Storied rivalry in Kentucky leads to loads of adrenalin but loss of senses; 40,000 fans expected when national powers collide tonight in Louisville.
LOUISVILLE SLUGGERS - GAME DAY
What: 66th meeting between Trinity Shamrocks and St. Xavier Tigers of Louisville, Ky
When: Friday, 8 p.m. (EST)
Where: Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium
MaxPreps National ranking: No. 16 Trinity, No. 17 St. Xavier
Records: Trinity 4-0, St. Xavier 4-0
Points scored-against: Trinity 148-18, St. Xavier 223-13.
Team stats: Trinity, St. Xavier
Series: St. Xavier leads 33-30-2.
Last meeting: Trinity prevailed 34-28 in overtime on a Wes Weitlauf run in the first-ever Class 6A state title game.
Expected crowd: 40,000
Road to Papa John: See Stephens' Wednesday story
Top recruits in game: See Louisville Courier-Journal story
By Mitch Stephens
MaxPreps.com
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Trevor Foy is an excitable sort. Well, at 6-foot-8 and 248 pounds, he’s more of a freak physically than a sort.
And frankly, the St. Xavier defensive end has trouble controlling that freak, if you will.
“It’s a problem for me,” he said with a grin on Thursday. “I’ve had trouble getting too amped for the game and then losing control. I’ve been working on staying under control and trying not to get too crazy.”
He’s got his ultimate control challenge tonight at 8 when his Tigers tangle with arch-Louisville rival Trinity at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium on the campus of the University of Louisville.
Forget the fact that both teams are 4-0 and nationally ranked. Never mind that this bitter rivalry is almost even or that it’s drawn at least 30,000 fans 11 straight years or that they’re expecting a record crowd of 40,000 fans tonight.
No seriously Trevor, just knock that out of your crazy humongous frame and noggin.
What Foy is really having trouble letting go of is the fact the Shamrocks – better known as the 'Rocks around here – ruined and rocked the offseason for Foy and St. Xavier with a 34-28 overtime victory in last year’s initial State 6A title game.
Not only was St. Xavier undefeated going in at 14-0, but it had already defeated Trinity 24-15 during the regular season.
Both those games were at Papa John as well.
“It (the title game loss) was something I think about almost every day,” said Foy, who has already committed to Purdue. “It’s probably something I won’t forget about for a long while. It was terrible. I couldn’t stand seeing them in the paper when it was our year and we were undefeated all season. It was tough.
“Frankly, I have a chip on my shoulder because of it.”
That probably won’t do him much good when Trinity runs all its varied formations and utilizes its plethora of weapons that include small but mighty 5-foot-5, 165-pound leading rusher Tim Phillips (49 rushes, 332 yards).
Head coach Bob Beatty and offensive coordinator Andrew Coverdale, considered something of a guru, have devised schemes that keeps defenses teetering, opposing coaches scrambling and scribes scribbling to figure out a name for the Rocks’ offense.
“It’s sort of a power spread,” Beatty said. “Truth is we pass 55 and run 45 percent of the time which surprises people. We have about 31 or 32 formations.”
Senior Trinity quarterback Cameron Smyth, due to inclement weather and lopsided scores, has completed just 61 passes for 762 yards – modest numbers to be sure. But he’s only thrown 77 passes (79 percent) and 12 different receivers have hauled them in.
“We’re not going to have kids with a lot of gaudy stats because we spread it all around,” Beatty said. “We don’t care how we do it as long as we get it in the end zone.”
Foy is well aware of all Trinity’s trickery, reason No. 138 to keep his head on straight.
“I have to focus and don’t forget my job,” he said. “I have to contain because they have a lot of cutback plays where they could get big gains. I have to remember to not get too crazy and just want to kill the quarterback.”
Potential homicide – in the athletic sense – isn’t a concern with many of the players, but like Foy, battling the hype and emotion of this contest is a major undertaking.
Especially on game day.
“I just try to relax and listen to some music,” Smyth said. “I try to get my mind of everything and just focus on what I have to do to execute each play.”
Easier said than done when your dad’s been talking up the game since you were just out of diapers.
Mike Smyth was a tight end and wide receiver for the Rocks in the late 1970s and went 1-1 against St. Xavier, the win coming his junior year when it won the state crown.
“He tells me stories about the game and said he can remember just about every play,” Cameron Smyth said. “I’m sure it will be the same for me too.”
Smyth’s opposing number, St. Xavier senior quarter Matt Brutscher said he’ll attempt to approach this like any other game, though he knows that’s a lie.
“Not with all those people there,” he said. “The main thing is in preparation to approach each practice the same way and I think I’ve done that.”
It should help that Brutscher played in the game last regular season. He came in during the second quarter when starter Ben Zoeller was injured. Even though he completed just 1 of 6 passes, he helped lead the Tigers to victory before more than 35,000 fans.
This season the 6-foot-1, 190-pounder has completed 29 passes for 297 yards and five touchdowns and rushed 23 times for 195 yards and two scores.
“(Playing in last year’s game) will definitely help dealing with the crowd and the environment,” Brutscher said.
He’ll still need to deal with Trinity’s defense, which includes the impressive linebacker duo of Ohio State-bound Jordan Whiting (6-1, 235) and Brock Messina (6-0, 205). The two have combined of 42 tackles thus far and lead a squad that has allowed just 18 points and 37 first downs.
“They really find the ball,” Brutscher said. “They are fast and get after it. We’re going to really have to execute up front.”
Whiting said staying composed shouldn’t be a problem for the Rocks. Emotionally they are befitting of their nickname.
“At Trinity, we really keep our focus,” he said. “We stay in focus between the lines, in meetings, at school. We take our game plan very serious.”
Still, it’s not a cinch to maintain poise against kids you’ve competed against and with most your life.
Smyth said he has a number of friends on St. Xavier he grew up and attended grade school and played youth teams with.
“During the game, they’re not your friends at all,” Smyth said. “It’s a full on fight and war. Off the field they’re always fun to hang out with.”
St. Xavier star running back Rolandan “Deuce” Finch said it’s all a good time.
“I mean, it’s a time to have a lot of fun in front of 30,000 people,” he said. “What could be better than that? All games are fun, but it’s more exciting to have that many more eyes on you.”
It’s hard to miss the 5-10, 200-pound Finch, unless you’re trying to tackle him.
He gained 1,555 yards and 15 touchdowns last year, but is coming off a right knee injury that still requires a brace. He said Thursday that he’s about 90-95 percent, which was good news to the Northwestern assistant coach who was at practice Thursday scouting him.
Illinois, Stanford, Louisville and Boston College are other colleges on Finch's radar.
Tonight, however, he’s got just one focus – besting the Rocks.
“We have to be hyped but calm and collected all at the same time,” Finch said. “And just play hard.”
The latter should be a cinch said Smyth.
“This is just different than anything else or any game,” he said. “It’s one of the most looked up things to your whole life, especially your senior year. I’ve been thinking about this since I was young and now it’s finally here. Now you just have to give it your all and leave it all on the field.”
Trinity freshman Marquis Smith gave it all on Thursday.
The scant running back scored a pair of second-half touchdowns leading his freshmen team to a 36-0 win over the Tigers before 6,000 fans jammed into Trinity’s beautiful Marshall Stadium.
That’s a lot of green – both schools’ main color – for a game between just-turned teens that normally draw no more than 500. Trinity freshman coach Mike Wagner said the freshmen team is looked at like bottom feeders.
For one day a season - when these schools meet - the freshman surface to the cat bird's seat.
“This is the most intense game and the most fans I’ve played before my whole life,” Smith said. “I couldn’t sleep last night. I was up until 4 in the morning and had to wake up at 6.”
How’d he excel on just two hours sleep?
“It’s Trinity and St. X,” he said. “If you can’t get up for Trinity and St. X then you probably can’t get up for anything.”
E-mail Mitch Stephens at mstephens@maxpreps.com.
Look for more color on the game and all leading up to it later today.
