Cincinnati St. Xavier and Archbishop Moeller will make the four-hour trek up north to the Cleveland area this week as the Greater Catholic League teams continue a strenuous regular-season journey.
St. Xavier (7-1), rated No. 21 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 national rankings, plays reigning Division I state champion Cleveland St. Ignatius (8-0) at 2 p.m. Saturday at John Carroll University. 
Conor Hundley, St. Xavier
File photo by Jim Owens
Since losing to Fort Thomas Highlands (Ky.) in September, the Bombers have been dominant defensively. Last week, the St. X defense was stout again – but the Bombers escaped with a 3-2 win over visiting Lakewood St. Edward.
"As well as we played defensively, we didn’t play well offensively," St. X coach Steve Specht told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "They did a lot of things to take us out of that. They play hard and they were physical up front."
St. X, which is allowing just seven points per game, has held teams to an average of 76 yards passing. Senior defensive lineman Nigel Muhammad has a team-leading five sacks. Senior defensive back Nick Weston has a team-leading three interceptions.
St. Ignatius, which has been in or near several national polls this week, is led by legendary head coach Chuck Kyle. Both Specht and Kyle are good friends and both coached for Team USA in the Junior World Championship in Canton last summer. This rivalry game between the Cincinnati and Cleveland schools is always a good one. St. Ignatius defeated St. X 19-16 in overtime last season.
Moeller (8-0) plays at Lakewood St. Edward at 2 p.m. Saturday. Moeller is coming off a 35-14 win over Cincinnati La Salle last week. Moeller senior quarterback Andrew Hendrix (a Notre Dame commit) threw for 195 yards and a touchdown. Senior linebacker Marcus Rush (Michigan State) had a team-leading three sacks.
"I felt with the returning seniors we had, we had a chance to have a great season," Moeller coach John Rodenberg told the Enquirer after the La Salle game. "I thought our defense gave great pressure (Friday)."
2. No quarterback, no problem: Dublin Coffman defeated Hilliard Davidson 10-7 in a showdown of Columbus-area powers on Friday night. Dublin Coffman (8-0) is ranked No. 4 in the Associated Press Division I state poll, while Hilliard Davidson (7-1) is ranked No. 6. Dublin Coffman had to play without regular starting quarterback Cole Stoudt, who is reportedly out for the season due to a leg injury. Colton Caldwell took over as starting quarterback and scored on a 14-yard touchdown run to give the Shamrocks an early lead in the first quarter. Kyle Clinton made a 35-yard field goal with 11:45 to seal the game. Dublin Coffman plays host to Worthington Kilbourne on Senior Night at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
3. Middletown stays perfect: The Middletown football team remained perfect (8-0) with a 40-0 win over visiting Cincinnati Oak Hills on Friday night. Middletown senior running back Antonio Banks (an Indiana commit) rushed for 56 yards and three touchdowns. Senior quarterback Caleb Watkins (Bowling Green) threw for 154 yards and rushed for 47. He threw for a touchdown and ran for a touchdown. Middletown plays at Colerain in a top Greater Miami Conference game at 7:30 p.m. Friday. The Middies defeated Colerain last year to snap the Cardinals' 61-game GMC winning streak.
4. Elder recovers at Pit: Cincinnati Elder defeated visiting Columbus St. Francis DeSales 34-24 Friday after the Panthers had to rally at home to avoid a second consecutive loss at the "Pit." Elder senior quarterback Mark Miller was 15-of-21 passing for two touchdowns. Junior running back Ben Coffaro rushed 23 times for 106 yards and three touchdowns for the Panthers (6-2), which play host to Western Hills on Oct. 30. DeSales (5-3), which plays at Cincinnati La Salle on Friday night, was led by Nick Gentile, who has 15 carries for 126 yards and a touchdown. Adam Griffin – son of Ohio State legendary running back Archie Griffin – had seven carries for 98 yards and two touchdowns.
5. State tennis: The Divisions I and II state tournament will be held in the Columbus area this weekend starting Friday morning. Cincinnati Ursuline junior Komal Safdar and Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame senior Andrea Wolf are among the area hopefuls from the Southwest Region in Division I singles competition. The first rounds will be at Ohio State with the semifinals and finals being played Saturday at Hilliard Davidson High School.
Among the outstanding efforts this week
Cincinnati Colerain fullback Trayion Durham: The junior had 14 carries for 200 yards and five touchdowns as the visiting Cardinals defeated Mason 56-3 on Friday night. Colerain had 480 yards of total offense. Durham has an early scholarship offer from Colorado.
Winton Woods running back Jeremiah Goins: The senior rushed 10 times for 166 yards and two touchdowns in the Warriors' 48-17 win over visiting Milford last week.
West Chester Lakota West linebacker Jordan Hicks: The senior standout was presented with his Under Armour All-American game invitation on Thursday morning at the high school. Hicks is scheduled to play in the game in January in Orlando. Hicks is considering (no particular order) Texas, Ohio State, Florida, Alabama and USC among his final college choices. He has scheduled an official visit to Florida on Dec. 12.
Looking ahead
Dublin Coffman vs. Walnut Ridge, girls volleyball, Wednesday: Dublin Coffman, the top seed in the Division I Central District in the Columbus area, plays Walnut Ridge in the opening round of the sectional tournament. The match will be at 6 p.m. at Olentangy High School. If Dublin Coffman wins, it plays Columbus Brookhaven at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
Cincinnati Ursuline Academy vs. Middletown/Withrow girls volleyball, Thursday: Ursuline opens the postseason tournament with a Division I sectional semifinal at Liberty Township Lakota East at 5:30 p.m. Thursday. Middletown plays Withrow at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday night in the first round. The Lions shouldn’t have any problems advancing to the sectional final on Saturday afternoon.
State golf tournaments at Ohio State University Courses, Friday and Saturday: The Division I boys and Division I girls state tournaments will be held in the Columbus area. The boys tournament is at the Scarlet Course, while the girls tournament is at the Gray Course. West Chester Lakota West junior Korey Ward is the boys’ Division I state individual champion. Mason’s girls golf team is the reigning state team champion.
Recruiting news
Colerain junior linebacker Jarrett Grace (6-foot-4, 230 pounds) has picked up offers from West Virginia and Indiana. He already had an offer from Cincinnati. …Archbishop Moeller senior offensive lineman Ali Kassem (6-5, 300) has orally committed to Western Michigan. Kassem is the fifth Moeller player to orally commit to a Division I college football program from the 2010 class. …Chaminade-Julienne senior offensive lineman/defensive lineman Andy Jomantas (6-7, 245) has been offered by Kansas and Ball State, according to ScoutingOhio.com.
Random thoughts
Preparation for the winter sports season is starting to take shape. Ohio allows girls basketball teams to start practice Oct. 30. Boys basketball teams can practice Nov. 6. …Cincinnati St. Xavier senior offensive lineman Matt James (6-7, 290) will wait until after the season to take his official visits, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. James is considering Ohio State, Cincinnati, Florida, Notre Dame and Boston College. …The Cincinnati St. Ursula field hockey team is the No. 1 seed as the Southwest Ohio Field Hockey League opens its regional tournament today.
