John Hayes’17
As in past years, the St. Edward Football team had a very successful regular season. They encountered many ups and downs, but the bright sides of the season are enormously evident. Some of the success the Eagles have had, on and off the field, may be attributed to their dazzling start. Their first game would serve as the foundation for their season, defeating Gilman Academy a whopping 38-7, in front of many viewers tuning in to ESPNU. The next two weeks, the Eagles overpowered Glenville and St. Joseph 47-7 and 42-0 respectively. This showing of excellence would place the St. Edward football team at first place among the national ranking by several evaluators, including USA Today. However, the downs of the season would follow this great accomplishment. These of course were the losses to Elder (14-21) and Bergen Catholic (10-14). The Eagles, as they always do when down, quickly bounced back. They would beat Cardinal Mooney, and continue on to defeat Canada Prep, ECA, and Archbishop Moeller consecutively. These wins would give the Eagles some momentum in advance of the game against Ignatius.
At Byers Field, the Eagles played with tremendous spirit and extraordinary effort. However, for the very many St. Ed’s fans who came to watch, the first quarter was frightening. Ignatius took an early lead, 10-0. Surprisingly enough, that was the first time this season the Eagles did not score first. However, St. Edward got back in the groove and scored 41 unanswered points. These points were mostly due to the 3-part trio comprising Crawford, Gest, and Kean. Shaun Crawford returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown, caught a Brett Kean pass for a TD, returned an interception 35 yards to assist another score, and concluded the scoring with another TD, leading St. Edward to a 41-10 massacre of St. Ignatius at Byers Field. Cole Gest ran for a 45 yard TD among his many effective rushes. “We were all pumped for this game since we have been playing against this team since we were freshmen,” said Crawford. A combination between immense school support and tremendous player skill gave the Eagles the big push they needed in the rivalry game.
The Eagles finished 8-2 on the season, and have secured a no. 2 seed in the playoffs. After big win against Brunswick, the team will face (7) Olentangy Liberty. The squad has also hit spectacular records on the season. There was no game this year in which St. Edward had committed more turnovers than the opponent. Through the first 10 games, quarterback Brett Kean threw 14 touchdown passes. He owns the record for most TD passes in a season, 20, set in 2013. He also holds the record for most Touchdowns in a year, 34. In all games but one the team has scored first, and in all but 3 games they have scored on the first drive. The Eagles are looking for the push needed to win the championship. They certainty have the ambition and vigor to succeed in the playoffs, but their opposition will no doubt have good talent. Regardless, the upcoming playoff games are expected to be extremely competitive and very fun to watch.