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QB Rob Schoenhoft (official thread)

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This is a great article about Robbie on bn. I believe he will be a great buckeye qb when his chance comes but right now he has some great ones in front of him.


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Rob Schoenhoft

</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top>Schoenhoft to begin his official visit on Saturday
By Gary Housteau
Date: Dec 11, 2004

In the end Rob Schoenhoft of St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati chose Ohio State over Michigan and he officially committed to OSU at the Elite 11 quarterback camp this past summer. But was he ever really close to becoming a Michigan Wolverine or not?
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The second big weekend of the recruiting season for <!--Default For Ohio State is to ignore-->Ohio State will bring to campus a few more names that Buckeye fans might already be familiar with.

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Guys that have already committed to <!--Default For Ohio is to ignore-->Ohio State, like <!--Default NodeId For Todd Denlinger is 819333,2004-->Todd Denlinger, <!--Default NodeId For Austin Spitler is 1200662,2004-->Austin Spitler, Malcolm Jenkins and <!--Default NodeId For Rob Schoenhoft is 800632,2004-->Rob Schoenhoft will be checking in for their official visits. Schoenhoft’s visit, however, will be a bit delayed as an important Friday night basketball game makes him a Saturday morning arrival to Columbus.

Schoenhoft is a vital cog of the Bombers basketball team just as he was to the football squad that finished 10-0 during the regular season after their opening-game loss to St. Edward was reversed due to the Eagle’s four-victory forfeiture.

Unfortunately Schoenhoft got knocked out of the game against St. Edward late in the first half when he injured his ankle on a sack and he had to watch the remainder of the contest on crutches from the sideline.

“It was really disappointing for me in the first game,” Schoenhoft said. “Our first pass of the season was a 73-yard touchdown pass and I thought from that point on I was going to have a major senior season. But then in the second quarter I hurt my ankle and unfortunately I couldn’t be there to help my team but I was there mentally cheering them on. That was all that I could do.”

It turned out that Schoenhoft missed a couple of games but eventually found his rhythm when he returned to action.

“The rest of the season went unbelievable,” he said. “Down the stretch we played Ignatius, St. Francis and then teams from the GCL, which is one of the toughest leagues that you can find. Our expectations were really high for the season but it was unfortunate that we didn’t get to the point where we wanted to (being) in the state championship. But I think overall we had a pretty successful season as a team.”

Individually, Schoenhoft thought he was able to showcase some of the skills that made him an Elite 11 quarterback and he thought he provided quality leadership for his team.

“As far as my performance this year, you can always do better,” he said. “I do have a lot of room to improve and my footwork needs to get better.”

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But Schoenhoft is going to Ohio State to compete from the very first day. Although the quarterback position is well stocked, the expectations for greatness will still follow him to Columbus.

“The pressure is going to be really high when I go up there and hopefully next year I’ll be able to push Troy (Smith) a little bit more,” Schoenhoft said. “My chances of playing are going to be pretty slim but they think highly of me and I just have to get my confidence up and start throwing the ball around up there and do what I can do.”

Like Smith and <!--Default NodeId For Justin Zwick is 1168111,2004-->Justin Zwick, Schoenhoft benefitted immensely as a signal caller from his Elite 11 experience.

“Seeing <!--Default NodeId For Jason White is 1438130,2004-->Jason White and Aaron Rogers and all of those guys in action was unbelievable,” he said. “They gave me such a perspective and viewpoint that I never would have known without being there. As far as from a coaching standpoint, there were NFL level coaches there with Coach (Bob) Johnson, the coach from Mission Viejo where <!--Default NodeId For Mark Sanchez is 1045144,2004-->Mark Sanchez is the number one quarterback. He gave me the most coaching that I’ve ever gotten in my whole life in anything in just one week.

“It was just unbelievable and it just shows me how much more I have to learn and how much more I have to study the game.”

Of course, Schoenhoft and Sanchez were both candidates for a scholarship offer to Ohio State prior to the Elite 11 camp.

“A couple of weeks before the Elite 11 camp I called him because he was interested in Ohio State. He narrowed it down to <!--Default For USC is to ignore-->USC and Ohio State,” Schoenhoft said. “I was talking to Coach Tressel about it and I guess he didn’t really know where Mark was going to go. So I gave him a call and we were playing phone tag for a little bit. But I think a week before the Elite 11 camp we actually got a hold of each other.

“He pretty much told me he was favoring USC a little bit and I told him that I fell in love with Ohio State and I know that’s where I want to go. So he knew about me wanting to go there and Coach Tressel told him that I was on the verge of committing and so everything sort of worked out.”

The two had a chance to talk when Schoenhoft first arrived in <!--Default For California is to ignore-->California for the camp.

“Right when I got off the plane Mark called me and he was actually on the bus that I was waiting for to pick me up and take us to the facilities. So we had a pretty good talk and we joked about some stuff and we had a really good time together. He’s a heck of player and a heck of a guy and USC is definitely lucky to have him.”

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But Schoenhoft knew he was going to commit to Ohio State prior to the camp and had made all of the arrangements for it.

“I told Coach Tressel that I was ready and he kind of told me that we’re going to wait and see what Mark does. And I accepted that,” Schoenhoft said. “But I told Coach Tressel that Ohio State is where I want to be and a Buckeye is what I wanted to be, and he said he appreciated it.”

And then he told <!--Default For Michigan is to ignore-->Michigan that he wasn’t interested before he went to the camp also.

“I told Coach Loeffler from Michigan that I’m not coming there and he wasn’t very happy,” Schoenhoft said. “And I told everyone that I was going to be a Buckeye and I made all of the arrangements, and I just made it official out there.”

He officially committed to Ohio State on July 24 and Sanchez committed to USC. In hindsight, the whole series of events leading up to the Schoenhoft commitment to OSU were a bit surprising because many people had him pegged to go to Michigan for the longest time.

“In the local paper, the <!--Default For Cincinnati is to ignore-->Cincinnati Enquirer, they had that I was an Ohio State fan growing up and I was,” Schoenhoft said. “Ever since I was little I always loved Ohio State and I always hated Michigan. When Michigan won the national championship I was sitting there crying.”

But his feelings changed about Michigan in his freshman year of high school.

“I was kind of infatuated with Michigan because they were the first people to really recruit me and they were the first people to show any interest in me,” Schoenhoft said. “I think they kind of made me a little biased toward them because they were the first ones to recruit me and they were kind of my first love. You don’t really know anything else accept that. I just felt really comfortable there and I went to three years of camp there.”

And he didn’t initially feel that way about Ohio State. Even as late as the Nike camp in April, Schoenhoft wasn’t really into Ohio State. And the Buckeyes had yet to make him a scholarship offer at that time.

“When I went up to Ohio State, I didn’t really feel that comfortable at first,” Schoenhoft said. “But when I came back and took my academic visit, I realized that I could feel that comfort level there and it kind of opened up my horizons.”

That enlightening visit came shortly after he participated in the senior camp at Ohio State this past summer, right around the time OSU made him an offer.

“That helped me open my eyes and it led me to the truth,” Schoenhoft said. “(The offer) finally came and I realized I belonged there after that trip I took. When I stepped off campus for the second time there and I kind of cleared my mind of all of the bias that I had before. I kind of felt stupid not realizing how great this place is and how great Columbus is for me.”

And now he can’t help but think about how it will feel to be a quarterback at Ohio State in the near future.

“It’s just inevitable not to think about it, being at one of the greatest colleges in the world, both athleticly and academicly,” he said. “Just to have the opportunity to lead the biggest sport at that school and be one of the most influential players on the team is just heart stopping. There is so much honor in that position and in just being on the team. It’s just a great honor and a great privilege that I have to even try to compete for that.”

Schoenhoft was sort of a late bloomer at the position by circumstance as much as anything else. Marty Mooney, the fourth-string quarterback at <!--Default For Notre Dame is to ignore-->Notre Dame was the QB at St. Xavier in Schoenhoft’s freshman year.

“He pretty much brought me up in the position,” Schoenhoft said. “In my freshman year I could throw it a million miles an hour but I would throw it into the woods on every play. So he really developed me and he still does. We throw every summer together.”

In his sophomore year, Schoenhoft battled for the position but he was beat out by another senior and so he played receiver that year. He got his first experience at quarterback in his junior year and then played about three quarters of the year in his senior season.

“Once I get to Ohio State I’ve got a lot to learn,” he said. “I’m going up for the spring practice even though I can’t practice and I’m just going to try to get my feet in the water.”

He might be relatively inexperienced at the position but Schoenhoft has been a quarterback for most of his life and it’s a dream that he’ll play the position at Ohio State.

“I’m just so excited to be a part of the tradition and be a part of the team,” Schoenhoft said. “I’m just going to be a little freshman next year that doesn’t know anything and Troy and Justin and Todd (Boeckman) are going to have three and four years of experience and it’s going to be a great experience for me. I’m just super-excited to be a part of it.”

But before he gets there he wants to have one last stab at a state championship on the hardwood while he’s still a Bomber.

“I think our team is ready to make a run and I’m not going to leave my sports career at St. X without a ring,” said Schoenhoft, a regular in the AAU summer circuit. “So I’m going to give it everything that I got and there’s going to be a little extra pressure because it’s going to be my last sports opportunity.”

It’s obviously important enough for him to arrive a little late for his official visit to Ohio State. Better late than never.

<CENTER>Rob Schoenhoft Photo Gallery</CENTER>

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I think this guy has the makings to be something special in about 2-3 years. How nice would it be to get to the point where you had redshirt junior that could step in for the QB position every 2 years? Boeckman could play that role in 2 years, and Robbie could it down the road. I think that OSU is taking this kid because they know the arm strength is there, he just needs work on his mechanics. A couple of years in a college program could make this kid a star.
 
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Bnuts premium

He had a great visit. He hung out with three current players Nicol, Hoobler and Rehring (his host) and some of the new guys like Laurinaitis, Spitler and Denlinger. He commented that Laurinaitis is in!!

He also spent some time Troy Smith and also met Zwick. He said he has been calling McCoy, MoW and McKinney to try and persuade them. He said he slowed down on McKinney because he thinks he may go elsewhere (now it is Jamario's turn :biggrin: ) but he still calls and MoW and McCoy. He calls their recruitment his project and thinks both will be Buckeyes. Ya gotta love this kid! :oh: :io:
 
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Scum coach and Robby Schoenhoft

Playing the game
Recruiting process all about salesmanship, politics and dreams

By Tom Groeschen/Enquirer staff writer

Robby Schoenhoft
The Enquirer/Joseph Fuqua



A Michigan assistant coach was Robby Schoenhoft's best buddy, until Schoenhoft decided to play football for Ohio State.

This was last July, and Schoenhoft was one happy young man. The recruiting process was over, and the phone calls finally would stop. But then the Michigan coach called again.

"I was in the car when he called," said Schoenhoft, St. Xavier's heavily recruited senior quarterback. "He wasn't very happy with me, and he told me Ohio State was the wrong decision. I couldn't believe some of the things he said. I told him, 'I'm going to be playing you in a couple years, and I'll remember this.' "

Such is the highly pressurized world of college sports recruiting, a process which frazzles players, families and coaches and affects lives forever.

With the national letter of intent signing day Wednesday for football and several other sports, athletes across America are getting ready to sit down, smile for the cameras and sign on the dotted line.

And no, we can't hear from the Michigan coach - or any other college coach - until the athletes actually sign.

NCAA rules prohibit coaches from commenting publicly on prospective recruits.

The recruits who do sign Wednesday will be a distinctminority.

Less than 6 percent of prep senior athletes will go on to play at NCAA member schools in the so-calledmajor sports of football (5.8 percent will play for an NCAA school), men's basketball (2.9 percent), women's basketball (3.1 percent) and baseball (5.6 percent), according to the NCAA.

Figures are not as clearly defined for NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics), NCCAA (National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association) and NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) schools, but suffice it to say the odds of playing in college remain small.

With so few spots available, it's a trying process. Even if you're a big star.

"You learn a lot about human nature," said Debbie Schoenhoft, Robby's mother. "You don't know if the recruiters are ever being truthful with you, or if they're telling the same thing to the next kid right behind you."

Some are coveted, like Schoenhoft. Some have to beg college coaches for a second of their time. Some have no idea how to get noticed. But the student-athletes have one thing in common - they aren't ready to give up their sports careers.

In recent months, the Enquirer has talked to several players, parents, prep coaches, recruiting analysts and scouting services both locally and nationally. Here are some of their stories about the pressures of the recruiting process.

The players Schoenhoft was Cincinnati's most highly publicized football recruit last summer. Several recruiting services and Web sites, including ESPN.com, rated him among the nation's top 10 quarterback prospects, and scores of colleges sent him mail.

He received 26 official college offers, which is a lot.

Michigan thought it had him. Schoenhoft first went to the Wolverines' offseason camps as a St. Xavier freshman. Most prep football superstars commit to colleges the summer before their senior years, and in summer 2004, Wolverine Nation was among many tracking Schoenhoft's every move.

"A reporter from Michigan was calling me 15 or 20 times a day, to see what I was doing," Schoenhoft said. "Luckily, we've got caller ID."

Schoenhoft announced for Ohio State at the EA Sports "Elite 11" quarterback camp in California in July. In the end, Ohio State was closer to home and just seemed a better fit.

Schoenhoft had a good senior season, leading St. Xavier to an 11-1 record, passing for more than 1,500 yards with 15 touchdowns and only six interceptions. He missed two games with an ankle injury.

Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr came to St. Xavier last year to visit Schoenhoft. It's a big deal when the head coach of a major program comes to your school.

"We liked Lloyd Carr," Debbie Schoenhoft said.

And Jim Tressel, too. The Ohio State coach was just out at the Schoenhofts' house in Mason last week, having dinner. See, Robby Schoenhoft could always change his mind between now and Wednesday.

But he said he won't.

"We've had five Ohio State assistants come through here since Thanksgiving," Debbie Schoenhoft said. "I guess they just want to be sure."

The coach, parent Kerry Coombs has never had a more pressure-packed year in his life.

The Colerain football coach dealt all year with the expectations that his team would win the state championship, which the Cardinals did. Moreover, he and wife Holly dealt with college recruiters who wanted their son, Brayden, a standout senior defensive back.

"Ball State comes in on a Tuesday, and they say they've got to know right now," Kerry Coombs said, recalling one hectic week of Brayden's recruiting. "If it's not yes, then it's no, because we've got to offer that scholarship to someone else. That kind of pressure is applied on kids constantly.

"The next day, Miami (University), and then Ohio U. comes for a home visit. This is all within 12 hours, and a player is being asked to make a decision right now. To his credit, he took his time."

Brayden, ranked first in his class at Colerain, chose Miami.

Kerry Coombs, a former college player at Dayton, has dealt with college coaches for 14 years as Colerain head coach. But now he really knows what a parent endures with recruiters.

"It's like they're selling a car," Coombs said. "They tell you that if you don't buy the car, they've got another guy coming in at noon who wants it. And they're pulling this stuff on high school kids who are about to make the biggest decision of their lives."

But Coombs understands. Coaches have to win.

"I guess the whole thing is they've got to find an edge," Coombs said. "I remember Jefferson Kelley, our offensive tackle everybody wanted 10 years ago. He had guys offering him scholarships the February before his senior year. That's a whole year in advance! Holy cow, anything could happen in that time.

"But that's how it is. ... It's getting earlier and earlier."

The short of it The case of Terrill Byrd, the Colerain star defensive lineman, provides another interesting twist on recruiting.

As in, big prep stats don't always mean big-name college.

Byrd had 21 sacks in 15 games, helping lead Colerain to the Ohio Division I championship. He was named national defensive player of the year by PrepNation.com, the Ohio Division I defensive player of the year, and Enquirer/Channel 9 area player of the year.

But Byrd, 6-foot and 289 pounds, said the big schools told him he was too short to play major Division I-A football.

Actually they didn't tell him that, as most of the "names" didn't talk to him. To be a top-notch major Division I-A lineman, the computers want you a few inches taller than 6 feet.

"They just figured I'm too short," Byrd said. "They overlooked the fact that I was a good player."

Mid-level football schools such as Cincinnati, Miami, Toledo and Akron were certainly interested. And that war heated up on its own level, as Byrd wanted to commit to several schools because he liked them all.

"Nobody did anything outrageous," Byrd said of the recruiters. "It was all on thelevel."

Byrd chose Cincinnati, and will sign Wednesday.

"If I was taller," Byrd said, "I'd be going to the (big time)."

That would be at a place like Michigan or Ohio State. Playing in Columbus is a dream for many prep players in the state, but there are very few Schoenhofts around.

At your service Seton senior Kelly Hofmeyer is an All-American volleyball player, so designated by PrepVolleyball.com.

Her father, Mike, was a standout basketball player at Northern Kentucky University. She was named first-team all-state and led the Cincinnati area with 396 digs this season as she helped lead Seton to the Division I state Final Four.

Even with all that, Kelly has had no guarantees as she has narrowed her college choices to Cincinnati and Western Kentucky.

She is not especially tall as a 5-foot-6"libero," which is a defensive specialist. But she knew what she wanted out of college, primarily one with a good pharmacy program. And that has helped her cause.

"I've kind of lucked out," Hofmeyer said. "I was a little late getting into the recruiting process."

She had a highlights tape made and a profile sheet sent out through a college recruiting service. Scores of such "services" are available with one Google touch of an Internet button.

As it turned out, her club coach, University of Cincinnati assistant Josh Steinbach, opened the most doors.

"Sometimes it just depends on who you know," she said. "He e-mailed some people asking which of them needed my (libero) position."

She also found out some harsh recruiting realities.

"It's been really frustrating overall," she said. "You get a lot of bad news, and all you want to do is figure out where you want to go. There have been some days where I wanted to just stop and not do it anymore. I've just kind of hung in there, because I decided this is what I want."

The worst part: Telling some college coaches, "No."

"It's hard," she said. "You don't want to do it without being rude. It's been nice to have a tape made of you and get your profile sent out, but I'm ready to move on, too."

Almost free ride Tiffany Burlew had several things working for her, but just as many against her.

She was an Enquirer all-city fastpitch softball pitcher at Landmark Trinity, which was great for her. But Landmark is - or was - a very small school in Evendale. It was so small, it closed its doors last spring because of declining enrollment.

Burlew, a senior last season, didn't have a bunch of scouts tracking her every move.

"It didn't seem like anybody would come watch me, because we were a small Division IV team," she said.

She and her family enlisted the help of Tom Greco.

Greco, of Edgewood, Ky., is the Greater Cincinnati director of National Scouting Report, one of the more respected recruiting services. He made a profile of Burlew that included a video and mailed it to colleges.

"It was just a matter of her getting noticed," Greco said.

She started getting letters in the mailbox almost daily, said Bob Burlew, her father and high school coach.She also had a plan. She wanted to attend a Christian college and study nursing.

She narrowed her choices to Cedarville and Campbellsville (Ky.). She wound up at Campbellsville, an NAIA Division I school.

With performance grants for athletics, music, dance, drama, etc., the high costs can be offset at NAIA schools. In Burlew's case, she has been able to cover about $15,000 of the estimated $21,000 it will cost her to go there annually.

"Tom Greco was a big help," Tiffany Burlew said. "I've always loved softball, and it was a dream of mine to play with the big people like the women's pro league. Now I can keep striving for that."

The parents Debbie Schoenhoft said nothing prepared her for son Robby's college football recruitment.

"It was very hectic," she said. "We gave up a lot of things. We didn't take a vacation last summer because Robby was at camps. We spent our spring break doing recruiting things. It's a very long process."

She still has the boxes full of recruiting letters. Hundreds of pieces of mail arrived at the family home the past couple years.

"I should pitch them, I guess," she said. "I don't know why I'm keeping them."

Some were form letters, but with a blue-chip recruit like Robby, there were many personal touches.

"Jim Tressel wrote Robby several nice notes," Debbie said of her son's future Ohio State coach. "You wonder if they write like this to every kid."

The answer is no, which she knows.

For instance, it's not every day that North Carolina State sends both its head basketball coach (Herb Sendek) and baseball coach (Elliott Avent) together to the home of Moeller's Andrew Brackman.

That happened one day last spring, when the Wolfpack coaches showed up at Brackman's home on Major League Baseball draft day. Both men assured Brackman that each still wanted the two-sport star, and that he could still play each sport there.

Brackman is doing fine in North Carolina, already a basketball starter. Not everyone can do that, and in Schoenhoft's case, Ohio State won out over schools such as Michigan, Michigan State and Iowa simply because it was closer to home.

"It was a fun process," Debbie Schoenhoft said, "but I'll be glad when it's over on Wednesday."

The prep coaches Dale Mueller just coached Highlands to the Kentucky Class 3A football championship. He has coached state in championships before, but like college recruiting, it's always a learning experience.

"Recruiting is a unique experience in the kids' lives," Mueller said. "They haven't experienced anything like it before, and they probably never will again. They've got all these men calling them and talking about their schools. They're just dying for the kids to say yes. There's real pressure to commit, and both sides feel it."

Mueller said he understands why colleges sometimes promise more than they can give. Recruiters can make everyone feel they're the next LeBron James or Michael Vick.

"If a school's only got 20 scholarships to give for football, let's say, they have to offer more than 20," Mueller said. "If they just make 20 offers, they might only get 10 guys take that offer. And then if you wait too long, in other cases the scholarship could really be gone because someone else takes it."

Mueller, in more than 20 years as a coach, said he has found college coaches to be mostly honorable.

"You hear and read things, but I've found them to be really above board," Mueller said.

The call You could write a book about recruiting.

Jack Renkens has. It's called "Recruiting Realities." Renkens, a former basketball coach at Division II Assumption College in Worcester, Mass., travels the country and gives about 140 speeches a year. Topic: Recruiting.

"First, I stress to parents to get realistic," Renkens said, speaking from Kansas City before a recent speech. "If you haven't gotten a call by about March of your junior year, you're probably not going to be at the major Division I level in college."

The average athlete, Renkens said, might get recruited at the Division III or NAIA level. And by average, that means an above-average prep athlete.

"You might have a great senior year and get discovered, but that happens about once in a thousand," Renkens said.

If you can't get recruited, signed, or otherwise don't have any idea how to do it, you're not alone.

"Maybe 1 percent of parents have a clue," Renkens said.

Not being critical, he said. Just factual.

What to do?

Step One: "Log on to the NCAA Web site, ncaa.org, and look for the guide to the student-bound athlete," Renkens said. "There are other options. I have a book, and there are at least 50 books out there on how to market yourself. The final option, to me, is a scouting/profile service. There are five or six out there that are legitimate, but there's only a couple that give any type of guarantee of a refund."

Renkens said it can all be done, if your child is good enough and also committed maybe not to playing next door.

"If you're in Ohio, you might have to go to Nebraska or New Hampshire to play," he said. "You might have to give something up. My motto is that it's a game, so you'd better learn the rules."

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Lone QB recruit eager to succeed
Confident Schoenhoft believes he’ll reach potential at Ohio State
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
Tim May
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Rob Schoenhoft is making no bold predictions about storming into Ohio State this fall and laying claim to the starting quarterback job.

He will, however, be there. The Cincinnati St. Xavier senior is the only quarterback the Buckeyes will sign Wednesday, college football’s national signing day.

Schoenhoft will be one of only four quarterbacks on scholarship at OSU, joining juniors Justin Zwick and Troy Smith and redshirt freshman Todd Boeckman.

"I definitely looked at that situation and saw it as ideal," Schoenhoft said. "It will give me a year to come in and learn the system and take their coaching. Give me a year, and I think I definitely can compete."

He might not have felt that way a couple of years ago, but he is confident he has the potential to play at that level now. He said he proved that to himself at the Elite 11 quarterbacks camp in California last summer, when he stood shoulder to shoulder with Mark Sanchez, Jake Christensen and several other high-profile high-school standouts.

They might have asked Schoenhoft why he was there. After all, he didn’t exactly excel as a junior at St. Xavier, completing a mere 36 percent of his passes. Yet Ohio State, Michigan, LSU, Florida and others offered scholarships by mid-summer. The potential, at least, was obvious.

"What they all saw is a guy who is 6 foot 5, 230 pounds, with a rifle for an arm and a guy who gets rid of the ball incredibly quick," St. Xavier coach Steve Specht said.

Schoenhoft’s problem as a junior was throwing the ball too hard too often. "To be honest, two years ago we didn’t have guys who could catch his passes," Specht said.

Schoenhoft sought improvement at the Elite 11 camp, and after working with instructor Bob Johnson on footwork, passing touch and other fundamentals, Schoenhoft experienced a consummate moment.

With the ball on the right hash, he faded back and zinged a 30-yard out pass to a receiver on the left side; it is the pass that determines whether a quarterback has big-time talent.

"I nailed it," Schoenhoft said. "That one pass, it just meant so much to me. It definitely was one of the more memorable moments of my summer, that throw.

"For a couple of years when I was playing quarterback, I was just raw. I know that. But when I get good coaching, I think it will be unbelievable what I can do."

That was no slam of Specht, St. Xavier’s first-year coach who installed an I-formation offense featuring a lot of play-action passes to get the most out of Schoenhoft.

"I think Robby is capable of playing in any kind of offense, but I wanted to take advantage of what he could do now," Specht said. "We went 11-1 (and two games deep into the state playoffs), and he had a great year as the leader.

"He might have thrown for only 1,200 yards or so, but he stayed within the system and did just what he was asked to do. What more can you ask of a quarterback?"

The boldest thing Specht will say about Schoenhoft’s future is "give him time."

"Robby is a Division I quarterback prospect right now, absolutely," Specht said. "But the fact he has so much room for improvement, the sky is the limit for this young man."

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FWIW, I saw Schoenhoft play hoops tonight. Ran the floor well and was definitely not a plodder. He is every bit of 6'6 240. Made smart plays and was a solid contributor on a very good St.X team. BTW, he is actually from the Mason area-St.X is 15-20 miles away from around where he lives.
 
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Robbie hits game winner...

St. X seizes the moment
Springfield South hits only 11 of 34 free throws

By Carey Hoffman
Enquirer contributor

DAYTON - A struggle by Springfield South at the free-throw line set the stage, and then a layup by St. Xavier's Rob Schoenhoft with two seconds remaining sealed the deal, as St. X upset the No. 2-ranked team in the state in a district final 49-47 Saturday at University of Dayton Arena.

"We knew they had the speed and that we had the size," St. X coach Scott Martin said. "We hoped those two things would counter each other, and they did until those last seconds."

St. X star Johnny Wolf made only one jump shot but was crafty enough to get to the basket for layups or fouls. He finished with 20 points and made the pass to set up Schoenhoft's final basket.

St. X inbounded the ball to Wolf with 11.2 seconds remaining and the score tied 47-47. He ran into resistance trying to drive around the left side, then delivered a pass through traffic to Schoenhoft in the lane, who had a clear path to the basket.

It was a risky pass, given South's defensive quickness. The Wildcats forced 20 turnovers.

"(Schoenhoft) ran to the middle like he's supposed to, and it was just a fantastic pass from Johnny," Martin said.

Said Wolf: "I was just dribbling for my life out there, and I was dribbling tired. It was a rough shooting night, so I thought I would try and get as close as I could, and then I saw (Schoenhoft's) man coming toward me."

Wolf called the play almost identical to the one he and Schoenhoft came up with to beat Hamilton earlier in the season.

South's final chance ended with a baseball pass past halfcourt that went off the fingers of Nate Miller and into Schoenhoft's possession.

St. X, the No. 4-ranked team in the final Enquirer Division I area coaches' poll, came into the game at 18-4. South entered 22-1.

The Bombers advance to the regional semifinals and will play Troy at 8 p.m. Thursday at UD.

The Wildcats made only 11 of 34 free-throw attempts. Leading scorer Nate Miller converted only two of 12. Point guard Jabril Thomas, an 89 percent foul shooter, was 4-of-11.

"We just had a mental block, I guess," said South coach Larry Ham, who led his team to districts for the eighth time in 10 years. "When you shoot that poorly against a solid team, you're not going to win."

At one point in the fourth quarter as South tried to rally, it missed nine straight foul shots while trailing by four or less.

South finally tied the score at 45-45 on a Miller stickback with 1:47 to play. A layup by Wolf put St. X back ahead, and then South's Tyrice White tied the game again with another second-chance basket with 1:08 to play.

St. X got a big lift from 6-foot-6 senior center Kyle Gibler, who played his first complete game since breaking his foot in the eighth week of football season. Gibler totaled 13 points, 10 rebounds and three steals and was part of St. X's size advantage that made inside points hard to earn for South.

St. Xavier (19-4) - Scales 2 0 4, J. Wolf 7 6 20, Gedeon 1 0 2, Schoenhoft 2 4 8, Peck 1 0 2, Gibler 4 5 13. Totals: 17-42 15-22 49.

Springfield South (21-2) - Miller 5 2 12, DeArmond 3 1 7, Thomas 5 4 14, White 3 1 7, Davis 0 3 3, Fudge 1 0 2, Jones 1 0 2. Totals: 18-51 11-34 47.


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Back to back game winners for Robby. We were tied with Centerville and got the ball with 34.5 seconds left. I couldn't go to the game but from what I've been told Greg Sweeney, who's going to Rollins College to play ball next year, missed a shot and Robby tipped it in with .8 seconds left to win the game. Now we play Moeller in the final four at Value City Arena. The game is this Friday at 8:30..come join us and show your support for Robby and the Bombers :)
 
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