FOX19 Prep Classic at Paul Brown Stadium (Sept. 9, including Moeller-Massillon and St. Xavier-Lakewood St. Edward) and the second annual Kirk Herbstreit Ohio vs. USA Challenge (Sept. 15-16 at Nippert Stadium, including Elder vs. De La Salle, Calif., and St. Xavier vs. 2005 USA Today national champion Lakeland, Fla.).
