Saint Xavier Football: Local Athlete Has High Expectations for 2011

Most students look forward to the summer, but this specific teenager has his eyes on fall.

Ryan Waddell, a sophomore at Saint Xavier High School in Cincinnati, is preparing for the upcoming football season. Waddell grew up in the Fairfield City School district, where he played football from fifth through ninth grade. He started at the cornerback position and played freshman ball for the Indians in 2009, where he intercepted the opposing quarterback seven times throughout the course of nine games.

He’s in a whole new league now.

“I feel like the [Greater Catholic League] is a lot tougher, hard-nosed defense orientated kind of football. It’s a lot more personal; everyone is a rival,” said Waddell.

Waddell decided to take his talents to, erm, Cincinnati, by transferring to Saint Xavier High School. Due to the OHSAA transfer rules, he was ineligible to play in regular season and state playoff games. However, Waddell was allowed to lift and practice with the team, and he even got some playing time at quarterback during preseason scrimmages.

“I needed more academic opportunities and Saint [Xavier] has one of the best combinations of academics and athletics in the state,” said Waddell. “[Transferring] won’t affect my opportunities for playing time because I believe coming in as the new guy they’ll look at me closer and will see what I can contribute.”

St. Xavier is a powerhouse football program, to say the least. In the past seven seasons under head coach Steve Specht, the Bombers have combined for 70 wins to just 18 losses. They’ve posted a 15-5 record in the Greater Catholic League South Division over this time and have won two state titles.

Under Specht’s reign, St. X averages to be No. 3 in the state of Ohio and No. 32 in the nation, having been ranked No. 1 overall when they went 15-0 in 2007. Saint Xavier has produced many college athletes, but in the last six years, 14 Bombers have gone on to play Division 1-A football.

“Coach Specht is a good role model in general; he’s an outstanding coach and he obviously knows what he’s doing,” said Waddell.

It’s safe to say that Waddell will have his hands full when fighting for a position this summer—the Bomber roster consisted of 122 players in 2010.

“I want to grow, get stronger and see the field. I don’t have to start but my goal is to get some playing time,” said Waddell.

Waddell has been attending the lifting and speed training programs provided. He says that he will be trying out for the corner position this approaching season. Saint Xavier begins its three-a-days on August 1, and its first game opens against Springfield at Nippert Stadium, home of the Cincinnati Bearcats.

“I want us to have that team chemistry, to win games and to have fun…but I do want a ring by the end of my senior year,” said Waddell.

Statistics show that he has a pretty good chance of receiving one.