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St. Edward High School (Lakewood, Ohio)
Encyclopedia
St. Edward High School is private, all-male
Catholic
, college-preparatory
high school located in Lakewood
, Ohio
, a western Cleveland suburb. It was founded in 1949 and is operated in the Holy Cross tradition by the Midwest Province of the Brothers of Holy Cross
, Notre Dame, Indiana
. It is one of three remaining all-male Catholic high schools in Greater Cleveland area (Benedictine and St. Ignatius being the others) and has an enrollment of 865 students, as of the 2009-2010 school year. The school's mascot is the Eagle and school colors are green and gold. chedSchool|title=Super 25 Ohio - Boys Varsity Football |publisher=USA Today|accessdate= October 31 2011}}
. It was also a nod toward Archbishop Edward F. Hoban, the head of the Diocese of Cleveland
who invited the Brothers of Holy Cross to start several Catholic high schools in the Cleveland suburbs after World War II
. The Brothers of Holy Cross would start Gilmour Academy
in 1946 in the eastern suburb of Gates Mills
, St. Edward in the western suburbs, and Archbishop Hoban High School
in 1953 in nearby Akron, Ohio
. The first graduating class of 1953 consisted of 159 students, including several prominent Clevelanders, most notably talk show host Phil Donahue
.
. The 20-week program is structured to develop basic business techniques including finance, team-building, planning, etc. The completed business plans are ranked, with the students competing for one of five college scholarships totaling $27,000. Also, school is currently working with local universities to allow students to receive college credits for participation in the program.
In the fall of 2010, St. Edward became the first Catholic high school in Cleveland to become a candidate to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.
St. Edward has three student-produced publications: a literary and art magazine called Flight, a yearbook titled Edwardian, and a monthly newspaper/news magazine called the Edsman. Tom Glasenapp, a veteran English and Literature teacher, was appointed faculty moderator for the Edsman and Edwardian in 2008 and played a key role in greatly enhancing the programs.
The Edsman experienced a complete renaissance during the 2008-2009 school year. Student participation in the program grew dramatically compared to previous years and the program was completely reborn as a monthly newsmagazine. Instead of covering only school news, the Edsman expanded coverage to include topics at all levels (local to world) in four areas: news, features, sports, and opinions. In addition to a new physical design and new content, the program also ventured onto the web and launched Edsman.com in November 2008. Edsman.com proved to be a success and garnered recognition from the National Scholastic Press Association http://www.studentpress.org/nspa/ as one of the finalists for the 2009 Online Pacemaker, an annual award given to the best high school journalism websites.
St. Edward's Latin Club functions as a local chapter of both the Ohio Junior Classical League (OJCL) and National Junior Classical League
(NJCL).
The school was recognized by the United States Department of Education
as a "Blue Ribbon School
" for the 1994-1995 and 1995-1996 school years. A Blue Ribbon school must demonstrate a strong commitment to educational excellence.
Construction on the school's current facility began in 1949 on a site that once served as a resting and feeding stop for cattle trains passing through from western states to eastern markets on what is now known as the Norfolk Southern roadbed. Classes began immediately in a temporary location roughly three blocks west of the school’s current location in the building of the former St. Theresa's Academy. A year later, new freshman were taught in makeshift classrooms in the basement of St. James Grade School, located roughly 1.5 miles away at the corner of Detroit and Granger avenues. The original school building was ready in 1951, although many alumni tell tales of digging unfinished sections the basement during 1952 and 1953 for "detention" (there are pictures in private collects that validate the tales).
In 2000, the school began a capital campaign to upgrade and transform the physical plant, including a new gym, weight room and indoor track. The Kahl Student Life & Leadership Center, named for Manco founder Jack Kahl, was dedicated in 2004. Coughlin Field includes a synthetic, all-weather athletic field as well as an outdoor track.
On July 31, 2008, St. Edward dedicated a $3.4 million Joseph & Helen Lowe Pre-Engineering and Technology Center. The facility was named after the parents of Greg Lowe, the senior vice president of High-Performance Analog Business Units at Texas Instruments
and a 1980 graduate of the high school.
The new Holy Family Chapel, topped with a decorative gold dome - a nod to the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, which is also a Holy Cross institution, was dedicated on September 29, 2008. The chapel contains a bronze sculpture of Jesus on the cross created by St. Edward alumnus and sculptor James McKenna who also makes each head bust for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The St. Edward athletics program has been successful at both state and national levels of competition. The school's program is known as one of the best in the state, with 42 team Ohio High School Athletic Association(OHSAA)
championships, 3rd best in Ohio history.
Through the 1960s and early 1970s, the team was generously considered average, becoming sectional champs just once (1967). Fortunes changed when an unknown real estate millionaire named Howard E. Ferguson took over as coach of the wrestling program. Ferguson, affectionately known as "Ferg" by his wrestlers, was a disciplined taskmaster that was driven to excellence. He sought the counsel of legendary coach and National Wrestling Hall of Famer Mike Milkovich, who won 10 Ohio State Championships in his twenty-seven seasons at Maple Heights High School
. Ferguson assembled a wrestling juggernaut that would rattle off 10 consecutive State Championships between 1978 and 1987. Moreover, once the program began to excel, he regularly challenged some of the best programs in the country, such as New Jersey powerhouse Blair Academy
. Eventually, he arranged a quadrangular tournament billed as the Quad of Champions that was hosted by St. Edward, whereby 4 nationally ranked teams would compete in successive dual meets. The tournament is now known as the "Super Quad." Given the high-caliber opponents, it makes the longest dual meet unbeaten streak of 82 between 1977 and 1988, which is 3rd all-time in the state of Ohio, all the more impressive.
The driven Ferguson died of a heart attack at age 51 in 1989. The next year, Ferguson was posthumously inducted into the Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches Association (OHSWCA) Hall of Fame, class of 1990. St. Edward would rename the school's athletic Hall of Fame in his honor, Howard Ferguson Athletic Hall of Fame.
In the aftermath of Ferguson's sudden death, Greg Urbas, a math teacher and assistant football and freshman wrestling coach took the reins. Although Urbas's soft-spoken and unassuming manner was quite different from Ferg's loud yelling style, he was similarly disciplined. Urbas served as a sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps
from 1973-77. Urbas has 5 national titles and surpassed Ferguson's State title total in 2007. With 14 state titles, Urbas is one behind St. Xavier swim coach Jim Brower's state record of 15 for head coaches. In 2009, the team won its 13th straight and 25th overall Division I state wrestling championship, both state records. No other Ohio school has won 13 state titles in a row in any sport.
Since 1959 through 2010, the wrestling program has produced:
The ice hockey program in its early days was unremarkable, although it had some good players that went on to solid college hockey careers such as Don Harkins (Miami (OH) University) and is currently the Director of Scouting for the Plymouth Whalers (OHL), as well as Mark and Bill Switaj who both went to Boston College
.
However, it all changed when a former pro goalie
Bob Whidden
was named the coach in 1984. In his first year, Whidden would lead the Eagles to become the 1985 OHSAA State Champions. That team featured a young sophomore center named Todd Harkins
, who would go on to have an NHL and minor league career. Whidden coached several players that would be in the NHL draft including Todd Harkins, Brett Harkins
, and Michael Rupp
, who is now with the Pittsburgh Penguins
.
During his 20 years at the helm, Whidden's Eagles would win 10 OHSAA state titles, 7 Baron Cups (Greater Cleveland
Championships), and finished with a career record of 507-149-28. He was one of the most accomplished head coaches in Ohio
high school hockey history, as his 507 wins rank fourth most all-time in OHSAA history. He retired in March 2005 after winning the 10th title and being named Ohio High School Hockey Coach of the Year by the National Federation of State High School Associations
. In July 2009, St. Edward named Whidden to the school's Athletic Hall of Fame, class of 2009.
Upon Bob Whidden's retirement, the school named his son as head coach. Rob Whidden, a 1988 graduate of St. Edward, was also a goalie and still owns the Ohio record for the most saves in a state title game (56, vs. Cleveland Heights in 1987). The younger Whidden would coach the team to the 2008 Ohio state title. In 2009, the team would suffer a double overtime loss in the OHSAA state semifinals. On August 13, 2010, the school named Troy Gray, a 1986 graduate, as the team's new head coach.
, by a score of 14-12, at the hands of future Notre Dame
coach Gerry Faust
. The program languished under coach Dan Flaherty, who was a capable offensive coordinator
. In 1984, the school hired Coach Al O'Neil, who had recently retired after leading a successful program at Avon Lake High School
. The Big Green Machine would make the OHSAA playoffs in O'Neil's first season. Two years later, the team would lose in the 1986 state finals by 1 point, 21-20, to Fairfield High School
. The football team's fortunes slumped from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s, which was particularly painful for the school's faithful given arch rival St. Ignatius High School's
dominance under Coach Chuck Kyle.
The team has improved in more recent years, having made the OHSAA playoffs eight out of the last ten years, including the state finals in 2003 and the state final four in 2005. The resurgence was led by Coach John Gibbons, who won 2 OHSAA state titles in Division III while at Lake Catholic High School
. Despite a successful run and a 81-22 record, Gibbons was fired on January 12, 2007.
The school hired Scott Niedzwiecki as head coach in March 2007. He was the offensive coordinator during 2003 state championship run. He spent the next three season as the defensive coordinator at John Carroll University
. However, he had a unremarkable 10-10 record in 2 seasons and was forced to resign nearly 2 years to the day from the Gibbons firing. The school hired Rick Finotti as head coach in March 2009 and experienced coach Joe Perella as offensive coordinator in April 2009.
St. Edward won their first football state championship in 2010, beating Wayne High School
35-28.
has awarded the school the following state championships:
St. Edward is also one of only a handful of high schools in the United States that offer rugby union
as a varsity
sport. In 2006, The St. Edward Eagle Rugby team placed 8th in the nation.
St. Edward was the winner of the 2007-2008 Ohio Cup, which is presented to one Ohio school each year for outstanding performance in high school sports. The Eagles appeared in four Division I State Championship games in 2007-08 and won three state championships in Wrestling, Hockey and Baseball. The Eagles also advanced to the championship game in Basketball.
St. Ed's won their first volleyball state championship on May 29, 2011. It took five games before they bested Moeller in Pickerington, Ohio. Boys Volleyball is not sanctioned by the OHSAA.
. The two schools are quite similar in that both are Catholic, college prep, all-boys schools on the west side of the Cleveland area
. The schools are separated by only six miles. One of the main reasons for the rivalry is that the schools draw from the same student pool of boys from west side Catholic grade schools. Because of this, when the students face off in direct competition, they commonly are up against former grade school friends.
The schools both produce high quality athletic teams, combining for over 60 state titles in the last 30 years. While the schools compete in virtually all sports annually, the main event is the football match-up that draws upward of 13,000 fans. The game is dubbed, "the Holy War
" after the similar Catholic college football scenario between Boston College
(a Jesuit
school) and University of Notre Dame
(a Holy Cross
school). In addition, basketball games between the two schools (commonly twice a year) sell out at the hosting school's gymnasium.
Several match-ups live in the lore of Cleveland high school sports. In 1993, the regular-season football match-up was regarded as one of the greatest Cleveland football games, resulting in a 35-34 3OT win for St. Ignatius. While the schools are only six miles apart, in 1998 basketball regional lines were drawn along the Cleveland/Lakewood border and the two teams met in the Division I state championship, with St. Edward prevailing 70-61.
The same scenario occurred in baseball in 2008, with St. Edward beating St. Ignatius 6-2 in the 2008 Baseball Division I State Championship game.
Single-sex education
Single-sex education, also known as single-gender education, is the practice of conducting education where male and female students attend separate classes or in separate buildings or schools. The practice was predominant before the mid-twentieth century, particularly in secondary education and...
Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
, college-preparatory
University-preparatory school
A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school is a secondary school, usually private, designed to prepare students for a college or university education...
high school located in Lakewood
Lakewood, Ohio
Lakewood is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Greater Cleveland Metropolitan Area, and borders the city of Cleveland. The population was 52,131 at the 2010 making it the third largest city in Cuyahoga County, behind Cleveland and Parma .Lakewood, one of Cleveland's...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, a western Cleveland suburb. It was founded in 1949 and is operated in the Holy Cross tradition by the Midwest Province of the Brothers of Holy Cross
Congregation of Holy Cross
The Congregation of Holy Cross or Congregatio a Sancta Cruce is a Catholic congregation of priests and brothers founded in 1837 by Blessed Father Basil Anthony-Marie Moreau, CSC, in Le Mans, France....
, Notre Dame, Indiana
Notre Dame, Indiana
Notre Dame is a census-designated place north of South Bend in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States; it includes the campuses of three colleges: the University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary's College, and Holy Cross College. Notre Dame is split between Clay and Portage Townships...
. It is one of three remaining all-male Catholic high schools in Greater Cleveland area (Benedictine and St. Ignatius being the others) and has an enrollment of 865 students, as of the 2009-2010 school year. The school's mascot is the Eagle and school colors are green and gold. chedSchool|title=Super 25 Ohio - Boys Varsity Football |publisher=USA Today|accessdate= October 31 2011}}
History
St. Edward High School was founded in 1949 by the Brothers of Holy Cross and named in honor of Saint Edward the ConfessorEdward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor also known as St. Edward the Confessor , son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy, was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England and is usually regarded as the last king of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 to 1066....
. It was also a nod toward Archbishop Edward F. Hoban, the head of the Diocese of Cleveland
Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland is a Roman Catholic diocese in Ohio. It was erected on April 23, 1847 by Pope Pius IX. The diocese lost territory in 1910 when the Diocese of Toledo was erected by Pope Pius X, and in 1943 when the Diocese of Youngstown was erected by Pope Pius XII...
who invited the Brothers of Holy Cross to start several Catholic high schools in the Cleveland suburbs after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The Brothers of Holy Cross would start Gilmour Academy
Gilmour Academy
Gilmour Academy is an independent, Roman Catholic, coeducational, college-preparatory school in the Cleveland suburb of Gates Mills, Ohio. Founded in 1946 by the Brothers of Holy Cross, it offers a Montessori preschool program and traditional kindergarten through grade 12. A boarding program is...
in 1946 in the eastern suburb of Gates Mills
Gates Mills, Ohio
Gates Mills is a village in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,270 at the 2010 census. Gates Mills is an affluent suburb of Cleveland...
, St. Edward in the western suburbs, and Archbishop Hoban High School
Archbishop Hoban High School
Archbishop Hoban High School is a private, Catholic high school in Akron, Ohio, USA. It is a part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland. In the early 1950s, Archbishop Edward F. Hoban invited the Brothers of Holy Cross to staff a new high school to be named in his honor. The Brothers had...
in 1953 in nearby Akron, Ohio
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
. The first graduating class of 1953 consisted of 159 students, including several prominent Clevelanders, most notably talk show host Phil Donahue
Phil Donahue
Phillip John "Phil" Donahue is an American media personality, writer, and film producer best known as the creator and host of The Phil Donahue Show. The television program, also known as Donahue, was the first to use a talk show format. The show had a 26-year run on U.S...
.
Academics
The school offers a college-preparatory oriented curriculum as well as several specialized programs, including a pre-engineering and entrepreneurship programs, typically reserved for college campuses. The pre-engineering program was founded in 2001 and is housed in the Joseph and Helen Lowe Pre-Engineering & Technology Center. About 300 of the school's nearly 900 students are enrolled in the program. In the 2008-2009 school year, the school began offering senior grade level students an entrepreneurship program, which is based on Planning The Entrepreneurial Venture concept created by the Ewing Marion Kauffman FoundationEwing Marion Kauffman Foundation
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a non-profit foundation based in Kansas City, Missouri. It has an asset base of $2 billion...
. The 20-week program is structured to develop basic business techniques including finance, team-building, planning, etc. The completed business plans are ranked, with the students competing for one of five college scholarships totaling $27,000. Also, school is currently working with local universities to allow students to receive college credits for participation in the program.
In the fall of 2010, St. Edward became the first Catholic high school in Cleveland to become a candidate to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.
St. Edward has three student-produced publications: a literary and art magazine called Flight, a yearbook titled Edwardian, and a monthly newspaper/news magazine called the Edsman. Tom Glasenapp, a veteran English and Literature teacher, was appointed faculty moderator for the Edsman and Edwardian in 2008 and played a key role in greatly enhancing the programs.
The Edsman experienced a complete renaissance during the 2008-2009 school year. Student participation in the program grew dramatically compared to previous years and the program was completely reborn as a monthly newsmagazine. Instead of covering only school news, the Edsman expanded coverage to include topics at all levels (local to world) in four areas: news, features, sports, and opinions. In addition to a new physical design and new content, the program also ventured onto the web and launched Edsman.com in November 2008. Edsman.com proved to be a success and garnered recognition from the National Scholastic Press Association http://www.studentpress.org/nspa/ as one of the finalists for the 2009 Online Pacemaker, an annual award given to the best high school journalism websites.
St. Edward's Latin Club functions as a local chapter of both the Ohio Junior Classical League (OJCL) and National Junior Classical League
National Junior Classical League
The National Junior Classical League is a youth organization of secondary school students sponsored by the American Classical League...
(NJCL).
The school was recognized by the United States Department of Education
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
as a "Blue Ribbon School
Blue Ribbon Schools Program
The Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States government program created in 1981 to honor schools which have achieved high levels of performance or significant improvements with emphasis on schools serving disadvantaged students. The program centers around a self-assessment conducted by the...
" for the 1994-1995 and 1995-1996 school years. A Blue Ribbon school must demonstrate a strong commitment to educational excellence.
Campus
In 2000, the school began a capital campaign to upgrade and transform the physical plant, including a new gym, weight room and indoor track. The Kahl Student Life & Leadership Center, named for Manco founder Jack Kahl, was dedicated in 2004. Coughlin Field includes a synthetic, all-weather athletic field as well as an outdoor track.
On July 31, 2008, St. Edward dedicated a $3.4 million Joseph & Helen Lowe Pre-Engineering and Technology Center. The facility was named after the parents of Greg Lowe, the senior vice president of High-Performance Analog Business Units at Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Inc. , widely known as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, United States, which develops and commercializes semiconductor and computer technology...
and a 1980 graduate of the high school.
The new Holy Family Chapel, topped with a decorative gold dome - a nod to the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, which is also a Holy Cross institution, was dedicated on September 29, 2008. The chapel contains a bronze sculpture of Jesus on the cross created by St. Edward alumnus and sculptor James McKenna who also makes each head bust for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Athletic programs
Ohio High School Athletic Association
The Ohio High School Athletic Association is the governing body of athletic programs for junior and senior high schools in the state of Ohio...
championships, 3rd best in Ohio history.
Wrestling program
The now powerhouse wrestling program had humble beginnings from when it was started by football coach Joseph Figlar in 1958. In an interview for a book celebrating the school's 50th anniversary, Figlar said, "I started the wrestling program with the idea of getting kids in shape for football. I had no idea it would be so successful."Through the 1960s and early 1970s, the team was generously considered average, becoming sectional champs just once (1967). Fortunes changed when an unknown real estate millionaire named Howard E. Ferguson took over as coach of the wrestling program. Ferguson, affectionately known as "Ferg" by his wrestlers, was a disciplined taskmaster that was driven to excellence. He sought the counsel of legendary coach and National Wrestling Hall of Famer Mike Milkovich, who won 10 Ohio State Championships in his twenty-seven seasons at Maple Heights High School
Maple Heights High School
Maple Heights High School is a public high school located in Maple Heights, Ohio, southeast of Cleveland, Ohio. It was the first high school in America to offer a credit class in Popular culture studies, created in 1975...
. Ferguson assembled a wrestling juggernaut that would rattle off 10 consecutive State Championships between 1978 and 1987. Moreover, once the program began to excel, he regularly challenged some of the best programs in the country, such as New Jersey powerhouse Blair Academy
Blair Academy
Blair Academy is a private, coeducational, secondary boarding high school with an enrollment of about 448 students for grades nine through twelve. The school has 78 faculty members...
. Eventually, he arranged a quadrangular tournament billed as the Quad of Champions that was hosted by St. Edward, whereby 4 nationally ranked teams would compete in successive dual meets. The tournament is now known as the "Super Quad." Given the high-caliber opponents, it makes the longest dual meet unbeaten streak of 82 between 1977 and 1988, which is 3rd all-time in the state of Ohio, all the more impressive.
The driven Ferguson died of a heart attack at age 51 in 1989. The next year, Ferguson was posthumously inducted into the Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches Association (OHSWCA) Hall of Fame, class of 1990. St. Edward would rename the school's athletic Hall of Fame in his honor, Howard Ferguson Athletic Hall of Fame.
In the aftermath of Ferguson's sudden death, Greg Urbas, a math teacher and assistant football and freshman wrestling coach took the reins. Although Urbas's soft-spoken and unassuming manner was quite different from Ferg's loud yelling style, he was similarly disciplined. Urbas served as a sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
from 1973-77. Urbas has 5 national titles and surpassed Ferguson's State title total in 2007. With 14 state titles, Urbas is one behind St. Xavier swim coach Jim Brower's state record of 15 for head coaches. In 2009, the team won its 13th straight and 25th overall Division I state wrestling championship, both state records. No other Ohio school has won 13 state titles in a row in any sport.
Since 1959 through 2010, the wrestling program has produced:
- 26 OHSAA WrestlingScholastic wrestlingScholastic wrestling, sometimes known in the United States as Folkstyle wrestling, is a style of amateur wrestling practised at the high school and middle school levels in the United States. This wrestling style is essentially Collegiate wrestling with some slight modifications. It is currently...
Team State Championships - 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1992, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011 - 96 Individual State Champions, including 3 4-time Champs, 6 3-time Champs, and 11 2-time Champs
- 11 Team National Championships - 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1992, 1998, 2000, 2007
- 37 Team Sectional Champions
- 32 Team District Champions
- 52 college All-AmericaAll-AmericaAn All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
ns - 5 NCAA National Champions (7 titles)
- 1 Olympic competitor - Andy HrovatAndy HrovatAndy Hrovat is an American wrestler who specializes in freestyle wrestling. He was a 3-time NCAA All-American and wrestled in the 2008 Olympic Games.-High school career:...
Ice hockey program
The ice hockey team has won 11 state titles, which is a state record for that sport, in 18 OHSAA appearances, 2nd most in the state all-time.The ice hockey program in its early days was unremarkable, although it had some good players that went on to solid college hockey careers such as Don Harkins (Miami (OH) University) and is currently the Director of Scouting for the Plymouth Whalers (OHL), as well as Mark and Bill Switaj who both went to Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
.
However, it all changed when a former pro goalie
Goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...
Bob Whidden
Bob Whidden
Robert J. "Bob" Whidden was a professional ice hockey player and successful high school ice hockey coach. He played goaltender. He was born in Sudbury, Ontario and was involved in ice hockey in various capacities for over 50 years....
was named the coach in 1984. In his first year, Whidden would lead the Eagles to become the 1985 OHSAA State Champions. That team featured a young sophomore center named Todd Harkins
Todd Harkins
Todd Michael Harkins is a retired American professional ice hockey player who played 48 National Hockey League games for the Calgary Flames and Hartford Whalers. Harkins was drafted by the Flames in the 2nd round, 42nd overall in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft...
, who would go on to have an NHL and minor league career. Whidden coached several players that would be in the NHL draft including Todd Harkins, Brett Harkins
Brett Harkins
Brett Alan Harkins is a former American professional ice hockey left wing, who played for 18 years. He played in National Hockey League in four stints with the Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers, and Columbus Blue Jackets.-Amateur career:...
, and Michael Rupp
Michael Rupp
Michael Francis Rupp is an American professional ice hockey player currently playing for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...
, who is now with the Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
.
During his 20 years at the helm, Whidden's Eagles would win 10 OHSAA state titles, 7 Baron Cups (Greater Cleveland
Greater Cleveland
Greater Cleveland is a nickname for the metropolitan area surrounding Cleveland, Ohio and is part of what used to be the Connecticut Western Reserve.Northeast Ohio refers to a similar but substantially larger area as described below...
Championships), and finished with a career record of 507-149-28. He was one of the most accomplished head coaches in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
high school hockey history, as his 507 wins rank fourth most all-time in OHSAA history. He retired in March 2005 after winning the 10th title and being named Ohio High School Hockey Coach of the Year by the National Federation of State High School Associations
National Federation of State High School Associations
The National Federation of State High School Associations is the body that writes the rules of competition for most high school sports and activities in the United States. Most high schools, whether public or private, belong to their state's high school association; in turn, each state association...
. In July 2009, St. Edward named Whidden to the school's Athletic Hall of Fame, class of 2009.
Upon Bob Whidden's retirement, the school named his son as head coach. Rob Whidden, a 1988 graduate of St. Edward, was also a goalie and still owns the Ohio record for the most saves in a state title game (56, vs. Cleveland Heights in 1987). The younger Whidden would coach the team to the 2008 Ohio state title. In 2009, the team would suffer a double overtime loss in the OHSAA state semifinals. On August 13, 2010, the school named Troy Gray, a 1986 graduate, as the team's new head coach.
- Ice hockeyIce hockeyIce hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
State Championships - 1985, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2008
Football program
The football team is known as the Big Green Machine by its fans. However, in the past, the team only enjoyed sporadic success. In 1975, under coach Mike Currence, the Big Green Machine lost in the state finals to Cincinnati Moeller High SchoolMoeller High School
Archbishop Moeller High School , known as Moeller, is a private, all-male, college-preparatory high school in the suburbs of Cincinnati, in Hamilton County, Ohio...
, by a score of 14-12, at the hands of future Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
coach Gerry Faust
Gerry Faust
Gerard Anthony "Gerry" Faust is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Notre Dame from 1981 to 1985 and at the University of Akron from 1986 to 1994, compiling a career college football record of 73–79–4...
. The program languished under coach Dan Flaherty, who was a capable offensive coordinator
Offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
. In 1984, the school hired Coach Al O'Neil, who had recently retired after leading a successful program at Avon Lake High School
Avon Lake High School
Avon Lake High School is a public high school located in Avon Lake, Ohio, west of Cleveland. It serves grades 9-12. It is part of the Avon Lake City Schools.-Academics:...
. The Big Green Machine would make the OHSAA playoffs in O'Neil's first season. Two years later, the team would lose in the 1986 state finals by 1 point, 21-20, to Fairfield High School
Fairfield High School (Fairfield, Ohio)
Fairfield High School is a public high school in Fairfield, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Fairfield City School District. It currently has about 2,400 students in grades 10-12...
. The football team's fortunes slumped from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s, which was particularly painful for the school's faithful given arch rival St. Ignatius High School's
Saint Ignatius High School (Cleveland, Ohio)
Saint Ignatius High School is a private Roman Catholic, Jesuit high school under the Diocese of Cleveland, for young men, located in Cleveland, Ohio. The school is renowned for its high standards of academic excellence, athletic program and performing arts programs...
dominance under Coach Chuck Kyle.
The team has improved in more recent years, having made the OHSAA playoffs eight out of the last ten years, including the state finals in 2003 and the state final four in 2005. The resurgence was led by Coach John Gibbons, who won 2 OHSAA state titles in Division III while at Lake Catholic High School
Lake Catholic High School
Lake Catholic High School is located in Mentor, Ohio, an eastern suburb of Cleveland at 6733 Reynolds Rd. . Lake Catholic High School is owned by the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland. Founded in 1970, its first class graduated in 1974. In 2009, 100% of its graduates continued their education at 36...
. Despite a successful run and a 81-22 record, Gibbons was fired on January 12, 2007.
The school hired Scott Niedzwiecki as head coach in March 2007. He was the offensive coordinator during 2003 state championship run. He spent the next three season as the defensive coordinator at John Carroll University
John Carroll University
John Carroll University is a private, co-educational Jesuit Catholic university in University Heights, Ohio, United States, a suburb of Cleveland. The university was founded in 1886 by the Society of Jesus as Saint Ignatius College.The university was founded in 1886 by the Society of Jesus, as...
. However, he had a unremarkable 10-10 record in 2 seasons and was forced to resign nearly 2 years to the day from the Gibbons firing. The school hired Rick Finotti as head coach in March 2009 and experienced coach Joe Perella as offensive coordinator in April 2009.
St. Edward won their first football state championship in 2010, beating Wayne High School
Wayne High School (Ohio)
Wayne High School is a secondary public school with an enrollment of more than 2,300 located in Huber Heights, Ohio, north of Dayton, Ohio.In 2007 Dr. Reva Cosby became head principal, replacing John Allen.- Facilities :...
35-28.
Other sports
The Ohio High School Athletic AssociationOhio High School Athletic Association
The Ohio High School Athletic Association is the governing body of athletic programs for junior and senior high schools in the state of Ohio...
has awarded the school the following state championships:
- BasketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
– 1998 - BaseballBaseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
- 1998, 2008, 2010
St. Edward is also one of only a handful of high schools in the United States that offer rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
as a varsity
Varsity team
In the United States and Canada, varsity sports teams are the principal athletic teams representing a college, university, high school or other secondary school. Such teams compete against the principal athletic teams at other colleges/universities, or in the case of secondary schools, against...
sport. In 2006, The St. Edward Eagle Rugby team placed 8th in the nation.
St. Edward was the winner of the 2007-2008 Ohio Cup, which is presented to one Ohio school each year for outstanding performance in high school sports. The Eagles appeared in four Division I State Championship games in 2007-08 and won three state championships in Wrestling, Hockey and Baseball. The Eagles also advanced to the championship game in Basketball.
St. Ed's won their first volleyball state championship on May 29, 2011. It took five games before they bested Moeller in Pickerington, Ohio. Boys Volleyball is not sanctioned by the OHSAA.
The Holy War
A strong rivalry exists between St. Edward and St. Ignatius High SchoolSaint Ignatius High School (Cleveland, Ohio)
Saint Ignatius High School is a private Roman Catholic, Jesuit high school under the Diocese of Cleveland, for young men, located in Cleveland, Ohio. The school is renowned for its high standards of academic excellence, athletic program and performing arts programs...
. The two schools are quite similar in that both are Catholic, college prep, all-boys schools on the west side of the Cleveland area
Greater Cleveland
Greater Cleveland is a nickname for the metropolitan area surrounding Cleveland, Ohio and is part of what used to be the Connecticut Western Reserve.Northeast Ohio refers to a similar but substantially larger area as described below...
. The schools are separated by only six miles. One of the main reasons for the rivalry is that the schools draw from the same student pool of boys from west side Catholic grade schools. Because of this, when the students face off in direct competition, they commonly are up against former grade school friends.
The schools both produce high quality athletic teams, combining for over 60 state titles in the last 30 years. While the schools compete in virtually all sports annually, the main event is the football match-up that draws upward of 13,000 fans. The game is dubbed, "the Holy War
Holy War (Boston College vs. Notre Dame)
The Holy War is an American college football rivalry between the Boston College Eagles football team of Boston College and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team of the University of Notre Dame...
" after the similar Catholic college football scenario between Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
(a Jesuit
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
school) and University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
(a Holy Cross
Congregation of Holy Cross
The Congregation of Holy Cross or Congregatio a Sancta Cruce is a Catholic congregation of priests and brothers founded in 1837 by Blessed Father Basil Anthony-Marie Moreau, CSC, in Le Mans, France....
school). In addition, basketball games between the two schools (commonly twice a year) sell out at the hosting school's gymnasium.
Several match-ups live in the lore of Cleveland high school sports. In 1993, the regular-season football match-up was regarded as one of the greatest Cleveland football games, resulting in a 35-34 3OT win for St. Ignatius. While the schools are only six miles apart, in 1998 basketball regional lines were drawn along the Cleveland/Lakewood border and the two teams met in the Division I state championship, with St. Edward prevailing 70-61.
The same scenario occurred in baseball in 2008, with St. Edward beating St. Ignatius 6-2 in the 2008 Baseball Division I State Championship game.
External links
- St. Edward High School - official website
- Edsman Online - St. Edward High School student publication newspaper