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That quest begins Saturday against the perennial Greater Catholic League South Division power Crusaders in a Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown matchup at Virgil Schwarm Stadium. Moeller is coming off its first losing season since the 1960s with a 4-6 finish amid a tough schedule.
“They are one of the winningest programs in the state of Ohio, and I think I read somewhere they are one of the winningest programs in the country,” Murphy said. “They had their first losing season in 50 years, so they are a winning program and hungry to get back to that. We couldn’t ask for a better test, so to speak.”
MaxPreps.com ranked Moeller’s schedule the second toughest in the nation last year with the only school ranked higher being another GCL South member, eventual state champion St. Xavier. The Crusaders won Division I state titles as recently as 2012 and 2013 and made the semifinals in 2014, but missed the playoffs the past two years.
They won’t be overlooking a Greater Miami Conference team like Hamilton as they try to get back on track this season.
“It’s the first game of the year, so both teams will be excited and want to put our footstep in the right direction,” Moeller coach John Rodenberg said. “Hamilton is in a situation they think things are starting to turn around and it’s time to take the next step forward. They had some success last year and some athletes, some returners back that look pretty good, and I’m sure they think they can be a playoff team, so these are dangerous games.”
Hamilton no longer has Eric Jackson running the show on offense, but new quarterback Khaliyal Sowell, a 5-foot-10, 170-pound sophomore, has “done a phenomenal job” so far, according to Murphy, and brings an arm the Big Blue hope to take advantage of more than recent years.
SEASON PREVIEWS
Murphy feels good about the talent around Sowell and the way things have gone since offseason weight training and conditioning, including some of the best practices he’s run since jumping on board.
Moeller will bring plenty of talent to the field Saturday too. Junior Trey McBride is a capable dual-threat quarterback, senior running back Colin Thurman led the league in rushing last year and senior tight end Brenden Bates, a Kentucky commit, is a dangerous target down the field.
Defensively, Penn State commit Aeneas Hawkins, a 6-foot-3 defensive lineman, creates havoc for opposing offenses, though he isn’t expected to play against HHS because of an injury, according to Mike Dyer of Cox Media partner WCPO.com.
“They have two really good D-I tight ends, an offensive guard with a bunch of offers, they are big up front and have athletes on the perimeter, some running backs that can run well and a quarterback who is a good decision-maker,” Murphy said. “Their offense is pretty potent. They are a spread team similar to us, except they’ve got two ginormous tight ends they do it with, and they run an even-front defense similar to us. They are good, but we feel we are too.”
Both coaches said neither team will fool the other with their schemes being so similar, so eliminating mistakes will be key.
“We run similar schemes, so it’s just going to come down to who does it better,” Rodenberg said. “We have to make sure to eliminate early mistakes, like offsides and penalties, and make sure they don’t multiply. If we can do that, we had a good camp and we feel this is our 10th season together, so we understand how to get ready for the first game. We’re ready to go.”
Saturday’s game
What: Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown, Moeller at Hamilton, 7 p.m.
Where: Virgil Schwarm Stadium, 1165 Eaton Ave., Hamilton
Last meeting: Moeller won 68-7 in 2011
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