By Steve Spiewak
MaxPreps.com
The Trinity (Ky.) Shamrocks will make a trip to Cincinnati Friday night, a 100-mile trek to challenge the hometown Bombers of St. Xavier.
It's a journey that came about rather circuitously. The Shamrocks, ranked No. 20 in this week's MaxPreps National Rankings presented by the Army National Guard, were scheduled to play Tennessee's Montgomery Bell Academy. A scheduling change in Tennessee voided that contest this year, and Trinity was left searching for an opponent.
At the last minute, the Kentucky school inked a two-year contact to play the Ohio powerhouse, currently ranked No. 2 nationally by MaxPreps.
"There is no question that they are a quality team," Trinity head coach Bob Beatty said. "But we're also excited to go to that stage and showcase what we have."
Without question, the stage will be a national one, and the opportunity for Trinity to showcase itself will be great. However, it will be far from the biggest game on the Shamrocks' schedule. In fact, it will be only the second biggest game with an opponent named St. Xavier.
That's because the Trinity-Louisville St. X rivalry is one of the biggest in the country. More than the game, which will likely draw upwards of 35,000 fans to Papa John's Cardinal Stadium Sept. 28, Trinity-Louisville St. X is a week-long event in the Louisville community.
"That entire week is pretty electric for both schools," Beatty said.
"Pride Week" as it is known in Louisville, consists of pep rallies, car decorations, and intense anticipation. So big is the rivalry, that it is not out of the norm for 4,000 people to show up for the freshmen game.
Alumni from both schools pour back into Louisville from all across the country, and in some cases, the world, to witness the yearly clash of two Kentucky powers who have great respect for each other. Still, the lines are clearly drawn.
"I would say 90 percent of the young men born into this world either have a `T' on their diaper or an `X' on their diaper," Beatty said.
With such challenging opponents and marquee games, one might expect Trinity to trot out a stable of Division I-A athletes on a year-to-year basis in order to compete.
Not so, says Beatty, who has only coached four D-I-A players in his eight seasons at Trinity. Sure, one of those four is Brian Brohm, quarterback at Louisville and contender for the Heisman Trophy, but some powerhouse, national-caliber programs have four major college-bound athletes on one side of the ball.
Trinity does have some talented players that have led the team to a 2-0 record thus far. The team's defensive leader, junior linebacker Jordan Whiting, is already committed to Ohio State, and plays well along side senior backer Wes Weitlauf. Twins Alex and Nathan Dutten are promising wide receivers.
Bobby Petrino, Jr., son of Atlanta Falcons coach Bobby Petrino, was on the team last year, but now plays at Greater Atlanta Christian High School.
A shortage of top-notch recruits has not led to a shortage of success. The Shamrocks have amassed 17 state championships, and are expected to contend this year in the newly-created 6-A classification. Such overwhelming success has been the catalyst for a movement in Kentucky to have a separate league for public and private high schools.
The Shamrocks will march into Cincinnati with a laundry list of past accomplishments, and the possibility of even greater future recognition by beating the Bombers. However, the real game with St. X is still two weeks away. You can bet Louisville, and the entire state of Kentucky, will be watching.