Tomorrow, three-time defending 6A state champion and top-ranked Center Grove kicks off the regular season when they travel to Canton, Ohio, the home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, to face off against Ohio’s largest division’s top-ranked team – St. Edward High School.
The Trojans start their title defense against the two-time defending OHSAA Division 1 state champions, who are ranked No. 16 in the nation.
“They’re a powerhouse,” offensive coordinator Troy Dice said. “They’re a Catholic school outside of Cleveland. I wouldn’t say it’s a prep school, but there are kids who definitely go there to play football. They are back-to-back state champions of Ohio, and they’re good.”
St. Edward’s success in recent years has also attracted attention from Power Five conference schools, where several of their players have committed to play.
“They have kids just like us,” Dice said. “They have twins going to Ohio State and a kid going to Michigan. On the defensive side of the ball, their strength is their interior seven; they have a kid going to Northwestern, they have a linebacker going to Ohio State and they have a defensive end going to Notre Dame.Their skill on their offensive and defensive side is really solid.”
One facet of the game that the Trojans will have to contend with is the physicality and size of St. Edward, which has often been associated with Center Grove football in years past.
“Their O-line jumps out at me,” senior linebacker Kaden McConnell said. “They have three Big 10 O-linemen, but I have faith in our D-Line to get through some of the piles and we’ll see where it goes. We need to use our speed and agility. One example would be [junior] Ryder Woolwine, who has an amazing spin move, and he’ll get through some of those big guys.”
Something that may complicate the game, however, is the bus ride to Canton, which takes approximately 5.5 hours.
“The Trinity game [last year] we drove 2.5 hours there and played immediately. We’re leaving [today] so we have a full day to settle down and let that drive-feeling go away,” senior running back Rylan Cook said.
This match-up offers Center Grove an early-season look at top competition and a chance to test their Wing-T offense against a physical defense.
“I think we have to limit our mistakes. Can we play a clean football game without turning the ball over, and can we cause turnovers? Can we match their physicality?” Dice said. “You watch them on film, they have no problem with being physical, and it’s unique because we always pride ourselves in being a team that is physical. They’re the team that looks like they’re perfectly comfortable in making the game physical. [The question is,] can we not turn the ball over, and can we control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.”
