TFTS 2025 GCL Football Preview Show

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back to Tails from the script, thank you for
choosing to spend your time with us.

Speaker 2 (00:05):
This is Marty CFTs CFT underscore.

Speaker 1 (00:08):
Yes, hit us up on socials. Hey, fellas dumb question?
How many hats do you own?

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Oh?

Speaker 3 (00:14):
It's going through my hat collection?

Speaker 1 (00:16):
Were you talking about washing some of the old ones,
kind of you know the golf season, pulling out some legends.

Speaker 3 (00:22):
I have way too many hats and I don't know
what to get rid of.

Speaker 2 (00:26):
But give me a number, Give me a number. What
do you got?

Speaker 3 (00:29):
I didn't count, but it's like four stacks and they're deep.

Speaker 1 (00:32):
So I mean I've got everything from you know, softball
hats from back to the day.

Speaker 3 (00:36):
I got one of those, you know, a couple of.

Speaker 1 (00:41):
Some golf hats, some some some Red's hats, some coaching.

Speaker 3 (00:46):
I just got too many hats.

Speaker 2 (00:48):
What about a visor?

Speaker 3 (00:49):
Seven and five eighths? Were you what are you rocking?

Speaker 2 (00:52):
Pat? Something got mel But my question is divisors count
advisors are the same thing or hats. Yeah, if you're
if you're capable of wearing a visor, which I say
that because if anybody knows me, like the back of
my dome is starting to show a lot of chrome.
I mean, so I twenty years ago, yeah, I was
able to wear a visor. Now I don't. I don't

(01:14):
have a single visor in the repertoire out.

Speaker 3 (01:18):
If you're bald.

Speaker 2 (01:19):
Yeahvisor's advisors were in like fifteen twenty years ago.

Speaker 3 (01:23):
Now I just bought a white Titleist Advisor. It's kind
of one of the oversized ones.

Speaker 2 (01:28):
It's like those are those are the.

Speaker 3 (01:30):
Tall brim stand up in a little.

Speaker 2 (01:33):
Yeah, yeah, bubble Bubba Watson style bob stoops. They got
that real thick top part of it.

Speaker 1 (01:41):
Yeah, I had some flow my little my.

Speaker 2 (01:47):
Last popping over the top a little bits the middle
Eastern jeans coming out, didn't you. I mean, you got
a lot of hair mark Advisor you can wear so
so like when when do you always wear them? Like
if you're sitting around your house, are you wearing a
hat or just when you go out like.

Speaker 3 (02:08):
Always it's kind of mass from feeling.

Speaker 2 (02:11):
It once the sun's out. I'm going to tell you guys,
when I walk outside, because I've I've you know, the
back of my head, it's it's it's pretty shiny. I've
got a hat on most of the time. I always
always on golf with a hat. I just came from
the pool. I had a bucket hat on when I

(02:34):
was at the pool today. Took it off for a
few minutes to get a little bit of you know,
get a little bit of sun on it. Let me
ask you this, Okay, I know we're we're going crazy here.
Is there anything more annoying that when a guy you
watched the PGA Tour and these guys finish around a
golf and they take their hat off and they do
the handshake and the top of their forehead is like

(02:57):
blindingly white and the rest of their face has a
beautiful tan farmer tan. Yes. Yes, My question is, all
these guys they all live in either Jupiter, Florida or Dallas, Texas.
Do you mean to tell me that they don't have
a pool and they're never in the pool just let
lounging on a raft and getting some sun on their face.
Go to the range with your hat off every once

(03:18):
in a while, exactly, whether it's five minutes here, ten
minutes there, fifteen minutes there, it's yeah, it's pretty it's
it's pretty hardcore. It's a pretty hard core line. Yeah,
Sam Burns did that. The end of the day, it's like, damn,
Sam Burns, it's pretty. And then they all try to
like run their hand through their hair and like part
their hair and everything to cover it up, and and

(03:40):
and you can't get it. You can't get away from
seeing it. You know what that is? People do that
gentleman's game. It's a gentleman's game. It's a gentleman's game.
Tom Dodd says that all the time. It's a gentleman Yeah. Well,
going back to going back to Martin's first question, I
would say the top shelf in my closet, I'm kind
of like Martin, I'm a about four stacks deep. I

(04:02):
probably have close to thirty five to forty hats up there. Yeah,
I think that's a good number. I think that's a
good number. You got some that you got to recirculate, thing,
ones that you forgot about, like can you clean them? Like,
for example, I love a trucker hat. I love a
trucker hat. The trucker hats, I freaking gink get enough

(04:23):
of them. But they get dirty, like especially the one
and I kind of like white, so they'll get a
little rusty looking. How you know, someone told me they
stick them in the dishwasher, the dishwasher. You can't do that.

Speaker 3 (04:38):
I can't. I don't do that.

Speaker 2 (04:40):
Here's the Let me tell you right now, fellas. Get
yourself a bucket, five gallon bucket, three gallon bucket, whatever
it is. Throw a scoop of oxy clean in there,
a little bit of tide or gain or whatever it is,
some warm water, swash it all around, and then just
take your hats and just dunk them in there like
pish around. Use your hands nice. Don't use a brush,

(05:02):
because if you have a trucker hat, it's gonna pull
that mesh on the back of it. You're gonna get
run too. Just gently rub it in there, wish it, yeah,
and then and then the.

Speaker 1 (05:14):
Heavy and put it on top of the hat and
let it soak for a few hours and then just
rinse it off.

Speaker 2 (05:18):
You don't want to do that. You don't have to
do that. Just just swishing around, get all that dirt
out of there. You can do four or five six
hats at a time. Empty the bucket, refill it with
clean water, swish them around, put them out on the
back deck, hang him from a chair, let him dry.
You got a dry hat in two three hours.

Speaker 3 (05:33):
Bucket. It's gonna look kind of nasty. I'm just warning it.

Speaker 2 (05:37):
These are free tips, free till yeah, I mean did
the DIY network here coming to you from Brett Schneeber.
All right, here, here, here's one. Here's a question for you, Martin,
you got something to say?

Speaker 1 (05:47):
Sorry, I'll end it with I'll end this session with
the comment, but go ahead.

Speaker 2 (05:54):
Who are the most famous hat wearers?

Speaker 4 (05:58):
Magnum I thought about that, right, Thomas Magnum, Right, great Tigers, Yeah,
Indiana Jones, good.

Speaker 2 (06:09):
One, good one. You know who? Also? Also, whore was
wearing a lid? Low key? Pretty pretty popular Forrest Gump, right, yeah, yeah,
Kengersy Junior has got to be mentioned just because of
his hat around backwards? Yeah, Ben, Yeah, ooh ooh what

(06:30):
what hat was it? What team was he repping?

Speaker 3 (06:32):
Dodgers?

Speaker 2 (06:33):
The Dodgers. That's right, Hey, while we're talking about repping hats.
So when when I think of hats, and this goes
back thirty years so summer of nineteen eighty nine, I
was a for whatever reason here growing up in Cincinnati,
I was an Orioles fan. I always love cal Ripken.

(06:55):
Do you guys remember, and I know you do remember
the white hats the game. That was the brand it
had like it had three on it, and it had
the three vertical stripes the bars across it, and it
might have like bucks for Ohio, you know, and then
it would say underneath it would say Ohio State University.
So I wasn't yeah, the cocks and pokes for Oklahoma State.

(07:19):
So I was a huge Orioles fan. So I went
that summer for whatever reason. I remember it was out
at Forrest Fair Mall and I bought an Orioles hat.
It had the old cartoon Oriole Bird logo on it
and then it said Baltimore Oriols under it. That was
eighty nine. I am telling you. I had that hat,

(07:39):
and I wore that hat probably on every vacation I
ever took, to the lake, to the ocean trail, wherever
I was going, that was my hat. And it got
to a point that I had that hat all the
way up probably till twoenty ten, and it was so
worn and beat down where I would I'm right handed,

(08:02):
where I would take my hat on and off with
my right thumb and forefinger, there were no threads left.
The six minutes on the bill. That's awesome. There were
no threads left. And my wife, God bless your soul,
she's still alive, God bless her. She tried to find
a replacement hat for me online, and you can't find

(08:23):
him anywhere. I've looked up in the game. The game's
coming back with those those times, I know, but I
can't find an Orioles hat. So if any listeners are
out there and they want to find a Baltimore Orioles
the game hat, just simple white hat with the black
and orange, you know, graphics on it, you can you
can send it our way at tails team.

Speaker 3 (08:46):
Tell listener what I got you for your fiftieth birthday.

Speaker 2 (08:49):
Ooh, So I show up to my fiftieth birthday party
once again, thrown by my lovely wife Molly. I walk
in and there's all these gifts sitting on the table
and there's this one gift off to the side, and
I'm like, what in the hell is that a cowboy hat?
My man Martin Eisley showed up to the house and
he brought me he was so excited. Oh my goodness, Marty,

(09:13):
you don't know, you don't know. But when when you
call me or you text me. That's the profile picture
of me wearing the cowboy hat with a picture of you.

Speaker 5 (09:23):
Welcome to Tales from the Script, a badass Cincinnati high
school sports podcast that features local coaches and athletes. You're
your hosts, Brett Schneeber, Pat O'Connor, and Martin Eisley.

Speaker 1 (09:50):
Thank you for choosing to spend your time with us,
and welcome to the first ever gCO preview show where
we have secured press.

Speaker 3 (10:00):
Time away from their families and teams.

Speaker 1 (10:03):
All four GCL head coaches, Burke Bathiani from Moeller, Pat
McLaughlin from Masaal, Steve Speck from st X, and your
first guest, the Legend, the two times state champ, the
Hall of Famer, the big Whistle at Elder High School
head coach Doug Ramsey.

Speaker 6 (10:18):
Sure, yeah, no problem, we just got done so well.

Speaker 1 (10:22):
You know, it's about seven o'clock right now. How's the
summer practice going? And tell us a little bit about
what you guys have been doing so far this year.

Speaker 2 (10:29):
Good.

Speaker 6 (10:29):
So we're a little different everybody else. You know, you
can start using your days, your your coaching days. May
fifteenth and we kind of hold off and this is
our first week of really getting going with this. We've
gone for three days and then we'll get a few
seven on seven's here and in the next couple of weeks.

Speaker 7 (10:48):
But we kind of like to run our days up
to two days and just.

Speaker 6 (10:52):
You know, keep the kids just this time for us,
just to get in as much of a playbook as
we can. And then once we hit all this first,
got the pads on, then we're just trying to refine everything.

Speaker 3 (11:05):
Very good, very good.

Speaker 1 (11:07):
So I was looking at your schedule a couple of
schedule changes this year. You want to go over at
top the bottom and tell us about some of the
changes your schedule and what you.

Speaker 3 (11:16):
Know, how many home games you have and uh any.

Speaker 1 (11:19):
Of them circled out on the calendar that might jump
out at our listeners, Well, you.

Speaker 2 (11:24):
Know that we're going to have eight home games. We
only lash didn't they have like freaking seven or eight?

Speaker 6 (11:33):
People are mad because we don't. We are our a
d kims. We just take like six or seven phone calls.

Speaker 7 (11:40):
Do you know that you don't have a home game
schedule during the month of September?

Speaker 6 (11:45):
Yeah, yeah, we know we don't have one, but uh but.

Speaker 1 (11:49):
Yeah, but I'll tell you for anybody listening that hasn't
been to your place, though, it's a special experience.

Speaker 2 (11:55):
Yeah it's good.

Speaker 7 (11:55):
It's a good place.

Speaker 8 (11:56):
It's a good place to be.

Speaker 6 (11:58):
So yeah, it's it's a little differ so, you know,
me and me and Pat mcla actually talked. In the
off season. We moved the UH the lasal game up
from week ten to week four, which I like that.
I for a couple of reasons. I like the league
games to be a little bit closer together. But also
that's a really tough game to play the week before
the playoffs start. And I think the other thing that

(12:21):
was good for us, UH got st Ads off of
our schedule so.

Speaker 9 (12:25):
They don't have to.

Speaker 7 (12:27):
Play play that.

Speaker 6 (12:31):
But no, but yes, we've got that, and we got
a couple of other locals that we picked up, Highlands
and cub Cast, which I think will be will be good.
It's it hasn't been such a fight to try to
get local local teams, you know, with with.

Speaker 7 (12:42):
Everybody playing nine league games.

Speaker 8 (12:45):
And those kinds of things. It's it's actually kind of
nice that that we're going to have, you know, the
three league games.

Speaker 6 (12:50):
We've got spring Borough, we've got Highlands, got Cubcast, so
some people from around here that that that you know,
fans actually know.

Speaker 7 (12:59):
Know who this are, so that that's kind of nice
in a schedule change for us.

Speaker 2 (13:03):
And you don't have to play on Saturday this year. Yeah,
so that's the first for you, isn't it. I believe
that's the first time.

Speaker 6 (13:09):
And so this is what you're twenty eight for me
as head coaches, first time we've not played on a Saturday.

Speaker 2 (13:14):
Wow.

Speaker 8 (13:15):
It just it just screwed.

Speaker 2 (13:16):
It just screws up everything. I mean, it cours up
the week of the game, the week after the game
trying to It screws up preparation. It cuts you short
by a day and takes everybody. And then if you
got multiple ones of those.

Speaker 7 (13:28):
Yeah, you know know we that the trip to Cleveland.

Speaker 6 (13:32):
You know, you come back, you get back and then
you know you got to spend all Sunday. There's no
weekend for the coaches. You know, it's just constant. It's constant.
You know, we got this game and we get ready
for the next game. And yeah, just the Friday night
games or that's that's the way to go.

Speaker 1 (13:48):
Yeah, on Friday, August twenty second against Mountain Zion prep
it looks like Maryland.

Speaker 8 (13:53):
Yes, so yes, yeah.

Speaker 3 (13:55):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (13:55):
Week two is another home game versus CUFCAF, which is awesome. Uh,
and then you're away one, two, three, four weeks in
a row on the road.

Speaker 8 (14:04):
Yeah, that's what you're talking about.

Speaker 7 (14:06):
That's that's September stretch that everybody's mad about.

Speaker 1 (14:10):
Yeah, you got you got at Springboro, which is what's
that about? Maybe an hour drive from here.

Speaker 6 (14:16):
Actually, you know we went up so we were there
and then played here twice and back up there this year.
I think the first time we went, it was about
hour of traffic was four. But going up seventy anytime
you get to play north and you got go up
seventy five, you're gonna have fifteen twenty thirty minutes to
your trip every time.

Speaker 8 (14:33):
But it's not bad. It's it's it's not bad. I
like a game a lot, get.

Speaker 2 (14:37):
The kid down a lot.

Speaker 3 (14:40):
Yes, that's great facilities up there too.

Speaker 6 (14:43):
Yeah, it's it's a nice that's a very nice place.
Nice facilities. Uh, when we played there three years ago.
Great for ow it's it's it's it's a good place
to go.

Speaker 3 (14:52):
And then week four you're at Lasal Like you just mentioned.

Speaker 1 (14:56):
Next week that Louisville Saint Xavier and then at Saint
Xavier after that, So you're going Lasal, Louisville, Saint XE,
at Saint x then home versus Moller.

Speaker 3 (15:07):
That's that's a pretty good clip of well games right there.
But you're you know, watching your schedule through the years.
It's always been a meat grinder, right.

Speaker 8 (15:16):
It is, you know, yes, it has.

Speaker 6 (15:17):
And so yeah, and this year it's not quite as
you know, last year we played that the team that
we played from Maryland last year had thirteen D one players.

Speaker 7 (15:28):
I mean they were just just loaded. You know, you
had Saint Ads and and as good as Moler was.

Speaker 6 (15:33):
And then of course you know, you know Lasal was
was kind of beat up all year long and then
they get healthy than the season.

Speaker 7 (15:40):
We're playing in Week ten and they were a good
team at the end of the year.

Speaker 6 (15:42):
And you know me, it's just like everybody was on
the schedule last year was was it was.

Speaker 7 (15:47):
It was tough, it was, it was a hard schedule
last I.

Speaker 6 (15:50):
Don't think we're quite in that that that that high
level this year.

Speaker 8 (15:54):
So uh, that's a good thing.

Speaker 1 (15:57):
Yeah, and that that Friday, October third is home versus Molar.
Then you end with home versus Highlands Away at Chatard.
Who boy, that's that's that's a pretty tough game too.

Speaker 6 (16:08):
That's a hard game because I'll tell you this, they
are the thing about them that makes them so hard
that they're really well coached and they just know how
to win. You know, they're they're they're probably a school
the size of I don't know, maybe a little bit
bigger than a mcnick. So they're not real big, but
they've got a lot of just hard nosed kids and

(16:30):
and and their coaches do a great job.

Speaker 8 (16:32):
And it is that that's a tough game. I mean, I.

Speaker 6 (16:35):
Think they're in the twenties and state championships or something
like that.

Speaker 7 (16:39):
Like, you know, they just they just not win games well.

Speaker 1 (16:42):
And then the end at the at the home game
against Daylasalle Michigan. So you played two teams on your
schedule called Saint X and LASAL that aren't in the GC.

Speaker 8 (16:52):
Just run and confuse everybody.

Speaker 1 (16:55):
Well, what do you know about your home opponent, your
your week one opponent Mountain.

Speaker 6 (16:58):
Zion prep honestly on a whole lot. Now we did,
we we did. We did have one film on them.
It's an interesting So you played some of these prep
schools from the East coasts, and you never really know
what you're getting into because so many things can change
from season to season. You know, Like last year I
mentioned we we played the other prep team from from

(17:19):
from Maryland, and from the time that we signed a
contract in May until we played them, they had thirteen
transfers and nine of those guys were were Division one you.

Speaker 8 (17:30):
Know, Division on prospects.

Speaker 6 (17:32):
So so you get into that, you're not always sure
from year to year what you get. They're just they
try to advertise that they're they're playing a national schedule,
you know, and trying to get kids to to to
transfer to their.

Speaker 7 (17:44):
School and and those kinds of things. They've got some
good players, and their record wasn't great last year, but
they play all the elite schools on the East Coast,
you know, the Saint Francis teams and UH and and
McDonough's and all the teams that win a lot of games.

Speaker 8 (18:00):
So sometimes you look around.

Speaker 6 (18:01):
It's not a very good record, but but they're they're
they're playing against great competition.

Speaker 2 (18:08):
Coach walk us through, Pat here, walk us through a
little bit of uh, what you got coming back some
of the players and kind of what you expect that
them onive.

Speaker 6 (18:21):
Okay, well, you know we we we really have a
lot of experience because we had so many injuries last year,
so we played a lot of young a lot of
young people. So if you look at us offensively, you know,
our quarterback Kane Stepp, he's back, played as a sophomore
last year. Four of our five offensive linemen that started

(18:41):
last year or back. You know, one of those guys
was was a sophomore last year, so he'll he'll be
back for two more years. And you know we've got
We've got one of our receivers back in and Jackson Ruce,
So you know, we we've got a good number of
kids who who who have experience on the offensive side

(19:02):
of the bon and it's the same one in the defense.
If you look our two outside linebackers Derek Uran and
and and and and Alex Dugan, those guys are you know, uh,
Derek's one of one of the best players in the state.

Speaker 7 (19:13):
And Alex is a que who plays really well outside linebacker.

Speaker 6 (19:16):
Those guys back and then on the inside, you know,
we were playing a freshman and Luke for Luke Ford
camp last year. Towards the end of the season, so
he'll he'll be starting us as a sophomore probably this year.
And and we had a sophomore linebacker, you know, and
and Ben McPherson who played last year. So we've got
guys on and the linebacking corps who who have a

(19:38):
lot of experience. We've there's about five guys on the
d line that played.

Speaker 8 (19:43):
Substantial minutes last year.

Speaker 6 (19:44):
The only area that we really don't have a lot
of experiences in the secondary and then in in in
our offensive backfield, but really everywhere else, we've got quite
a number of guys. Uh our kickers back and Adam Ray,
you know, Kayaney step was our punter last year, so
all those guys are kind of back.

Speaker 7 (20:02):
So so we kind of feel good about, you know,
where we're at.

Speaker 6 (20:05):
That way, it's it's it's so much easier in the
summer to install things right. You don't get things going
when kids are familiar with what with what what they're doing.
You know that there's so much carryover from last year
with guys were on the.

Speaker 7 (20:19):
Field, and I think with that too, you get you
get a.

Speaker 8 (20:21):
Lot more leaders.

Speaker 7 (20:22):
I mean even your young guys kids that are that
was sophomores last year. They are now juniors.

Speaker 6 (20:28):
You know, they're they're they're they're they're They're like seeing
your leaders still even even though they're yearbind because they
were on the field for twelve games last year and
making plays and and the ups and downs of everything.

Speaker 8 (20:37):
So I feel really good about our experience level.

Speaker 2 (20:41):
I know last year tried to put the scatteryport together
with you guys. It was like, you know, by week ten,
we have we have all of your guys film, and
then it's like, okay, this guy, this guy, he was
playing outside linebacker, now he's playing inside linebacker. And then
that game he was playing down as a four technique.
And so what I found was you guys had so
many guys playing so many different spots in knowing your

(21:04):
guys defense because I've been around it for a long
long time. When you can play all those different positions,
I think it makes it so much more of a
cohesive group because they understand, Okay, what gap do I
have on this blitz? What gap do I have when
we slant this way, we angle this way? And I
think that's really going to help you guys out this year.

Speaker 6 (21:22):
Yeah, it's fun because you talk about the kid that
played inside outside. Matt Gongenhar was the kid and he
going into the season, we weren't even sure how much
he was going to play for us, and he end
up being a guy that was an All League player
because he played well as an outside guy, he played
well as an inside guy, and he played really well
as a defensive lineman. So you know, like you're saying,

(21:43):
you know, I think you're right when when even Derek
ran the same way he played, you know, we put
him at corner sometimes, at safety sometimes and you know,
you know what everybody else is doing. You know, it's
it's it's like you're talking about, I'm the OFFENSI with
offensive lineman. You all got to work together, you know,
And I think defenses is the exact same what you know,
but it's a gap control. Hey what do I got

(22:03):
to do?

Speaker 2 (22:04):
Yeah?

Speaker 1 (22:05):
And some of our listeners that are around our age,
let's be honest, most people that listen to our podcasts aren't.

Speaker 3 (22:10):
Aren't the gen Z guy. Right back in the day,
you had like.

Speaker 1 (22:15):
A depth chart like here's your backup defensive tackle, here's
your backup linebacker. Number one goes down, the number two
goes in. Things have changed so much for the better.
I think it's made football better where you're getting your
best eleven guys on the field, like if you're playing linebacker,
but you're better than the backup defensive tackle and now
you know what I mean.

Speaker 6 (22:33):
So really it was it was kind of forced on
us in some ways because I think one of the
things that's happened is those kids that used to be
your backups that were pretty good players, if they're not
starting in football anymore, they're going to concentrate on basketball.
They're going to concentrate on baseball. And so that kid
that you know, you could used to be able to
count on, he's not doing it anymore. So so now

(22:54):
everybody has to be a little bit more versatile, you
know that, because that was the thing that you know,
you talk about last short the injuries, you know, you
take you take Braydon for example, a tight end. He
was our best pass rusher on defense, you know what
I mean. And then Maddox Arnold, who was linebacker, won
in Toledo. He was our short yardage guy, you know,
and with five or six touchdowns in the first three games.

Speaker 8 (23:17):
And then you know, after that, we.

Speaker 7 (23:19):
Didn't really have we we were playing with one hundred
and forty five pounds tailback.

Speaker 8 (23:23):
You know, we didn't have anybody you know, to find
to do that.

Speaker 7 (23:26):
So so you're right, it is just getting guys.

Speaker 6 (23:28):
It's not even just the same, you know, playing a
on the same side of the ball, but taking guys
in a certain situation from some offense and do something
on defense and defensive guys doing something on offense.

Speaker 8 (23:39):
It really has made things a lot better.

Speaker 1 (23:41):
Yeah, let's talk about your quarterback for a minute, coach,
You've had some prolific quarterbacks through the years. Where Cayton, uh,
you know, how do you see him as he started
as a sophomore, right, Yes, he'll be an incoming senior.

Speaker 6 (23:54):
If i'm he'll be junior, you'll be here. Yeah, he
got a chance to be the best we've had. Honestly,
is a thrower. He throws the ball exceptionally well. Smart kid,
understands the game. You know, he's already got he's got
a couple, he's got a couple of Mac offers at
this point in time.

Speaker 8 (24:15):
You know, it's a shame.

Speaker 7 (24:16):
If he was two inches taller, he might have more.
But you know, he's a five to eleven guy. But
he runs around well enough.

Speaker 1 (24:25):
But I I've seen him make some throws I've seen
I've seen him make some throws from uh from a
weird arm angle, from positions that other kids that and
the accuracy is incredible.

Speaker 6 (24:37):
Yeah, And and the toughness of taking the hits and
still hanging in there. And you know, it's something we
talk you know, it's about it's a we call it.

Speaker 8 (24:44):
A leadership for a right.

Speaker 6 (24:45):
If you can hang in there and get smacked in
the face and deliver a strike, you know who else
in the field can say anything or not do anything.
When a quarterback gets drilled and puts the ball on
the money. You know, he's shown you, guys how how
to get things done. He's really good about that kind
of stuff.

Speaker 3 (25:02):
Doug.

Speaker 2 (25:02):
I know you've over the years, you've you've utilized your
quarterback as a runner, and last year you didn't use
Caden that much. Is that more just a protecting him
as a sophomore or is that just what fit his
skill set? You know? And you don't have to let
anything out of the bag if you don't want. I mean, no,

(25:22):
I just I'm just wondering if we're going to see
the quarterback, you know, the old elder quarterback run game
reappear this year.

Speaker 8 (25:29):
A little bit more.

Speaker 6 (25:30):
You know, he probably by the time we started playing
last year, he was one hundred and sixty pounds sophomore,
you know, and how many hits can you take when
you're one hundred and sixty pounds in there you're fifteen
years old. He's probably closer to one eighty this year,
a little bit thicker. So yeah, we'll get him a
little bit more involved in the run game. And then

(25:53):
probably his senior year, you know, maybe he's a little
bit more ninety five and and we can do a
little bit more with him as well.

Speaker 7 (26:00):
But yeah, I I didn't miss that last year.

Speaker 8 (26:02):
I'll be honest with you. I like the fact that
I think it.

Speaker 7 (26:04):
It's something that puts a lot of pressure on on
on the defense.

Speaker 8 (26:07):
You know, you got it, really does.

Speaker 7 (26:08):
I'm an extra guy.

Speaker 2 (26:10):
Yeah, no doubt about that. So you mentioned the secondary
you know you've had You've had it seems like fourteen
different Santa's kids play play that boundary safety what what's
what's it looked like as far as the competition for
the for the secondary spots this year.

Speaker 8 (26:28):
You know that that's a good that's a good question.
There's there's so many guys and we're going at seven
on seven in practice. There's so many guys running now there,
I don't even who's out out there.

Speaker 6 (26:38):
So I gotta I gotta talk to the defensive guys
about how how things are.

Speaker 8 (26:42):
Going, you know.

Speaker 6 (26:44):
But I think, uh, I think there's you know, Brian
Turner is a kid that UH was was coming into
his own little last year.

Speaker 8 (26:52):
He was going to start playing.

Speaker 7 (26:52):
He gets into in a molar game for one play
and has a shoulder injury, and.

Speaker 8 (26:57):
He's he was done for the season.

Speaker 6 (26:59):
So hopefully, you know, he can he can kind of,
you know, get things going. And we had a couple
of guys who who didn't play last year.

Speaker 7 (27:09):
They were good sophomore players and then decided that they were.

Speaker 6 (27:12):
Going to do some some fallball baseball things and didn't play.
But they came back out this year. So it's kind
of added to the competition. So I said, we probably
got we've probably got about ten guys fighting for the
four spots in the secondary. And and and honestly, right now,
I couldn't.

Speaker 8 (27:27):
Say it's going to be him, him, him or him, you.

Speaker 7 (27:29):
Know, I think it is it is wide, wide open.

Speaker 3 (27:35):
Good deal.

Speaker 1 (27:35):
It's can I ask about how's your defensive coaching staff?
I asked this selfish because my brother's one of your coaches.

Speaker 3 (27:43):
Talk about your coaching staff.

Speaker 1 (27:44):
You've had some guys that have been there for since
You've been there for a long time.

Speaker 7 (27:50):
Your your brother, Uh so, yeah, he is?

Speaker 8 (27:55):
He the only one?

Speaker 3 (27:56):
So Matt is is Kenny?

Speaker 7 (27:58):
Kenny's not so I think Matt see, Matt was.

Speaker 6 (28:01):
Matt was one of the first guys I hired, you know,
way way back twenty eight years ago. So I've been
with Matt's been here for a long time. Craig James
has been around for a long time. Pat good Was
was on that first staff, but he he left for
a year, went to Fairfield. But Pat's still coaching on
the old line. Uh So, we've still got a lot
of old guys like that, And then you know, we've

(28:23):
got some some younger Pat Mcattee who who And Brandon
Finkey who played for for me one of my first
couple of years as head coach.

Speaker 7 (28:29):
Those guys are on staff.

Speaker 6 (28:31):
And then Jay Roadin who You guys, You guys know
that Chase Jason Chase are our coordinator.

Speaker 2 (28:37):
You know.

Speaker 8 (28:38):
So, so we've got a couple a couple of newer
guys in, but the.

Speaker 6 (28:43):
Key in and then my son Peyton is is uh
is coaching the quarterbacks and and so we've got we've
got some young and some old and it's kind of
a good mix.

Speaker 3 (28:52):
I think it's always good to get some young blood in.

Speaker 6 (28:56):
Yeah, they're smarter than we are. They they they they uh,
they they know that they know they learn new things
when they're away at college, you know what I mean. So,
so it's good to get some some fresh ideas from
his young guys.

Speaker 1 (29:08):
Pat said he he's been watching a lot of a
lot of Twitter and he sees the single wing coming back.

Speaker 3 (29:13):
You wanted to know if you guys were gonna take
the hair out of the ball and run some double wing.
Uh you know, well maybe some stuff.

Speaker 7 (29:21):
Maybe not maybe a little wing t will be a
little more wing te how about that?

Speaker 2 (29:26):
Absolutely?

Speaker 1 (29:27):
Absolutely, seriously do you ever see stuff on Twitter or
you're watching the game and think, you know, we can.

Speaker 3 (29:32):
Probably do that, Like is that something that coaches do?

Speaker 2 (29:35):
Oh?

Speaker 6 (29:35):
Yeah, there's so there's down a few Ever, there's a
guy named Dan Casey. He's a coach down in a Yeah,
and he puts a bunch of stuff out there. And actually,
what's the other guy's name at shoot, I can't think
of his name, but he's he's actually the offensive coordinator
for that the Michigan team that we're playing in Week ten.

Speaker 8 (29:54):
He's another one of those.

Speaker 7 (29:55):
Guys that puts a bunch of a bunch of stuff
out there on on on Twitter.

Speaker 2 (29:59):
That that's all.

Speaker 8 (30:00):
It was interesting to look at.

Speaker 2 (30:01):
You know, you mentioned tea and pulling stuff off of it,
and I'm just thinking back to some of the run
game you guys had last year with your tailback. It
was almost like the course that they would take where
they were they were taking that thing, you know, flat,
you know, flat across the backfield and then kind of
rounding it up into the hole. I think that had
some old wing T elements.

Speaker 6 (30:22):
Sure, yeah, I did, because we were running just uh
we ran some Bucks sweep and we ran some power
and we were just doing.

Speaker 7 (30:28):
It with the old the quick motion that the at
the wing te wing team teams use.

Speaker 8 (30:34):
So yeah, we we've we've we've we've added a little
bit of that wing T element to look.

Speaker 2 (30:40):
You mentioned Buck sweep. So when I played in the
All Star game back in nineteen ninety one. Kenny Minor
was my head coach, and you know, I'm playing quarterback
and he's installing buck sweep and I'm like, what in
the hell is this run play that you're trying to
have us run. I'm like, dude, we've got a tailback.
I got a tailback by I mean Brian King, who's

(31:01):
going to play at Penn State. I don't think we
truly need to be installing bucks sleep. Let's just toss
it to him and just let him run.

Speaker 9 (31:09):
Yep.

Speaker 8 (31:11):
I love the buck though I got. I'm lucky we were.
It's not something we did. We we we would always Uh.
I was actually during COVID.

Speaker 6 (31:24):
We were allowed to have one scrimmage or whatever, and
we we we hooked up with Sycamore and Scott the
Tiller was running uh the buck sweep against us, and
I sat down and talked to him about it, and uh,
and it's it's been kind of a big part, and
we've we've kind of this year, we're going to do
quite a few things off of of that, you know,
some some pin and pool ideas with it, and and

(31:47):
just this regular buck.

Speaker 3 (31:48):
So so yeah, old school if you can block and tackle.
You can run whatever the hell you want.

Speaker 7 (31:55):
You're and then but that's what the wing.

Speaker 6 (31:58):
The wing teams about having you don't have a big
lineman that you get angles and block people down and
trying to get to the end.

Speaker 2 (32:06):
Our season last year at Out pretty much ended because
of the buck sweep because Evan Dryer and Anderson went
and hired Ben Osborne and he installed the buck sweep,
and Anderson of all schools, was running the ball down
people's throats running buck sweep. And I said to Ben
after the game, I said, you just had to show
him buck swep, did you. He said, It's a beautiful
thing when it's run correctly. I said, shut up. So coach,

(32:29):
we got to talked about this a little bit earlier clinicing.
I always love it when coaches go out there sharpen
their racks a little bit off seasons, kind of wrapping
up a little bit. So talk to me a little
bit about clinicing, like what you did kind of one
of some of the things that I know so much
is online now, But talked a little bit about what
you've who you work with typically.

Speaker 8 (32:50):
Well, that's trying to do different different things. That's what
it was. It was nice to go down to Navy
and it's funny.

Speaker 3 (32:58):
To melder guys down there.

Speaker 8 (33:00):
Yeah, oh yes, yeah, I.

Speaker 6 (33:01):
Had to go see PJ and and and Ricky go
down and see those guys and and but it was
very interesting in talking to the offensive coordinator because you know,
you always think of Navy as being triple option and
and and really they're not.

Speaker 7 (33:15):
Like, he's not a triple option guy. He's telling he said,
he said, I kept it in because it makes Navy
who they are. But he's added a lot and he's
he's kind of a wing tea guy too.

Speaker 3 (33:27):
And there's some some really interesting it was a lot
of hybrid weird stuff, yes, and.

Speaker 6 (33:33):
Just spending time and watching all their cutups and things
was was was really interesting to where the shifts and
motions to where they call things that you know, I
came away from that with a lot of really good,
got good ideas, not thinking that we were going down
there to do a lot of stuff on offense, but
we came away from there saying, man, that that kind

(33:54):
of fits and this is this is a good idea.
So so I thought it was really good spending time
with those guys and and there's some guys around town too,
like Scott that till is a guy. There's just some
guys that do some some some different things, you know,
you know, because I think sometimes it's great to talk
to college guys, but I think talking to high school
guys that have the same type of players that you do,

(34:18):
and finding ways to take advantage of other people, you.

Speaker 8 (34:22):
Know, it's really big.

Speaker 6 (34:23):
That's why, you know, get anybody that that's willing to
talk to to to you about a buck sweep or
anything along those lines, something you're not real familiar with.

Speaker 7 (34:32):
It's it's it's really uh, it's really interesting.

Speaker 6 (34:35):
I've always felt I enjoyed listening people talk that know
what they're talking about.

Speaker 2 (34:40):
You know.

Speaker 6 (34:40):
It's like if I'm taking a class in college, you know,
a greg school, you know, you go down then Xavier
or whatever.

Speaker 8 (34:47):
I just want to listen.

Speaker 7 (34:48):
You tell me something that I don't know about and
and make it interesting, you know.

Speaker 6 (34:53):
And when you find high school coaches or college coaches
can do that, you know, it's really I enjoy it thoroughly,
and I'll probably we continue to do it to you
and after I'm done coaching, just to just to stay
you know, stay up on top of it.

Speaker 1 (35:06):
Well, coach, you're a true legend. We really appreciate your
time and we want to be your stuck covid. So
last question. It's a Saturday afternoon uh JV game just ended.

Speaker 3 (35:17):
It's like one o'clock. We're at the pit. Where are
we going to get wings and a beer?

Speaker 10 (35:21):
Like?

Speaker 3 (35:22):
What's your go to place for wings within the.

Speaker 8 (35:24):
Five I'm going to Wild Mics. I'm going to get
some wings after the game. I'm going to Wild Mics best.

Speaker 7 (35:29):
You heard it, best best non smoke wings in town
in my opinion, Yes.

Speaker 2 (35:35):
You heard it.

Speaker 1 (35:35):
We're going to ask all the g CL coaches where
to go for wings around their school, So Wild MIC's
it is.

Speaker 2 (35:51):
Continuing on with our g CL preview We've got coming
up next the head coach with the losle answers, Pat McLaughlin.
Wellome to the our GCL preview show. Coach, how's everything
going for you tonight?

Speaker 11 (36:06):
Doing well tonight?

Speaker 10 (36:07):
Thank you for having me on. I always look forward
to our conversation. But all is good right now?

Speaker 2 (36:12):
That is amazing. Obviously you're coming off a pretty great
season next year, but this is all about talking about
twenty twenty five. And kind of what you got coming
up and kind of go through the schedule a little
bit and kind of look forward to some of the
things that we got going on on North Bend Road there.
So first, let's talk a little bit about where you

(36:33):
are in the off season with the team. Where you're
at practice wise and using the state days and all
those things.

Speaker 10 (36:40):
Where are you at, Uh, Yeah, as we get closer
to the end of July. We're mid July right now,
maybe early I guess we could say we start using
our fourteen days, thirteen days, whatever we have, and so.

Speaker 11 (36:53):
You know, Marty, Marty's been on staff and Brett's been
on staff.

Speaker 10 (36:56):
We I usually take the two last two weeks in
July and use our our ten days and then roll
that into doubles. But we're in the thick of it.
Our kids have been working out since January. They're doing
a good job. We got a ton of kids playing
other sports. So really, I think our culture the football team,

(37:16):
it's evolved into.

Speaker 11 (37:19):
Developing and seeing what we have.

Speaker 10 (37:21):
Developing that culture in the summer because we really don't
have all of our guys until June. First, because of
tracking basketball and baseball and lacrosse and all the other sports,
which is fine, and so we really have to hammer
down our culture and get everybody there on June first.

Speaker 2 (37:36):
So June was good.

Speaker 11 (37:37):
We take your live fourth week off.

Speaker 10 (37:39):
This is our first week back after July fourth, hit
the ground run and we'll put helmets on next week
and then kind of start our quote unquote practicing for
the last couple of weeks of July.

Speaker 2 (37:50):
So you've been after it. Seven on seven's, we've been going,
been going on Okay.

Speaker 10 (37:55):
Yeah, I mean it's yeah, they've been, they've been. They've
been good. We've done several seven on sevens. You know, Brett,
you and I have talked about this before. There's a
ton of value to seven on seven. There is in
terms of quarterback reads and receivers and chemistry there and
kind of seeing who can drop and different things. But uh,

(38:16):
you know, when when you play Fairmount week two and
they throw the ball one time, and you play Saint
X whatever week we play them and they're going to
throw the ball three times, seven on seven isn't gonna help.

Speaker 11 (38:25):
Us a ton. So I usually don't get too excited
about seven on seven.

Speaker 10 (38:29):
If we do well, fine, if we don't use it
as a learning tool, but we've we've done them.

Speaker 11 (38:34):
There is value.

Speaker 10 (38:35):
The biggest thing is see who what kids can compete?
Do we find any kids out there that we didn't
know that could play receiver, play linebacker, help us out
in a certain position, take it for what it's worth,
and then kind of springboard into our our camp days.

Speaker 1 (38:52):
You know, coach, we want to talk about the schedule
a little bit too. Week one got the Cole Ring Cardinals. Ye,
neighborhood rival.

Speaker 11 (39:00):
Right, yes, sir?

Speaker 3 (39:03):
What do you think?

Speaker 2 (39:04):
I mean?

Speaker 3 (39:04):
Do you like that game week one? Is that still
and do you have them after this year? Or is
that a one or a two year deal?

Speaker 10 (39:12):
I believe a couple of years ago we signed a
four year deal, so I think we have them two years,
uh two years after this, which which is good. It's
just so hard for us to get games week one
and so when the GMC plays nine league games, they
only have one one week open, that being the first week.
If we can get Cole Rain every year, I would

(39:32):
do it for from now until eternity, because it is,
like you said, a neighborhood rivalry.

Speaker 11 (39:37):
It's a good game.

Speaker 10 (39:39):
Don't look at what their records been in the past.
We're gonna get their best effort. We get it every year,
and so when they start the season they're zero zero
zero where zero zero their kids are. They're gonna play hard.
They're good kids, they're tough. I know the coach over
Georgian on my staff at Princeton. I actually offer him

(40:03):
a job at Lasau. When I took the job there,
he was out Matt healthy.

Speaker 11 (40:06):
They won.

Speaker 10 (40:07):
Now he's at Princeton. Sounds like he's got to going
pretty good over there. So again, I think it's a
good game for us. It's a good test for us.
It's at home this year, and I'm excited about getting
started with them.

Speaker 11 (40:18):
Week one good deal.

Speaker 3 (40:20):
Week two you're at Northmont.

Speaker 1 (40:22):
Week three home versus Fairmont, So you got the Northmont
Fairmont back to.

Speaker 10 (40:26):
Backers and we signed them again, so we got them
two years after this year. Those are good games for
US number one, because it's hard to find I would
say quote unquote local games.

Speaker 11 (40:37):
I would consider those local.

Speaker 10 (40:39):
But two good games for US, and we actually just
signed with he us, So I think we have our
first five games if you put Elder week four, first
five games set for the next two years, which is
fantastic for us in a era when it's hard to
find games. But Fairmont they're always good. They're tough, well coached.

(40:59):
I said they're gonna throw the ball one time. Northmont
just got a new coach. I think he's from the
from the East Coast, and obviously you know what you're
getting out of Elder. I'm sure we'll get to the
GC on in just a second. But in my estimation,
between the three teams that we have to play, it
might be the strongest league I've seen in probably five
to ten years. I think the league is as good

(41:21):
as it's been. And then with Row week five, so
it's obviously not going to be easy.

Speaker 3 (41:27):
Again, Yeah, tough schedule.

Speaker 1 (41:30):
And then after Withrow you're at Moler and then you're
at home versus Ron Collie.

Speaker 3 (41:35):
I mean that's.

Speaker 1 (41:37):
You're going Northmont, Fairmount Elder Withrow, Moller, Run Collie and
then sat X. That that's a heck of a meet
grinder right there.

Speaker 10 (41:44):
Because all Division one minus with Row. So all those
are Division one schools minus with Row, all very well
coached physical games.

Speaker 3 (41:55):
Tip of the spear Division one too. You're not talking
about guys that, I mean.

Speaker 10 (41:59):
People don't realize last year Fairmont, they were the number
one seed in in Region two or three, whatever it was.

Speaker 11 (42:07):
I don't know what reason they were in. They were
the number one seed.

Speaker 10 (42:09):
They went eight and two and when they beat Springfield,
they beat Wayne, Uh, they lost to US and maybe
one other one other game, and I mean they're eight
and two. They're the one seed, so all those games
are physical. Moeller's got a gazillion offers right now. The quarterback,
obviously is he's going bred. I guess got a hack
because he's going to uh the UK.

Speaker 2 (42:33):
Come on, kids, of my money went to u K.
That's all I'm saying.

Speaker 11 (42:41):
He's outstanding. Their team's outstanding. Saint X I think is.

Speaker 10 (42:47):
I mean, I think X is going to be really
really good as well. And then Ron Colley they were
young last year. But it's that's another g CL game,
that's like that's playing that's like playing a Baden, that's
like playing an alter, that's like playing a GCL team.
And then our last two games, I mean, Week nine,
it's no picnic. We got to travel up to Canton

(43:09):
to play Week nine. So we're leaving Friday, play the game.
We'll probably get back at like five o'clock in the
morning on Saturday morning, and then we got to go
to with then Mount Hill. I think we go to
Mount Healthy week ten, so it's a it's another tough schedule.

Speaker 2 (43:23):
How many home games?

Speaker 10 (43:26):
I believe we're five and five this year. The weird
thing though, is I don't think we have a home game.
I think our last three games are away, so I
think X and then Louisville Lewis.

Speaker 11 (43:36):
It's actually Lewisville. It's not Louisville.

Speaker 10 (43:38):
You pronounce it Louisville, and then Mount Healthy are all away.
So our senior night is against Ron Collie weeks is
that week seven? Week seven because our last three games
are away. Just kind of how it worked out.

Speaker 1 (43:53):
Yeah, let's talk about your players coming back and your
seniors to be you know, tell us what the will
sound answer Nation can expect out of this version of
of of their team.

Speaker 10 (44:05):
I certainly think that they learned a lot from last
year's group in terms of what it takes preparation off
season getting ready for the season. So I think you'll
see a lot of carry over from UH, the leadership
and the work.

Speaker 11 (44:18):
Ethic and the time and and things that were put in.
But UH this year you're looking at guys like Hunter Ogden.
He's committed army pat. I see you have a navy
hat on right there, so it might be a problem
a couple of years.

Speaker 2 (44:33):
Yeah, can you give me a push pop rep quick?
But ice cream truck?

Speaker 12 (44:36):
Out?

Speaker 11 (44:37):
Ice cream truck, that's richest.

Speaker 10 (44:40):
I'm not sure if that's an ice cream truck or
you know the old uh, the old white van coming around.

Speaker 11 (44:44):
But anyway, there's.

Speaker 2 (44:46):
About kids being kidnapped in the back.

Speaker 3 (44:48):
Of that van, right that's why they played the music
so loud.

Speaker 11 (44:53):
Another van, but I'm not going to say that on
the on here.

Speaker 2 (44:58):
Speaking of this, this is one time one of my
friends said this. He said, any he told his son this,
He goes, anytime the music's playing, that means that they're
out of ice cream.

Speaker 8 (45:07):
And it was.

Speaker 2 (45:09):
And so finally like his grandma was there and he
was out, and he goes, oh, hey son, your grandson,
do you want some ice creamy side? Grandma's too late.
The music's playing, They're already ice cream. Who told you that?
He goes, oh, my dad, and she goes, oh, he's
a liar And was the greatest, the greatest little line ever.
So that's you can steal that. That's awesome.

Speaker 10 (45:31):
Yeah, So, as I was saying Pat, a couple of
years from now, when they play out in Philly or
they play in DC, wherever they play at, well, we'll
have when I say we Lasau have one on each team,
and I'll be I'll be very proud of that.

Speaker 11 (45:43):
But U great kids should be a captain for us again.

Speaker 10 (45:48):
Going to UH Going to West Point, Max Keith has
stepped up West saturfield offensive line. One of my favorite
players of all time is Ramier Murphy. He's gonna be
a sophomore. I mean, just a tough, hard nose uh
the kid.

Speaker 11 (46:02):
He's done good.

Speaker 10 (46:03):
Guys were looking to step up on the offensive side
of the ball. Drew Dobzinski got a ton of snaps
last year. Avire Carter got a ton of slap snaps
last year. Jordan Hall, I think you can expect a
breakout year out of him. That his his his vision
and his running low center of gravity remind me of
uh Ron Payn camp Porter. I mean, he he's that

(46:25):
type of back that the type of balance and the
vision uh and the and the acceleration and stuff. And
he'll he'll play both ways defensively, Uh. Darry On Sprague's
defensive tackle is a returning starter for US. Caleb Trailor
and Claude Moore both got uh snaps in the secondary
newcomers and newcomers and out side of the ball and

(46:46):
the sear Salam.

Speaker 11 (46:48):
He's gonna be like a five eight corner. But he is,
I mean, he is just a killer.

Speaker 10 (46:52):
You asked about seven on seven earlier, Pat, we were
up at we were scrimmaging, uh scrimmage and seven on
seven against Glenville we had a manned up he can't
be more than five seven and against a six four
kid from Glenville. They on the goal line, they threw
a fade right at him. He went up and just
deboded the kid and intercepted it. I mean, he just
loves football. So he's gonna be a great player for US.

(47:14):
Kamari Price will be a good player for US. So,
you know, tarn Lesser, We've got a lot of lot
of guys coming back. Probably the biggest question mark if
you're gonna ask me as quarterback, So we have a
bunch of guys for bringing it up, it's probably it's
probably a quarterback.

Speaker 2 (47:31):
Uh.

Speaker 10 (47:32):
You know, so when when you have got a guy
that's played there and then trying to replace that. Not
that the other other positions are reportant, but you know
this that with within our offense, we put a ton
on the quarterbacks played, so we got to find that guy.

Speaker 3 (47:49):
Running backs.

Speaker 1 (47:50):
You had mentioned a kid named you mentioned Jordan Hall,
and you mentioned him in the same breath as some
some legends.

Speaker 2 (47:56):
Right, Yeah, I really believe that.

Speaker 3 (48:00):
That made me kind of that that's like, well, wait
a minute, you just put him with bron Pain and came.

Speaker 2 (48:04):
Order like mart Marty, I'll say this. He gets through
the gearbox very quickly.

Speaker 8 (48:09):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (48:10):
I mean his ability to to to read a cut,
to see a hole and then to hit it and
accelerate it's special. I mean, really, we've all done this
a long time. He's he's really good, and I think
he's kind of you know, he's he was a sophomore
and he was playing behind three other guys last year
and we used him sparingly. But he is really good

(48:32):
and and people are going to see that this year. Uh.

Speaker 11 (48:35):
And we've changed our offense a little bit.

Speaker 10 (48:37):
I don't want to get get into specifics, but we're
doing a little bit a little bit different.

Speaker 9 (48:40):
Uh.

Speaker 11 (48:42):
Run game scheme.

Speaker 2 (48:43):
I don't.

Speaker 10 (48:44):
I hope they'd stay different, but uh, probably to benefit
him a little bit more and kind of the guys
that we have of from But you know, he's, like
Brett said, I just remember the Montroroe game, Brett, you
remember that like scene and he hits it and boom
and doesn't like doesn't lose acceleration and then cuts and
then scores from like twenty yards out. Now it's Monroe

(49:06):
and everything, but he has the capability.

Speaker 11 (49:08):
To be a really great player for us.

Speaker 3 (49:11):
Tell us about your special teams a little bit, Coach.

Speaker 11 (49:14):
Uh, yeah, we got two kickers coming back. Avier Carter
was our punter last year, end up doing a really
good job. And then Grayson b Deck.

Speaker 10 (49:24):
I think he'll be our kicker, so he'll be our
kog kickoff guy and also our pat guys, so.

Speaker 11 (49:31):
Doing a fantastic job.

Speaker 10 (49:33):
Grayson's a pupp he's a sophomore, but he's got a
big leg and he just keeps getting better and better
and better. And Avier, I think is gonna do a
really good job punting for US. Snapper Hunter Ogden, Tyler
Roby I think could have take the role of Max Walter.

Speaker 11 (49:51):
I'll say this like Bratt did. Again, I'm asking Marty
and Pat of obvious you were there.

Speaker 10 (49:58):
I mean, did did Welter start three seasons a long
snapping Yeah, because you're like, we don't remember it, because
there was literally never a bad snap exactly.

Speaker 2 (50:10):
I mean that you can't. He can't say a lot
many teams can say that that's a special thing. If
you think Backpat, I mean, you think the times that
we've been there, I've been I've been with you since
twenty seventeen, and the long snappers that we've had, going
back to Anthony Minors and and Max Welter, we have
been blessed with just amazing long snappers. And I think

(50:32):
that's part of the reason that our special teams game
has been pretty darned well. You know, it has done
pretty darn well over the years. You never think about it.
You don't think about it, Like I can't even remember
as he was there for three years.

Speaker 10 (50:43):
I don't ever think there was a bad snap, punt snap,
there was a pat a bad pat snap.

Speaker 11 (50:48):
You took it for granted. But do I think these
X guys are as good as him?

Speaker 10 (50:53):
Know, I think he's like elite, next level of college
possibly NFL like type of long snapper.

Speaker 2 (51:01):
But because he didn't throw lollipops back there, they were
on time too. They were good times.

Speaker 11 (51:06):
He was good.

Speaker 10 (51:07):
You just take it for granted. But we do have
a couple of guys, uh that'll fill that role, either
Hunter Ogden or Tyler Robe, you can both do it excellent.

Speaker 2 (51:18):
Pat with the with the summer coming along the way
it is, you've had some some definite changes in the
program and that comes in your your coaching staff, and
I think this year you've probably seen uh more change
in one year than what you've had and and most
of the years combined. Talk a little bit about, uh,
you know, what what the coaching staff looks like now.

(51:39):
There there's some some new faces, but some familiar faces
to people that are familiar with with South football.

Speaker 10 (51:46):
Yeah, there is. You know, Chris Major's made a decision
that he's been He's you know, it's a hard decision
for him.

Speaker 11 (51:54):
I'll say that he's one of my best friends.

Speaker 10 (51:56):
I've known him, uh since high school and then college
and then coaching together and Brat you you coach with
him as well, and he's he's a really good coach.
So he made a decision not to come back, and
that's fine, and so that left the door open for
other guys, and it was late, and I just felt
like Mike Kanig had been there, he's been there nineteen years,
deserved an opportunity to be the defensive coordinator, and so

(52:17):
then that that in turn opened up other spots.

Speaker 11 (52:19):
Jim Hawkshell left as well, again, which is good.

Speaker 10 (52:22):
I think sometimes change it change can be good for everybody,
for all parties involved. And nobody was forced out, nobody's
on bad terms, so there's a lot of change. So
Ben Martin, familiar lancer name, legend, lancer legend, will coach
the defensive line.

Speaker 11 (52:38):
He's done a fantastic job.

Speaker 10 (52:39):
Mike kaneigh I'll call him a lancer legend, you know,
because it sounds it sounds good. Michael is but Mike
graduated from LaSalle and he's I would say the biggest difference.
And it's not that I shouldn't say the biggest difference.
He's an energy guy who've been around Mike and Jerry

(53:00):
whites On on the staff now, uh Dion, Garrett Bledsoe,
Marty and I think even Bill Zoe's Marty correct me
if I'm wrong. It isn't our whole defensive staff from
uh the South High School.

Speaker 3 (53:13):
Top to bottom.

Speaker 1 (53:14):
Yeah, it's the first time I can remember seeing any
staff where the entire side of the ball from varsity
to freshman we're all alumni and.

Speaker 10 (53:23):
That wasn't intentional, but it worked out, and I think
it's good that they've been there.

Speaker 11 (53:27):
They've done that.

Speaker 10 (53:28):
The energy has been good. Mike's Mike's and a high
energy guy. Ben is a young higher energy guy Bledsoe
Deon Campbell. So you're getting high energy. Uh, maybe as
I get older, I'm not as high energy maybe at
certain times and unless the quarterback makes a bad reader
or a bachelow where we mess up on on something
off on offense, which is happening a lot right now.

(53:50):
But so yeah, they've done a good job on h
on defense. Dylan Eddings came aboard you familiar with with
with both Eddings, fantastic young men Derek Gandylan that went
through the South.

Speaker 11 (54:04):
And he is just he's bought in, he's into it.

Speaker 2 (54:08):
Every day.

Speaker 11 (54:08):
He comes with new ideas.

Speaker 10 (54:11):
He's he's helping out with receivers right now, especially since
Keith Rutger obviously has a full time job. And and
just whatever he can do to help out. And so
it's been a it's been good. It's kind of giving
me a little bit more juice energy to be around
those guys.

Speaker 1 (54:28):
Yeah, bringing in some young blood. We were talking about
that earlier with coach Ramsey heaving. You know, young guys
on staff, they can you know, a little bit more
relatable to the kids, you know. I mean, ye, Dylan's
you know, recent college grad, Aidency how old's Aiden Seeger
are all young guys.

Speaker 10 (54:45):
He lived like two doors down from me. He's a
little sal grad. I mean, he graduated in twenty so
he's you know, I guess he's not even thirty yet,
twenty eight years old. But I guess we're you're saying Martin,
you and me and O'Connor, and we're not relatable. We
don't relate with the kids very well, or maybe our
definition of relatability is different. But to bring those guys

(55:08):
in and you have a younger staff and get younger
across the board, I think has benefited our football team.

Speaker 2 (55:15):
And Pat, I'm glad you said that because you know,
as we know, like there aren't people knocking down doors
to become high school football coaches these days with everything
that involves with you know, okay, the salary is minimal,
the hours are maximum, and what it takes to become
certified and all that other stuff. I think that that

(55:38):
Lesal is in a very very very good situation right
now to get that many young guys, and I think
that's that's, you know, the tribute to you too, that
they that they played for you, that they want to
come back and they want to be part of the program,
because sometimes that's you don't always see that elder. We
talked to Coach Ramsey earlier. They've always had those guys

(55:59):
and it just it always happens that it seems like
an elder, but it doesn't always happen at that many
other schools. And I'm glad to see that more and
more alums are coming back to the school now want
to be part of the program.

Speaker 10 (56:13):
It is good and it just speaks to I think
where we are as a program. I've been there nine
years and Dirks build it up, HEIGHTI build it uptt
You help build it.

Speaker 11 (56:22):
Up, Marty.

Speaker 10 (56:23):
You've been to the whole time, and you build it up,
and then you kind of maybe take a step back.
You're in different phases of your life, and then you
allow the you know, the new guys to come in,
and so part of our responsibility, I think, I think
Doug is probably the same way. You bring these young
guys in. You groom them, you teach them, and you
hope that one of these guys can take over the program.

(56:44):
One of these guys wants to move up the ranks
and eventually be of varsity receivers coach, offensive coordinator, head
coach or something, and they can move up the ranks.
I kid about this, but I don't really kid. One
of my first questions, you know, to every young kid,
especially you know that I interviewed a coach and I said, hey, look,

(57:05):
you know, if you if you're looking for a job
that doesn't pay very well and the hours are horrible,
we work long hours, then coaching hi school football is it.
And they just look at me and I was like, no,
I'm serious, you know, like this is passion, this is.

Speaker 11 (57:20):
Something that you have to want to do.

Speaker 10 (57:21):
Here's when we work, here's when you have to be
here most likely, here's how much you're going to get paid.
And then they just kind of look at you with
that side, you know, the side I look and I said,
that's what it is. I mean, that's how we've done it,
you know, for in twenty five years. And so I'll
give you as much money as I can, but it's
not going to be very much. And so when a
kid actually signs up and does it, you know, then

(57:43):
you know that they really want to be a part
of it.

Speaker 3 (57:48):
Excellent.

Speaker 1 (57:49):
Yeah, there's something about that camaraderie in that brotherhood and
you're you know, as a group of men, you know,
trying to attain a goal as a group and individuals.

Speaker 3 (58:00):
There's you know, there's something special about that. So that's
what makes football so cool, right.

Speaker 2 (58:05):
Yeah, love it, Love it. So coach, I know that
we got one more question for you, Martin. You want
to ask that before we hop off out of here.

Speaker 1 (58:15):
Yeah, it's a let's say it's a Saturday afternoon and
the JV game just ended.

Speaker 3 (58:19):
You know, when we're at Lancer Stadium.

Speaker 1 (58:21):
Where's the best place to get wings within a five
ten minute drive?

Speaker 3 (58:25):
Where are we going? We're gonna ask every coach this,
who's got the best wings of your region?

Speaker 11 (58:31):
In my regional sALS?

Speaker 3 (58:32):
Region sALS like around the high school.

Speaker 10 (58:36):
Well, that's a great question. Because I would say it's
twofold here. If if it's if it's proximity and closed
and I just want to get somewhere quick, I'm going
to Crossroads, which has good rent with good wings. If
I want a little bit maybe better quality of food,
I'm probably gonna go to Tavern on the Bend, you know,

(58:56):
if I really want to go close, if I really
want to go close to the South, I'm gonna go
to the Leaf.

Speaker 11 (59:00):
And just if it was a bad game and Brooks
dropped like a three touchdown.

Speaker 13 (59:06):
Year, come on, I'm going to the I'm going to
the I'm going to the going to the Leaf, which
they just put like a little uh outside play outside
thing out front, and I'm stopping there and getting a
quick one before i head back to uh Liberty Township.

Speaker 3 (59:24):
Good answer. I frequent all three places, and they're all
three on by the Zaugred. So hey, there's something to
say about that too.

Speaker 11 (59:32):
Right, that's a good question.

Speaker 2 (59:34):
Good stuff, coach. Well, we're wishing you nothing but the
best of luck here in twenty twenty five, and continued
to say success built off of uh last year, and
I'm looking forward to a great season this year. Okay,

(59:55):
Fellas next year on Tales from the Script. We're excited
to welcome in a high school coach who under his belt,
he's won four state championships at the Division one level.
That'd be in in two thousand and five, seven, sixteen,
and twenty. He's also been the Ohio Division One Coach
of the Year in two thousand and five, in two

(01:00:16):
thousand and seven, and I remember coaching against him in
those years and that was not fun because he had
some really good squads. He was also the Don Schule
High School Coach of the Year. He won that award
in twenty thirteen. We're excited to welcome in the head
coach of the Saint Xavier Bombers, coach, Steve Speck. Coach.
How are we doing tonight?

Speaker 8 (01:00:36):
Doing great, Brett, Thanks for having me on and I
appreciate the intro, but I think we all know that
you're a pretty good coach when you have pretty good players.
And I've been blessed to have great players in my career,
So all those accolades very nice, but temperate with We've
had great players and have been very blessed.

Speaker 2 (01:00:57):
No doubt, no doubt. Well code, but yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:01:01):
Very humble coach, but watching enough same Xavier games to
see how well coached and disciplined your teams are through
the years, and that doesn't happen by itself.

Speaker 3 (01:01:10):
Thanks for credit.

Speaker 2 (01:01:11):
Yeah, one of my favorite quotes is Spark Anderson says,
you give a good coach some talent, watch that son
of a bitch finish and you can have talent. You
can have talent in the stables, but a good coach
can fuck that up. So my congratulations. You're doing a
great job brother.

Speaker 8 (01:01:27):
Thank you appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (01:01:28):
Guys. So let's let's let's talk a little bit about
your schedule this year as as we go into twenty
twenty five. You know, being a member of the of
the GCL, it's always hard to it's it's always hard
to find games, and no matter if you know you're

(01:01:49):
coaching at Mohler or Elder Lasal or say Next and
it's always a challenge of trying to balance out games
at the local level versus what you have to travel
to and everything. Give us a little bit of a
preview of what your guys' schedule looks like going into
twenty twenty five.

Speaker 8 (01:02:10):
It's, you know, Brett, the crazy thing is I think
we all grew up loving Friday night lights, local games
under the lights. You know, I remember as a kid
watching going on Thanksgiving Day and watching Elder play Western
Hills at Riverfront. You know, That's how I grew up

(01:02:30):
remembering those games. And there was a time when we
only have four teams in the GCL South say you
had to find seven out of state games, and we
still have that issue.

Speaker 2 (01:02:42):
We all have that issue.

Speaker 8 (01:02:43):
And we'll travel this year to Indianapolis Cathedral, Louisville Trinity
will come in and play us at home. We'll travel
to Cleveland Saint Ignatius, and then we have a team
Live Christian Academy out of Virginia's coming into play Week ten,
and so we have really four out of area games.

(01:03:05):
But at the same time, we've we've been blessed to
play with through the last couple of years. We're not
playing him this year, and I just I miss the
days of having the Friday night local games public private, public, public, private, private,
all Friday nights local. That's the way the game was
meant to be played. And I think Cincinnati, Ohio, Southwest

(01:03:27):
Ohio has the best. I'll argue it as the best
high school football or comparable to anybody in the country,
and I think we should celebrate that. I wish there
were more more local games, but hey, we'll play whoever
we can, whenever we can, just like Moller does, just

(01:03:48):
like Losalda's, just like Elder does. But we're excited. We
opened with Lakota West, who Tommy Bolden and I are
dear friends, been friends forever when he was at Cole Rain,
and we're just excited. We're excited about the upcoming season.
We're excited about our schedule. I'm just a big fan
of local games on Friday nights under lights.

Speaker 3 (01:04:09):
Steven, that's interesting. Week one, Lakota West, and that's what
I heard.

Speaker 2 (01:04:15):
Here's what I'll say, and Steve, so every week. You know,
most of our listeners though we you know, we Martin
and I both coach at LASAU and we we will
sit there in the coach's office at LASAL. We will say, Okay,
what's the score of the X West game going to be?

(01:04:35):
And everybody and I say this. I don't know if
everybody does, but I say, here's what it's going to be.
It's going to be fourteen to ten, or it's going
to be seventeen to thirteen, and somebody's going to be
driving to end the game and they're going to be
They're going to be facing a fourth and eight on
the eighteen yard line that they're going to have to

(01:04:57):
convert to be able to go and score to win
the game. And that's what it's going to be every
Steve am I right, like every year, that's what it
comes down to.

Speaker 8 (01:05:08):
You know, the dumbest crap in the world. And I've
been this is gonna be my thirty sixth year of
doing this. I can't remember what I had for breakfast today.
But if you asked me about Brett when we played
when Sanex played LaSalle in two thousand and sixteen, remember
that fourth down or that that third I remember that play,
and you guys think that way. I can remember that

(01:05:30):
crap like it was yesterday, and it's the dumb it is.
So I mean, I laugh when when people talk about
how stupid men are, or when women will say I'll
do it. It's like, you're right, because we remember the
dumbest crap. But I can't tell you. I can't remember
birthdates of my grandchildren.

Speaker 9 (01:05:50):
You know.

Speaker 8 (01:05:51):
It's like, but I can remember this play in two
thousand and one and it was just crazy. Yeah, you're
one hundred percent right. That's how it always comes down
to little things like that. But that's what makes this
game great. And that's why, guys, that's why we're all
having this podcast tonight because we love this.

Speaker 2 (01:06:09):
Yeah. My wife says, I have this useless rolodex of
knowledge up in my brain and I can. I can
recall dates, I can recall scores, I can recall stupid
shit like numbers. My two best friends and they're telling
me I know numbers and I know all that stuff.
But no, My point is, you guys are going to

(01:06:32):
play Lakota West, and it's going to be a great game.
It doesn't matter like who's playing quarterback, who's playing linebacker
for either team, who's playing running back, who's the head coach?

Speaker 3 (01:06:42):
Here's here's the deal. And I say this when we're broadcasting.
How much does the high school ticket cost?

Speaker 12 (01:06:46):
What?

Speaker 3 (01:06:47):
Ten twelve bucks?

Speaker 2 (01:06:49):
Right?

Speaker 3 (01:06:49):
How much entertainment value are you getting for that ten
twelve bucks? I mean, come on, best, best money for
your value, best value for your money out there?

Speaker 8 (01:06:58):
Well, and at least for now, Coach Martin, at least
for now are the kid high school kids technically aren't
getting paid yet, right and I l hasn't hit level.

Speaker 2 (01:07:08):
So there's it's a whole other pod. That's a whole
other podcast. Yeah, yeah, Well we'll have it. We'll have
like a little uh separate room like a town hall meeting.
We'll do it. We'll get it right. We'll get it right.
Uh So coach uh So. Padd O'Connor a long time fan,
first time talking to you, long time, first time, long time,

(01:07:29):
first time. So walk me through like kind of where
you're at in the summer, kind of Uh, how's your schedule? Ben,
give give everybody kind of a clue on what's cracking
there on North Bend.

Speaker 8 (01:07:40):
All right, now, I think we're on the same boat.
We're starting the seven on seven tournaments, the passing scrimmages.
We just finished this weekend with Jimmy Place, a legend,
he's one of the all time grades. He was a
Hall of Famer in Ohio. He runs a passing scrimmage
at the end University of Dayton. They call it the

(01:08:02):
seven on seven Social Justice and the kids play. We've
competed against Springfield, Springfield, who was Springfield with throwing bitsh partly,
but I think they have sixty plus schools, maybe close
to eighty that get involved and you do the passing
scrimmage and then you go in and there's a speaker

(01:08:23):
to talk to some social justice, which I think is
great for the fit of kids in the community. But
that's where we are now, Pat, We're we're all working
on our passing scrimmages, you know, underwear football. None of
it matters. You're just trying to find out who are
your athletes, Who do you need to move? Who looks

(01:08:43):
better than they did yesterday? Are there any young kids
you can bring up? You know, you couple that with
your your summer workouts. You know, we're in that phase
where we're conditioning now. We got through the winter months
of trying to build bulk and get stronger, and now
we're trying to lean out and get a little bit faster.
And I've got a strength coach, Terrell Williams, who t

(01:09:05):
and I have been together for twelve thirteen years. He's
awesome and he's done a great job with the kids.
And we're just trying to figure out what do we
have And I think all the schools are in the
same boat. Who who what young guys have developed, what
old guys have matured, and what do you got?

Speaker 14 (01:09:23):
And this is this is what I love about football
is you're taking all these goofy fifteen, sixteen, seventeen year
olds that are developing and you're trying to fit this puzzle.

Speaker 8 (01:09:35):
And that's where we are now. We're trying to fit
the puzzle.

Speaker 2 (01:09:39):
It's awesome. And you guys got some players there. You
got some great players. And I know, like this year
unlike any like, unlike every year, like you got some players.
They're they're going to be big time contributors.

Speaker 11 (01:09:50):
Talk less.

Speaker 2 (01:09:51):
Let's just start on the defensive side of things. I
know we've got some great returners. Anybody. Let's start with
the newcomers. Maybe someone that it was kind of a
sophomore coming up or a junior waiting's turn, anybody like
that on the defensive side that you're excited about.

Speaker 8 (01:10:08):
Yeah, I am. I've got a young cornerback by the
name of Alex Walker. And Alex was last year as
a sophomore. He played receiver and he got on a
field a bunch for us. He's a track athlete. He's
incredibly he's got great speed and as a year progressed.
We ended up moving into the secondary, and I think

(01:10:28):
Alex has a tremendous future.

Speaker 2 (01:10:30):
Again, he's he's.

Speaker 8 (01:10:32):
Just he's a junior this year, but he'll be a
guy that'll play a little on both sides of the ball.
Really excited about him.

Speaker 2 (01:10:40):
We actually have to steve like he guess he's six
foot two, one hundred and seventy five pounds.

Speaker 8 (01:10:45):
No, Actually, Alex is one of the smaller ones that
we've had. Braddy's six foot probably one hundred and seventy
five pounds.

Speaker 2 (01:10:52):
Okay, Yeah, I was close. I was close because and
here's why I say that. Okay, and this goes back.
We always joke that in your defensive structure, your corners
fit a certain mold. Like they they are, they're long,
they're lean, they can run, they can play Manda man.

(01:11:15):
And it's no different. And I think you'll agree with me.
When Carrie and Tommy were at Coleraine, they're fit the
same exact mood, the same exact mold. They were six
foot one, six foot two, one hundred and ninety pounds
and it would come down and just knock your knock
you stiff. But they always it was like it was like,

(01:11:37):
you know, rinse and repeat every year. To play those positions,
you had to have those same guys that fit that
that that same body type. Is that correct?

Speaker 8 (01:11:47):
Yeah, I mean obviously you love the six to two
long guy that you know. And if you're six foot two,
you're long. You don't have to be as fast. If
you're a little bit shorter, you have to have a
little better foot speed. And that's what Alex. He's a
little bit shorter, but he has great foot speed. And yeah, Brett,
I'm a I'm a defensive guy at heart, always have been,
and I've always been a firm believer. If you can

(01:12:09):
eliminate the number one receiver and turn it into a
nine on nine game, the color of the sky changes.
And we've been able to do that a lot in
my career. We've had some blessed kids that have done that.
Alex isn't as tall, uh, but he's a talent. He's Uh.
He's a kid that people will be talking about here

(01:12:31):
over the next couple of years and the prognosticators and
whoever the the new you know, the recruiting services or
who those guys are. He's a good one. He's really
good one.

Speaker 2 (01:12:44):
Mark, Mark Porter. He's a friend of the pod. He's
been a guest on here. It's a it's all.

Speaker 8 (01:12:48):
Mark's been around forever.

Speaker 2 (01:12:49):
Though he's great.

Speaker 8 (01:12:51):
Mark's nott. Mark's not one of the new I mean,
you get these guys.

Speaker 2 (01:12:55):
I get a call.

Speaker 8 (01:12:56):
Yeah, I'm so and so from I don't even know
who you are.

Speaker 9 (01:12:59):
I haven't you know why.

Speaker 8 (01:13:01):
It's like you got to be kidding me. It's crazy.

Speaker 1 (01:13:04):
Let's move a little closer to the line of scrimmage
and talk about your linebacking corps and one of the
best names in high school football in my opinion, a
fair linebacker and a big hitter.

Speaker 3 (01:13:12):
Let's talk about your your dude, Kobe Clapper.

Speaker 8 (01:13:17):
I coached Kobe.

Speaker 2 (01:13:18):
You have to.

Speaker 3 (01:13:20):
That's a great name for a linebacker because you know,
you think about it.

Speaker 1 (01:13:23):
You know you're coming up with your clapping someone where
your shoulder pants are cracking.

Speaker 8 (01:13:28):
Oh, Martin, that's funny. Everybody you know I'm old. Now
that I'm an old guy, people say, what position do
you coach? I coach my best player, and that's because
that makes me a better coach. No, Kobe, It's it's
so funny. You talk about kid development of players, Kobe
freshman year was a receiver. He's a wide receiver. He

(01:13:48):
plays old freshman years a wide receiver. And at the
end of the year, after the freshman season ended, I
brought him up to divarsity and I said, hey, man,
I watched him in one practice, said look, I'm gonna
put you on the edge. We were having a down year.
We weren't going to advance far and a plays, but
I said, I'm gonna put you on the edge defensively.
I want you to come off the edge as hard
and as fast as you can and blow up whatever's

(01:14:10):
in your way. And that's what Kobe did all through
the end of the season of playoffs, and from that
point on he is morphed into an edge rusher, a linebacker,
a willbacker, a blitz backer, a free safety. He plays
h back. There's a reason he's going to Notre Dame.
There's a reason he's committed. He's as talented a young

(01:14:32):
man as I have coached in my career. I don't
like to make comparisons because I think it's unfair to kids,
but Kobe, instinctively is is the closest I've come to
as a rocky boyman or a Luke Keighley. If he studied,

(01:14:52):
If he learns to study film like Luke did, the
sky's a limit for him. And he is a wonderful kid, Shannon.
His mother has done an unbelievable job with him. He
is a great kid. He's a great student. He's gonna
he's he's he's a difference maker. He's that's why coach him, right,
because he's a difference baker. So yeah, no, But when

(01:15:17):
you talk about linebackers, Martin, I mean we've got three
other kids. Aiden Reeder, who's on his way. He committed
to Wisconsin, and and Aiden blew up his from his
sophomore to junior year. And and now he's sixty three,
he's two hundred and fifteen pounds. He can go sideline
to sideline, he can cover, he can blitz. Very talented man.

(01:15:40):
Daniel Volmer, who's been my Swiss Army knife. He's played quarterback,
slot receiver, running back, wildcat, quarterback, safety, linebacker. Vanderbilt offered
him as a linebacker. And then I've got a safety
who Northwestern offered as a linebacker named Braiden Riley. And
Braiden's sixth he was a corner last year Brad. He's

(01:16:01):
six foot three, he's two hundred and ten pounds, tremendous
basketball player, great lateral movement. Just they're great kids. I mean,
for those kids are great kids. And I'm thinking they've
all got recruited by Power for schools as linebackers. I No,
I don't coach Kobe. I coach linebackers. The I'm the

(01:16:23):
linebacker coach now, right, yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:16:25):
Yeah, yeah, you told Jake he's just the coordinator, but
you're the linebackers coach, right.

Speaker 8 (01:16:31):
JA can do it ever he once, as long as
he done touches for linebackers.

Speaker 2 (01:16:36):
No, I knew last year we were in trouble when
when I saw number three lining up on you know,
at the left edge, and when when you had Volmer
coming off the edge. And I'll just never forget, Like
there was one play it was third and nine, third, ten,
whatever it was, and Volmer comes, he comes rushing off

(01:16:58):
the edge and he flushes Patrick McLaughlin out out to
his left and he flushed him out to Clapper And
I'm like, what are we going to do here? Like,
you know, you got one guy who Volmer, who's a
backup quarterback starting well, he played a lot of quarterback
that game because because Herb Street was a little bit

(01:17:20):
dinged up, and it was like, okay, the third downs,
they're bringing him as a rush specialist and he's a
rush end and he's flushing him out to the opposite
side over to Clapper. I'm like, okay, I just hand
it off. I told Pat just hand it off. Just
just fine. Oh my goodness.

Speaker 3 (01:17:39):
Yeah, coach, OL's your senior leadership.

Speaker 1 (01:17:42):
Who's in the locker room keeping the kids in check
when the coaches on around.

Speaker 8 (01:17:46):
Martin great question, all of them are. I'm it's interesting.
I've had in my entire career. I think I've had
three junior junior captains. One was Sean Clifford, who's now
quarterbacking with the Green Bay Packers, and the other two
are Daniel Vallmer and Jacobe Clapper. So I've got two

(01:18:08):
returning captains and that never happens. I mean, that's just
it speaks volumes to the character of these kids and
how their peers perceive them. Right, But it's not a
We do a lot of work in the off season
on leadership development. We have the kids. We always pick
a book that we're going to read, and we're going

(01:18:28):
to develop a curriculum around the book that we're going
to read, and we really challenge the kids to make
it their team. And I'm a huge proponent, and I've
spoken nationally on this that if it's if it's my team,
we're not going to be very good because I got
a program I have to worry about. If it's your team,

(01:18:50):
we have a chance to be special. So let's make
sure we make this your team. And we give the
seniors ownership of their team. And it's not just the seniors,
it's the returning letterman, So any of the sophomores that played,
they have to take ownership and they have to police it.
So we spend an awful lot of time working on

(01:19:10):
that ownership, on policing it in the off season. In
the reality for me, and I think for any coach,
and you guys have done this. When the seniors lead, man,
you have a chance to be different. You have a
chance to win a state championship. But if the seniors
don't lead, you're going to be just another team.

Speaker 2 (01:19:30):
Right, good doub coach, how are we looking on the
offensive side of the ball. I know you've had a
little bit of a change in the coaching staff. I
know a good friend of mine, Robert Klotts, is now
come over to be the offensive coordinator, and and you know,
we already talked about Daniel Volmer, and I'm sure he's
going to play an integral part of that. But what's

(01:19:50):
what's the offensive side of the ball looking like.

Speaker 8 (01:19:52):
Well, I've got a young a young athlete by name
of Jake Brett. And Jake is a three year starter
for us. He's played running back, he's played slot receiver,
and last year we started playing him someone on the
defensive side of the ball as well. He's a very
talented young man. He's another six foot one hundred and
eighty five hundred and ninety pound guy, tough as nails,

(01:20:14):
really excited about, really excited about Jake's development. We've got
to replace a quarterback, you know, anytime you lose a
three year starter. Chase Herbstreet did a great job for
us the last really two and a half years as
a starter, So we got to find a quarterback. But
if you have a nucleus to build around is the

(01:20:35):
big thing. I think any coach wants to see a
nucleus of players. And we've got Daniel coming back We've
got Jake coming back. We have a three year starter
at well we'll probably I don't know if we're going
to move him to left tackle, but Grant Hester has
been a three year starter on the offensive line. We
bring back a couple of other starters on the offensive line,
William Sweeney, who we moved over from the defensive side

(01:20:58):
of the ball. Williams coming back, and we're excited about William,
but I could you know, when you think about nucleus
of guys to build around, that's what we're looking at.
It's no, I'm not gonna I'm not even gonna attempt
to say, man, offensively we're comparable to our deep, We're not.
Our defense is the strength of this team going into

(01:21:20):
the season. We've got some things we need to work on. Offensively,
we got to find a quarterback. Cam Taylor comes back
as a receiver. There'll be a senior and a three
year starter, Logan von Holly started as a sophomore at
the end of the year last year and he's coming back.
So we've got good key pieces. Now it's a matter
of young guys stepping up taking spots or these seniors

(01:21:43):
that have spent two years in a program now, you know,
earn your or earn your opportunity, take that chance. And
if we can do that, who knows.

Speaker 3 (01:21:55):
Awesome stuff.

Speaker 1 (01:21:56):
I see the I see the Bomber jersey on the
wall in the frame behind it. Uh, have you kept
sing uniform pretty much the whole time you've been there?

Speaker 8 (01:22:03):
Have you mixed it?

Speaker 2 (01:22:04):
Ever?

Speaker 3 (01:22:04):
Mix a uniform out?

Speaker 11 (01:22:06):
Like it?

Speaker 8 (01:22:07):
I love the US, but I never wore those, you know,
you kidding me? I couldn't have started on any of
the teams I've been coaching.

Speaker 2 (01:22:14):
There.

Speaker 8 (01:22:14):
Those are my kids, Those are my kids, my boys
jerseys up on the wall there.

Speaker 12 (01:22:19):
I'm talking about since you've got the big whistle, Like,
if you guys ever considered anything different or like it's
always I love the look, don't get me wrong, but
Elmer's never changed theirs.

Speaker 3 (01:22:30):
Moller switches hers up from time to time, says us out.

Speaker 8 (01:22:34):
That's fine. You know it's funny you bring that up.
We had this deal with Adidas a few years back,
and you know, we're royal blue and white and we
got the block X, and I mean I remember when
we changed the X.

Speaker 10 (01:22:45):
Oh.

Speaker 8 (01:22:45):
Our alums were up and on. We had this deal
with Adidas where they gave us a third jersey and
they said, what do you want the color to be?
And I'm like, I don't know what do you what color?
What are the options?

Speaker 2 (01:22:58):
And so what?

Speaker 8 (01:22:59):
We could do black? And I was like, there's no
way our alums would lose their mind. How you said,
how about gray? And I thought, well, when I played
back in the early eighties, we had like gray pants.
So I said, you know what, We'll do the gray jerseys.
The first time we wore the gray jerseys, I got
inundated with emails from a love it and they're like,

(01:23:19):
what are you doing? We don't do this, this is
in US, and I was like, it's a jersey.

Speaker 9 (01:23:24):
I don't know.

Speaker 8 (01:23:26):
I was like, holy yeah, I don't touch that one.

Speaker 1 (01:23:29):
Man.

Speaker 8 (01:23:29):
No, I think that that's sacred stuff. So yeah, we're
pretty simple.

Speaker 2 (01:23:34):
Coach. I love it. I love it.

Speaker 3 (01:23:37):
Well, we're gonna wrap it up. But I was we
got something We're asking all the all the gCO coaches.

Speaker 1 (01:23:43):
If it's a Saturday afternoon, the JV game just ended,
where are you going to get wings and a beer
after the game?

Speaker 3 (01:23:48):
Within five minutes of Saint Zaber High School, he's got
the best wings.

Speaker 8 (01:23:51):
And rings we were just there today. I just took
yout we finished our incoming freshman camp. I took my
own entire staff there.

Speaker 2 (01:24:01):
It was awesome. We appreciate it.

Speaker 3 (01:24:04):
But their last name is Rose and Si Silas.

Speaker 1 (01:24:09):
His son was on that Roger Bacon State championship team
that beat Lebron James. Oh yeah, so one of his
good good friend's uh son's picture. If you look above
the kitchen, there's like a framed eight by eleven picture
of his good buddy's son, four arm out checking up
on Lebron James and the it's real non.

Speaker 8 (01:24:30):
Descriptive, but.

Speaker 2 (01:24:33):
I remember that's what it was.

Speaker 8 (01:24:36):
I remember watching Lebron look completely disinterested sitting on the bench,
and that guy just quit. I love it. Yeah, not
a basketball guy, but I do remember that.

Speaker 2 (01:24:50):
Here's one Jim McQuaid, now Ohio State Hall of Fame coach.
He was sitting there and so he was like, there's
this kid. And because Jim came from the Cleveland area,
he goes, there's this kid in Achron that is the
best wide receiver in Ohio right now. Now. The only
bad thing about that, I was like, what about? A
coach was like, can we get him back? Down here

(01:25:10):
to Sauagus he's an even better basketball player. And I'm like,
how good is he is? Like we'll hear about him
INTE the year and that everybody he was on ESPN
and everything else like that. That's Lebron James. I couldn't
believe it. Thought we thought he was full of shit.
We're like, come on, no, coach, it can't be good,

(01:25:31):
Ron James.

Speaker 3 (01:25:32):
Well, coach back, stay healthy this year. We issu you
all the best.

Speaker 1 (01:25:39):
All right, folks, this is the last stop on our
GCL preview show marity Eisley. Here we have the head
coach of the Moeler Crusaders, Bert Bathynnie.

Speaker 3 (01:25:47):
I'm saying that right. I know it's a weird spelling,
but it's Bathynni right now.

Speaker 9 (01:25:51):
You got it A plus great job.

Speaker 3 (01:25:53):
Yes, I'm the same way.

Speaker 1 (01:25:54):
I got one too many, I got a bunch of
I got more vowels in my last name than constant,
so mine get screwed up all the time time too.

Speaker 3 (01:26:00):
I wanted to make sure I am it right. But
it's coach Benthieny. Welcome to tell some the scripts.

Speaker 9 (01:26:05):
Awesome, Hey, thanks for having me, guys.

Speaker 3 (01:26:08):
Yeah, so you know, like we talked about tell us
about the Molo Crusaders twenty twenty five edition. Now on
your seniors.

Speaker 2 (01:26:17):
Yeah, there, I heard the controversy. Maybe we don't know
who's going to be the starting quarterback. I heard that early.

Speaker 15 (01:26:25):
We're gonna find We'll find out like game one against
Prince Keep Yeah, answered questions.

Speaker 9 (01:26:32):
Yeah, we got a good one. But I'm going into
year three and it's been it's been a wild ride.
It's been a lot of fun.

Speaker 15 (01:26:40):
But we have a great class coming in, Like this
is this is the year that I feel like it's
actually like my team from that standpoint, because the guys
that I came in with, who are sophomores, they've been
with me this whole time, so all they know is
this program and this environment.

Speaker 9 (01:26:55):
They're sophomore, junior, and now senior year.

Speaker 15 (01:26:57):
We got a special group of seniors that are working
the tails off, and we got a lot of great
leaders on this team, I think, and then a lot
of young talent coming up. So we graduated a lot
of really good players last year. But just like when
I first got here, it's the chance for other guys
to shine on Friday night. So there's a ton of
talent and I can't wait for these guys to really

(01:27:17):
show out and make a name for themselves.

Speaker 2 (01:27:22):
Yeah, talking about seniors, I was going to say, you know,
whenever a team loses a good senior class, like everybody
thinks like the sky's falling, But seniors have been graduating.
This is the beginning of time, right exactly. And then
another team comes in, another group comes in behind them,
So it's it's not the end of the world when

(01:27:43):
a good class graduates, isn't.

Speaker 9 (01:27:45):
No, it's not.

Speaker 15 (01:27:46):
I mean, there's just new faces and there's new opportunities,
and you know, when you look around the city, there's
always that thought press like oh, I can't wait till
he's gone, or I'm glad he's gone, and like we're ready,
and then all of a siden it's like, oh crap,
Like that guy's really good too, right, Like now I
don't want to play it for him for three years
or play against him for three more years.

Speaker 9 (01:28:04):
But now we graduated some really good players last year,
a really good team.

Speaker 15 (01:28:09):
But we have a lot of young guys coming up
that I'm excited for, and I can't be more excited
for not just next year, but.

Speaker 9 (01:28:16):
The future of Muller Football.

Speaker 3 (01:28:18):
They coach.

Speaker 1 (01:28:18):
You were fourteen and one last year and ten five
the year before. So congratulations on the success that you
had so far. Tell us about your program, what your
coaching philosophy is, and you know what you've done at
lex caath because you were luxt Think the Catholic before
he came to Mueller.

Speaker 3 (01:28:32):
Yeah, did you bring any coaches from there? Is it
a whole new staff.

Speaker 1 (01:28:36):
Just give us a little bit about how you found
such great success in your first two years.

Speaker 15 (01:28:42):
Well, I mean, I'll I mean use the word success,
but that's all attributed to good players and good coaches.
I've been really blessed to have a lot of really
good players who who buy into what we're doing. They
work really hard, and then on Friday nights just go
They let it rip and they played with no fear
and they make a lot of plays. But you asked
about coach philosophy, I would say it's a combination of

(01:29:02):
all the guys that I've been around. I've been really
fortunate to have some really awesome mentors and my coaching profession.
And then also as a player growing up in Fort Thomas, Kentucky,
I was under dal Mueller for a long time. So
there's a blend of Dale Mueller. There's a blend of
Chris Reiser from Tiffin. There's a blend of Chris Oliver
when I was at Lindsay Wilson, Dwayne Hall from West Kentucky,

(01:29:23):
and then Jack hate him from Dennison University. So you
combine all those philosophies together, and that's kind of like
been my upbringing and what we bring to Moler. But
I've been really fortunate with a lot of great players
and a lot of great coaches. But at lex Cath
we didn't bring anyone with me from Lexcath up here
just from the travel standpoint, I mean, my PC was

(01:29:44):
my AD, so he decided to stay, and then a
lot of those guys are ingrained into Lexington from that standpoint.
But I inherited a great staff because the year before
Coach Elder, you know, they they turned that thing around
and they went to the States semi finals two years
in a row. So a lot of those guys decided
to stay on board with me, and then I brought
some other guys on as well.

Speaker 9 (01:30:05):
But we've blended really really well together and going on year.

Speaker 2 (01:30:08):
Three, love it walk us through some of the I
know that we talked a little bit jokingly about some
of the about Pontotowski and his apparently he might be
pretty good. But some of the other players that you
were expecting to shine here in twenty twenty five, well, I.

Speaker 15 (01:30:27):
Would say defensively, we bring brack Christian Harris, who is
GCLD Lineman of the Year and he's committed to Wake
Forest and he's had a phenomenal off season and from
a leadership standpoint, I couldn't say enough good things about
Christian Harris. I can't wait to see what he does
this year. He's been a wrecking ball in practice already.
It's just one of those guys is a disruptor, and there's.

Speaker 9 (01:30:50):
Times where you just you can't practice because Christian's there, right,
So that's always a good thing to have when he's
on the other side of the ball.

Speaker 15 (01:30:58):
So whenever, like your front seven is really really good,
you know, that's always really good for your football team
as well.

Speaker 9 (01:31:04):
Linebacker wives were bringing out Connor.

Speaker 15 (01:31:06):
Cuzo, who's a two time All gCO player as well,
so coming back for his third year. And then in
the back end, like across the board, we have a
lot of young guys who are getting their opportunity to play.
So we were doing our special Forces depth chart this
past week for special teams that we call it special Forces.
But you know, I'm texting our coaches like, guys, I'm

(01:31:26):
having a hard time filling this out because there's so
many good players that I think we can get on here.
I'm getting excited about special teams and a lot of
those guys play on defense as well, So young guys
are going to be out there playing and earning their stripes,
so they'll be exciting to see, like how it all
shakes out. There's a ton of competition in practice right now,
so I don't know who's gonna win the job, but
I know there's gonna be a lot of guys playing

(01:31:48):
and rotating and we'll be able to have a lot
of depth on defense. On offense, our whole entire offensive
line graduated last year, but moving forward this group, I
don't think there'll be a varsity start amongst them, but
I think in the future there's going to be a
handful of scholarship football players amongst that group, including Pat
O'Brien at offensive tackle, kJ Johnson at offensive tackle as well.

(01:32:12):
So and a lot of young guys coming in there too.
We have the most experienced probably in our skill positions.
What we bring back three of our running backs from
last year, which is running back Back Committee with Tyler,
Jocelyn Gray, Low Coach, and Dante Ware who've all been
really really productive last year are tight ends. We bring
back two guys who've been three year starters pretty much

(01:32:33):
and Cooper McCutcheon who's committed to North Carolina and then
Sam Hamilton's committed to West Virginia. Both phenomenal leaders and
have a lot of reps under their belt.

Speaker 9 (01:32:41):
And then those guys are coming back, Yeah, they're coming back. Yeah,
So we're excited about them.

Speaker 15 (01:32:47):
And then wide receiver wise, you talk about Carson Ko
and Landon Adams, who they kind of I mean they
were part of that receiving core of like Javon Love
and Matt Foglan, Roman Mason, but I mean Landon had
seven receives touchdowns last year and a kickoff return. I
think Carson had four receiving touchdowns and a kickoff return.

Speaker 9 (01:33:06):
So like we were able to rotate a lot of
guys last year.

Speaker 15 (01:33:08):
I think the coolest stat from last year is Matt
threw for I think like forty three hundred yards and
we didn't have a thousand yard receiver because he was
able to spread it out. I mean, I think we
had twelve different guys with a touchdown reception. It was
I mean, Matt just did a really good job ran
in the offense and distributing. Both those playmakers and those
guys did a good job earning trust with Matt to

(01:33:30):
be able to make that play.

Speaker 9 (01:33:31):
So whenever we sub it was we didn't really care
who was in the game. It was just the next
guy up.

Speaker 15 (01:33:37):
And I think that's a testament too the coaches being
able to get those guys prepared so we could play
so many guys.

Speaker 2 (01:33:43):
Coach on I'm glad you brought up special teams. As
a former special teams coordinator myself, I know there's different
philosophies and I'm curious what yours is as far as
how you mentioned building the depth chart and everything.

Speaker 11 (01:33:55):
I know.

Speaker 2 (01:33:55):
One year I was at o'kills and we were playing
Cole Rain and they open up the game and it
was always Week ten when we play them because the
GC or GMC had a stupid rule about rivalries, so
we always had to finish the year with col Rain.
Nobody else know what we did. But they open up
the game, they're kicking off and I look out there
and besides their kicker, they had ten defensive starters. Yeah,

(01:34:16):
across the board or running down like like trained killers
to go to go get us. And I guess, I guess.
My question is some some people stock their they stack
their special teams with starters. Other teams try not to
use starters, and they try to make it as a
breeding ground. And and for like the second team guys,
kind of what's your guys philosophy? Maybe because you have
an embarrassment of riches like you have the you know,

(01:34:38):
the the ability to do both. I'm just kind of
curious that what what you've done over the years.

Speaker 15 (01:34:43):
Well, our philosophy here, Moeler is you can't start on
offense and defense unless you start on a special team.

Speaker 2 (01:34:49):
That's an old that's an old Urban Meyer thing, isn't it. Yeah,
So if you.

Speaker 9 (01:34:54):
Want to play offense or defense, you better find a
way on special teams. And that's the mindset that.

Speaker 2 (01:34:58):
You have to have.

Speaker 9 (01:35:00):
Put an emphasis on that. But you can't just say
you got to do it. Your actions have to speak
louder than your word.

Speaker 15 (01:35:05):
So we put a lot of emphasis into our special teams,
like right now, in practice, we devote twenty five minutes
to special teams every day, right, So we have a
kicking circuit that we do for ten minutes where we're
installing the skills and the drills that we're gonna be
doing during our actual period. We're practicing catching kicks every
single day to see who can do that.

Speaker 9 (01:35:25):
I think people really overlook just the skill of catching
a punt. That's a hard thing to do. I mean
that ball moves all over the place and everyone's watching
you now they take it. It's hard. I think people
take that for granted. And the winning the field position.

Speaker 15 (01:35:44):
Battle is one of our five metrics that we look
at when in our plan to win. And if you
let that ball hit and just roll back, I mean
your chance is to score and just plumbt So just
being able to touch that football is huge, right, So
you have to start on a special team, and the
way we we emphasize as on field goal.

Speaker 9 (01:36:01):
That's how our offensive line checks that box. The only
exceptions quarterback, right, that's the only one. But we do
try to.

Speaker 15 (01:36:09):
Develop our players and if there's a way we can
save a guy and not play them on every single
special team we with though, but that young man, the
other guys have to earn that. So that's the kind
of way to develop our roster. So we have those
guys on special force and then they become those those
defensive and offensive starters after that.

Speaker 9 (01:36:26):
But I just talked about our running back room.

Speaker 15 (01:36:28):
I mean, between Tyler Johnson and Dante Way and Grale
the coach, right, we usually have like one running back
in the game at all times.

Speaker 9 (01:36:34):
So those guys have to find.

Speaker 15 (01:36:36):
A way to you know, make their money right in
other areas, right, So that's it's gotta be on kickoff,
it's gotta be on block, it's got to be.

Speaker 9 (01:36:47):
Right. So that that's huge. So we just put a
huge emphasis on it.

Speaker 15 (01:36:51):
And then for our team meals, the guys who eat
first are demo Dogs of the week or our scout
team players of the week, they get to eat first,
and then our punt team or a kick off team,
so they get for anyone else.

Speaker 2 (01:37:02):
Nice. I love it. That's that's cool. That's Martin. Keep
that in mind when you when you get your team,
you're gonna have to do the same thing. Yeah, Martin,
you would be a good coach. You'd be a good coach.

Speaker 3 (01:37:15):
My head coaching days were elementary and junior high. They
are long over. I'm happy coaching freshmen. Happy coaching freshmen, coach.

Speaker 1 (01:37:24):
May I was just looking at your schedule online and uh,
first of all, Moller's got a great website.

Speaker 9 (01:37:30):
Check it out, appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (01:37:33):
But uh, scrimmage's Milford the Massoline. You open against Princeton.
What a legendary game, the Bowler Princeton and that's on
a Saturday at.

Speaker 2 (01:37:40):
Four h Hold on? Can we scrimmage and massling at Masslin? Yeah?

Speaker 9 (01:37:47):
Yeah, we've scrimmage massling the last This would be third
year row.

Speaker 2 (01:37:51):
Okay, that's a drive, dude.

Speaker 15 (01:37:53):
That's a little bit of Well, they've came down to
us the last two years, so we're going back up
to them. Uh, this will be I think our fourth
year row plane because they played marks last year at
Moeler and then we it's our third year of scrimmage.

Speaker 9 (01:38:07):
So got a ton of respect for.

Speaker 15 (01:38:08):
Nate More and we really value that scrimmage because it's
a good metric to see how we're.

Speaker 9 (01:38:15):
How we're attacking the season.

Speaker 2 (01:38:16):
Yeah, that's a that's a decent I mean most people
scrimmage somewhere close to that's a that's a dry bro allright,
that's good.

Speaker 9 (01:38:22):
It's it's hard for us to find games close by.

Speaker 3 (01:38:26):
Yeah, I was gonna point that out.

Speaker 1 (01:38:28):
Too, because your schedule was, like, man, it's it looks
really really tough, but not a lot of local teams.
You know, everybody's got that same problem with you know,
the GC. I'll find a local games, but at home
versus Princeton on a Saturday at four, you're gonna have
everybody in the city and every coach wanted to go
to that, right, So that's that's a hot ticket. And
there's mooded this year again too, Right, isn't Princeton's supposed

(01:38:50):
to be really good too?

Speaker 9 (01:38:51):
They're all I mean, they're always talent, they always does
a great job.

Speaker 15 (01:38:54):
I mean, you're and they're gonna be ready as they
always are. But yeah, like, I think that game is
great for the city, it's great for the area. That's
a historical game. I mean that was the game, yeah,
right for a number of years and it's great. So
I think it's good for everybody. They want to play us.

Speaker 9 (01:39:13):
We want to play them, and they're obviously crazy talented
all the time.

Speaker 2 (01:39:17):
Let me ask you this, Bert, do you and maybe
this happens, maybe it doesn't. Am I thinking crazy in
the fact that does? Does Princeton wear the red jerseys
and you guys wear your blue jerseys in that game?
Where do you guys go typical, like like road whites
or not?

Speaker 9 (01:39:33):
I think we go typically just typically. We wore road
whites last year.

Speaker 2 (01:39:37):
Okay, so here's why I asked so. So two thousand
and it was it was actually pretty cool. It backfired.
But two thousand and three we were playing them week
ten and when I was coaching at Molar and we
were playing at Lachland and Princeton decided that they were
going to warm up at Princeton. They weren't going to
warm up down at Lachland. It was only you know,
two exits down seventy five, So we're like, where's Princeton?

Speaker 3 (01:39:59):
Where are they?

Speaker 2 (01:40:00):
Where are they? They roll in to Lochland like seven
twenty five, They get off the bus and we're the
home teams, so we're wearing our dark blue or our
blue jerseys. They roll in and their home red jerseys
and our players saw that and they lost their minds. Okay,
and we and they were they were really good that year,
and we went out and we beat them mower b

(01:40:21):
prints of that night like like forty two to seven
or something. I mean, just our our kids played out
of their minds. But the reason I ask is there's
certain games like like U c l A and USC
when they play, they get like an exemption. U c
l A wears that that that brew and blue, and
USC wears the garnet and gold. And I just think,

(01:40:42):
you know, Martin said, it's a traditional game. I think
that'd be really cool. And I think like when withsal
and say X PLAYSU should wear red, say NEC should
wear blue, and just just make it like that. I
think that'd be really neat.

Speaker 15 (01:40:54):
I guess how honest to god, Sa, I've never even
thought about that. Yeah, I'm always just like the when we're.

Speaker 2 (01:41:00):
In the script, but we do from the script. Exemption
is what it is. So start that start that ship,
get that thing going, man.

Speaker 9 (01:41:10):
Yeah, trendsetter, I tell you what, the amount of things
I'm worried about. Our jerseys are usually not one of them.

Speaker 2 (01:41:18):
So I.

Speaker 9 (01:41:21):
Let captains pick those.

Speaker 15 (01:41:22):
So captains pick and I'm not superstitious, but I am
a little stitious.

Speaker 9 (01:41:26):
So we just let those guys like whatever they want.

Speaker 15 (01:41:30):
But if we've been winning with a certain uniform out like, hey, guys,
how about we think about this combo?

Speaker 2 (01:41:34):
Well, have you guys have fourteen different different combos you
can wear?

Speaker 9 (01:41:39):
I mean a lot.

Speaker 1 (01:41:41):
We get talked on the pod earlier with Coach Speck
and they're very traditional, Like he said, their alumni would
freak out if they change your uniforms, right and elders
way elder exactly.

Speaker 3 (01:41:51):
I feel.

Speaker 9 (01:41:54):
I'm surprised we've been able to change as much as
we have.

Speaker 3 (01:41:56):
Yeah, it's all.

Speaker 9 (01:41:57):
I'm sure the traditions don't really like some of the things.

Speaker 15 (01:42:00):
I know all the Alarms would like to bring back
the stars on the pants and the shoulder pads, which
I think would be really cool.

Speaker 9 (01:42:07):
But with like the way they design uniforms now, they
usually are fit off some other.

Speaker 15 (01:42:12):
There's like a mock design that everyone does and has
changed the colors, but they bring back the stars.

Speaker 3 (01:42:18):
Be sweet.

Speaker 2 (01:42:18):
You guys have fun, right white blue or white bluh?

Speaker 9 (01:42:23):
We have black, we have black, navy, gold and white yep.

Speaker 15 (01:42:27):
And then I guess you could say we have gray,
We've had gray from a wild back, but like they've
been recycled, so our Jvan freshmen use those quite a bit.

Speaker 3 (01:42:34):
Okay, good stuff.

Speaker 1 (01:42:36):
Week two, Mount Carmel, Illinois at Ironston. How did that
game get at Ironton?

Speaker 3 (01:42:40):
First of all?

Speaker 1 (01:42:41):
And Mount Carmel is a pretty darn good program, right,
that's another one of those are gonna have some dogs?

Speaker 15 (01:42:47):
Yeah yeah, I mean if you remember, Jordan Lynch was
a Heisman Trophy final less years ago.

Speaker 9 (01:42:52):
No nolloise, he's our head coach. Really yeah, they're really good.

Speaker 15 (01:42:56):
So we open up the year with Princeton and then
we played three seats, three straight state champions.

Speaker 9 (01:43:03):
From all different states.

Speaker 15 (01:43:05):
So the way we're playing at Ironton is Coach Pendleton
at Ironton does that classic.

Speaker 9 (01:43:13):
I don't even know what he calls it, but like
there's a bunch of different teams that go play at Ironton.

Speaker 15 (01:43:17):
Ironton is one of the coolest high school stadiums out there.

Speaker 9 (01:43:21):
It is really neat. There are community treats us really
really well. So it's just a fun place to play.

Speaker 15 (01:43:28):
And I think we played Mallard Creek last year and
that was a crazy story We didn't even know we
were playing him until a week beforehand. We found out
one Yeah, so we were playing a different team and
they canceled on us.

Speaker 9 (01:43:41):
So then we're trying to find a game and give
coach Pounds a lot.

Speaker 15 (01:43:44):
Of credit helped us do it, and my running back
coach at the time found a game on Twitter with
Mallard Creek and we scheduled. It wasn't officially signed until
I think the tuesday we played them.

Speaker 3 (01:43:58):
Oh where are they from North Carolina?

Speaker 9 (01:44:01):
They're they're They're believable.

Speaker 11 (01:44:03):
They had some dudes.

Speaker 2 (01:44:04):
I remember watching that film. They had some dudes.

Speaker 9 (01:44:06):
Now there, they're incredible. They're really really good, very well,
really hard.

Speaker 1 (01:44:12):
If that's a Saturday afternoon thing with a few games,
I bet that town just shuts down.

Speaker 9 (01:44:16):
It's it's awesome. It's awesome.

Speaker 3 (01:44:19):
So if you're a bank robber, that's when you go
hit up all the.

Speaker 2 (01:44:24):
House. Robert.

Speaker 9 (01:44:25):
Yeah.

Speaker 15 (01:44:25):
But coach Pontin does a great job down there, getting
like really good games, really good competition. So before I know,
before I got the mold that they played, I'm forgetting
the team. But a team from the East Coast that
was really good. And then so ok, just love playing there.
So now we'll be playing Mount Carmel. They're really good,
they won the state championship last year. Bring a lot

(01:44:46):
of talent back.

Speaker 9 (01:44:47):
They're gonna be well coached, they're gonna play hard, and
it's all be fun.

Speaker 3 (01:44:50):
Game Week three Trinity Mount Saint Joe.

Speaker 1 (01:44:54):
Then, as you mentioned, another state champ, Christ Presbyterian Academy
from Tennessee on the road.

Speaker 3 (01:45:01):
So you're traveling down there and that's a Friday game.

Speaker 9 (01:45:04):
Yeah.

Speaker 15 (01:45:04):
Yeah, So this is actually so we'll play teams from
five different states this year, uh, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky, and.

Speaker 9 (01:45:16):
Illinois.

Speaker 15 (01:45:18):
Last year we played ten regular season games in ten
different stadiums. So we never played in the same stadium
twice last year. Yeah, so we we actually were games.
Yeah yeah, it was Mount Saint Joe, it was Nipper,
and it was West Claremont. Those are our home games,
and then the Ironton game and then everything else is away.
If you count playoffs in the state championship, I think

(01:45:40):
the total was thirteen different stadiums.

Speaker 2 (01:45:43):
Wow, oh my goodness.

Speaker 3 (01:45:45):
So at a lot of stuff to pack up.

Speaker 1 (01:45:48):
Yeah, and then then you got back to back to
back GCL games, next to Sol Elder and then Stahis
and SA Heads.

Speaker 9 (01:45:57):
And right, so we go five all over, that's what
I call it.

Speaker 15 (01:46:01):
Ye, so you go five straight GCL games and then
we got Miskeigan, who's top ten team of all time
and wins.

Speaker 3 (01:46:10):
Wow, that's a heck of schedule.

Speaker 1 (01:46:11):
And I noticed there's a few Saturday games. What's your
schedule like when you have to play on Saturday, what
do you prefer?

Speaker 8 (01:46:18):
I don't really, I don't know that matter.

Speaker 7 (01:46:20):
You could say, play a party, put lots of South teams.

Speaker 2 (01:46:24):
Yeah, it's hard for GCL South teams to prefer one
or the other. But yeah, it's It's Saturdays were kind
of the norm now.

Speaker 9 (01:46:30):
So we always give the day after a game off
to our players to restaurant recovers.

Speaker 15 (01:46:35):
They can sleep in and rest up because even when
we play at West Clamon Mount Saint Joe, our games
over at ten o'clock by the time we get back
to Moler and clean up and like they're getting the
they're getting the bet pvery late.

Speaker 1 (01:46:48):
So I want to congrats to your congrats to your
A D and the whole staff are putting that schedule together.
It's got to be tough, especially because just the logistics
of now you're freshmen and JV games, you're gonna any
probably have two JVT. That's a lot of scheduling and
a lot of logistics to work out.

Speaker 9 (01:47:04):
So we schedule forty games. We have ten varsity, ten
JV and then twenty freshman games.

Speaker 3 (01:47:09):
Yeah, wow, kudos, Wow, what are your numbers like top
to bottom?

Speaker 1 (01:47:14):
Like you know, I mean, we'll have twelve and how
many freshmen you think, but so my freshiestically it's got
to have a lot of people.

Speaker 15 (01:47:22):
Yeah, we always budget for about two fifty for the
for the year, like when you talk about gear and
all that, like the numbers two fifty. Obviously there's a
little bit of attrition there. But I think our freshman
numbers are up to about one oh seven right now,
and then our varsity numbers will be you know, I
think over one thirty. But in the summer it's always
hit or miss right now because you have some of

(01:47:43):
you guys on baseball, lacrosse, au basketball, you know, all
kinds of stuff, right, So we've always had over one
hundred every single day for our varsity throughout the summer,
and then freshmen has been like over I think ninety
every single day.

Speaker 9 (01:47:59):
But it's been good.

Speaker 15 (01:48:00):
Like part of that is we have really good coaches
who connect with our players and they're genuine and their coaching,
and then we have a really good strength staff that
glues it all together too. So from a structure standpoint,
there's a lot of a lot of people here with
their their hands on our players, just making sure that
they're being.

Speaker 9 (01:48:20):
Taken care of.

Speaker 2 (01:48:21):
And Bert, I think one of the most important people
in your program is a dear friend of mine, and
that's your athletic trainer, Craig Lindsay, Oh, yeah, crazy, Can
you just talk a little bit about about Craig I mean,
and how good he is at what he does.

Speaker 15 (01:48:35):
Yeah, Well, he just got inducted into the Hall of
Fame at mold of this past year, so it was
pretty cool because he got inducted at the same time
as Sam Hubbard, which yeah, and obviously Craig, I mean.
The cool thing about Craig is his genuine care for
the individual, not the player, but the individual, and he

(01:48:56):
really does care about him greatly, and he's gonna put
their knee. It's above all else. The other than Craig
does a great job is he hires good people around him, right.
So our other athletic trainer is John Michael Leppard who's
coming from Memphis.

Speaker 9 (01:49:08):
He was with us last year and he's taken us
to another level as well. And even the year before
we had.

Speaker 15 (01:49:13):
Our athletic trainer was awesome and he moved on to
FC Cincinnati, so Ryan did a great job as well.
So Craig's always brought in really good people around him.
But we got like the GPS.

Speaker 9 (01:49:26):
Monitors on the guys when they're running, so we can
track what they're doing.

Speaker 15 (01:49:30):
And our receivers run about five miles a day and
crazy how much practice.

Speaker 2 (01:49:34):
Yeah, when you really track it.

Speaker 11 (01:49:36):
Yeah, we did that.

Speaker 2 (01:49:37):
A cool thing too.

Speaker 15 (01:49:38):
It's consistent on game day. It's consistent on game day.
So with that data, it shows that we are actually
practicing how we.

Speaker 9 (01:49:46):
Play, which is pretty cool.

Speaker 2 (01:49:48):
Yeah. Quick story about Craig. So when I was coaching
at More in two thousand and four, my wife brought
the kids out to practice one day and my son Keene,
I think he was three at the time, and we
were on where the where the turf field it is
now used to be the old the grass practice fielding
up top and they had the old metal bleachers up
there on the side of the field. My son, he's
three years, always climbing around on the bleachers and he

(01:50:08):
slips and he falls, and he falls down between the
bleachers and he splits his chin open underneath his chin,
and I mean, he's got he's bleeding, and he's scared
to death. And Craig comes over. And Craig was a
champ man. He he you know, he took care of him,
took him downstairs down to the training room. That's when
the training room used to be down by the locker
room down there. Yeah, and and he yeah, and he

(01:50:31):
kind of gluting back together and put a butterfly thing
on it. My son never cried, cried a drop man.

Speaker 8 (01:50:36):
It was.

Speaker 2 (01:50:37):
I'll never forget that about Craig. I'm deeply indebted for
him for the way he took care of myself that day. Yeah,
they do a good job.

Speaker 9 (01:50:44):
Guys love him.

Speaker 1 (01:50:46):
Yep, Prey coach the last question of the night, and
we ran this by the other three head coaches in
the g CL.

Speaker 3 (01:50:52):
It's a Saturday JV game where at the Molo facility.

Speaker 1 (01:50:55):
The game just ended within a five five mile drive
where we're going to get wings.

Speaker 3 (01:50:59):
He's got the wings in town. In your opinion, I
we're gonna get a beard some wings.

Speaker 9 (01:51:03):
Silverton Cafe down the road. But that that is a
product of Chris Reiser right there. Yes it is Silverton Cafe.

Speaker 2 (01:51:14):
You asked him, But I want you to ask him
about the night that he and I went to the
Silverton Cafe after the last game of the year. And
I'll just leave it at that. It was, uh that
that was an epic night right there, and I expect
him to text me about that too.

Speaker 15 (01:51:26):
When we got that first you're down the road Montgomery
in the original Inn with Tommy Gregory.

Speaker 9 (01:51:33):
That's the best.

Speaker 3 (01:51:34):
I thought it was good.

Speaker 1 (01:51:35):
I thought you were gonna say Silver Spring House because
that's a little further out.

Speaker 3 (01:51:38):
But they got some dark, good wings.

Speaker 9 (01:51:40):
They have good wings too. I was I mean, I
never I was thinking them like a chicken tender place
like that.

Speaker 15 (01:51:47):
I mean, you go the Silver spring House, it's what
we have a a football event there for the kick
off the season. But it's unbelievable. All right, Well, we
actually know what I gotta I gotta get a shout
out John Gerbis wings and rings.

Speaker 9 (01:52:02):
He takes care of us for our lift athon. He
does an awesome job. I'm just gonna go down the list.
There's a million places. But yeah, you won't make any enemies, right, Yes,
I mean Gerbus hooks us up. Man, he's awesome. Like
he sponsors up with our lyftothon.

Speaker 15 (01:52:18):
He brings wings to the guys for the guys who
lift the most weight and raise the most money. I mean,
you guys aren't get me in trouble now talking about restaurants,
because now I'm thinking about all the persons.

Speaker 2 (01:52:29):
Everybody here. You're gonna be throwing in the pulp and
Fort Thomas here and everything else.

Speaker 3 (01:52:34):
Yes, yeah, yep, Well, I appreciate your time, coach.

Speaker 1 (01:52:38):
We know we're taking time with with your family and
your team right now, so we appreciate your valuable minutes.
We'll have to get you back on for a regular
pod well these days. And Strekker is gonna buy wings
if we ever end up at the Silverton Cafe.

Speaker 9 (01:52:49):
I'm gonna hold him to that.

Speaker 2 (01:52:50):
Yeah, yes, see what I don't find anything there?

Speaker 3 (01:52:57):
You go, that's mine the.

Speaker 2 (01:53:01):
Love.

Speaker 16 (01:53:02):
We are on Twitter, TikTok, Insta, and YouTube. Find us
on Twitter at tf TS Underscore Podcast that stands for
Tales from the Script Underscore podcast, same with TikTok TFTs
Underscore podcast, same with Insta TFTs Underscore podcast, and on
YouTube Tales from the Script seven at gmail dot com.

Speaker 2 (01:53:27):
While around it, we want to take this opportunity to
thank our executive producer, Joe Strecker and Joe Strecker Productions
for pushing buttons, recording, editing, and making us three idiots sound.

Speaker 3 (01:53:37):
Like we know what we are doing. No doubt, he's
the best in the business.

Speaker 2 (01:53:42):
Also want to thank our awesome marketing department eded up
by Vice President of Marketing Liz McMahon. She does a
great job to make sure that everything looks great for us.

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