The days leading into the annual football clash with rival Trinity are called “Spirit Week” at St. Xavier High School, but Tigers coach Will Wolford has found good reason to be a bit dispirited this week.
For one, St. X is 1-10 in its past 11 matchups against Trinity “and people quit congratulating me on our win two years ago a long freakin’ time ago,” Wolford said.
And then came Wednesday’s news that St. X senior Blake Roshkowski had been diagnosed with an ACL tear in his right knee that was suffered on the opening kickoff of last week’s 27-17 victory over Pleasure Ridge Park.
Roshkowski had played sparingly this season after suffering a torn ACL in his left knee during the spring lacrosse season but appeared on his way back after scoring two touchdowns in a 45-18 victory over Highlands on Sept. 16. Now the speedy Roshkowski – perhaps St. X’s No. 1 big-play threat – is facing surgery next week and will miss the rest of the season, Wolford said.
Roshkowski’s 98 rushing yards and touchdown sparked the Tigers’ 35-21 upset of the Shamrocks two seasons ago.
“We were hoping for the best because he got up and he’s been walking around, but that’s how ACLs are,” Wolford said. “Most of the time (torn) ACLs happen when there is no contact. It’s just a shame. …
“You can’t replace him. He’s one of our fastest kids and tough and gifted.”
Given the recent series history and the Roshkowski injury, the deck might appear stacked against the Tigers (4-1) – No. 6 in The Courier-Journal’s Litkenhous Ratings – as they get set to face No. 3 Trinity (6-0) at 8 p.m. Friday at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium.
“We just have to execute, period,” Wolford said. “(Trinity) is obviously very good, and they’re very physical. We have to match that.”
The Tigers’ hopes likely will rest on a rushing attack led by senior running back Sam Taylor (630 rushing yards, six touchdowns) and senior quarterback Desmond Ridder (197 rushing yards, five TDs).
MORE COVERAGE | St. X’s Taylor a leader, keys team’s success
But they’ll have to do it against a Trinity defense that is allowing just 72.3 rushing yards per game and 2.9 yards per attempt. Sophomore end Stephen Herron leads the Shamrocks with 23 tackles (20 solo), 8 ½ tackles for loss and 2 ½ sacks.
“We want to get everybody going, but certainly Sam is the heart of our offense,” Wolford said. “He knows he’s going to get the ball 20-plus times, and he’s a very physical player. We kind of feed off his enthusiasm and fire.
“Desmond has a lot do back there, and he just needs to make sure he manages the game correctly and makes the right reads. … If they give us opportunities to go downtown or go over the top, we’re going to take them.”
Ranked No. 18 in the nation by USA Today, Trinity is averaging 38.3 points and 218.8 rushing yards per game. Seniors Jovan Smith (438 yards, two touchdowns) and Roderick Thomas (355 yards, eight TDs) provide a solid 1-2 punch at running back, and senior quarterback Spencer Blackburn has accounted for 16 touchdowns (13 passing, three rushing) with just two interceptions.
MORE COVERAGE | Twins Jovan and Jovel Smith spark Trinity offense
After an emotional 37-34 victory over Male on Sept. 9, Trinity coach Bob Beatty said his offensive line struggled the following week in a 29-10 victory over Pleasure Ridge Park. But Beatty was more concerned about how his team handled the victory.
“We’ve created a scenario here that if we don’t smoke somebody by 50, what happened?” Beatty said. “If we have one more point than the other team, I’m happy. I may not be happy with all of our performances, but I’m happy we beat PRP.
“But our kids were so disappointed and our coaching staff was so disappointed that we almost treated it as a loss. So I wanted to see how they responded.”
The Shamrocks bounced back last week with a 70-0 whipping of an overmatched Jeffersontown team. Beatty knows Friday’s rivalry will provide a tougher test and expects containing Ridder will be a key for his defense.
“He’s a dual-threat kid, and in today’s football those are dangerous, dangerous people,” Beatty said. “I’m not going to say we’ve faced anybody who’s like him, but we’ve faced different guys with some similarities.”
NOTES
* Both teams are dealing with injuries on the offensive line.
Trinity senior right tackle Thomas Crawford is out with a knee injury and will be replaced by senior John Lage. St. X senior right guard Joe Lyons also is out with a knee injury and will be spelled by juniors Nick Canady and Clayton Six.
* Tickets will be available at both schools from 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Friday and at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium starting at 6 p.m. Tickets are $15 (club level), $12 (reserved) and $10 (general admission).
Jason Frakes can be reached at (502) 582-4046 and jfrakes@courier-journal.com.
GAME OF THE WEEK
* Who: St. Xavier (4-1) vs. Trinity (6-0).
* When: 8 p.m. Friday.
* Where: Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium.
* Jason’s pick: Trinity 21-10.