On the recordDecember 7, 2016
On Friday, December 2, my alma mater, St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, beat the odds in a true underdog story and won the Ohio high school Division I football State championship. They join the St. Xavier water polo team as State champs this year as well. Through a tough regular season schedule, the St. X Bombers went into the final regular season game with a record of 4 and 5, needing one more win to make it to the playoffs, and they were losing at halftime. They won and went on to win five more times, ultimately beating a tough Cleveland Saint Ignatius team, in front of 13,000 people at Ohio Stadium, to win the State championship. In one of the most thrilling high school football games, St. X won 27-20 in double overtime. In fact, three of the five playoff victories were won in overtime. In a historic year, St. X became the first team in Ohio high school athletic history to lose five regular season games and then go on to win the State championship. The 2016 football season can teach us all something about perseverance and never giving up. I would like to congratulate the St. Xavier players, Coach Steve Specht, and his staff, for their hard work and dedication. This win adds to a long history of sportsmanship and commitment on the field at St. Xavier High School. Go Bombers. ____________________
