LouisvilleCatholicSports.com

St. X wins 26 in a row on way to 11th state title

LouisvilleCatholicSports.com chronicles the 2011-2012 sports year in review. We will bring you every sport, every season, every team’s results in a capsule each weekday until we're finished. From Cross-Country to Softball and all sports in between, here’s what happened in 2011-2012 on the Louisville Catholic sports scene.

In addition to St. Xavier capturing its 11^th boys soccer state title in school history, the 2011 boys soccer season featured a few eye-popping statistics for the local Catholic high schools. Here are some examples:

--Trinity recorded 10 consecutive shutout victories. In a 13-day stretch, the Shamrocks scored 64 goals and allowed none. They had 15 shutout wins for the season.

--St. Xavier notched 17 shutout wins and allowed just 15 goals in 29 games.

--Trinity won 17 straight games to start the season.

--St. Xavier won 26 straight games to finish the season.

Here’s a look back at the soccer season highlights for our local Catholic high schools:

St. Xavier Tigers – record: 26-1-1; State Champions – 11^th title in school history

Under the leadership of head coach Andy Schulten, the Tigers captured their 11^th state title in school history. It was Schulten’s seventh title since taking over the St. X program in 2000 and it was accomplished with a terrific attack (124 goals, 4.3/gm) complemented by a stingy defense that allowed just 15 goals (0.52/gm).

With all-state striker Neil Henley (Xavier University in 2012) rolling through defenses and scoring goals at will and with goalkeeper Nathan James manning the back line of a strong defense that registered clean sheets in 17 of their 29 games, the Tigers roared through their schedule after a 1-1-1 start to the season.

After drawing with Greenwood in the opening game of the season, the Tigers defeated South Oldham in the Land Rover Louisville Kentucky Cup and then lost to 2010 nemesis Louisville Collegiate. St. X then ripped off 26 straight wins against some of the toughest competition in the state. They took down Collegiate in the second round of the state tournament, 4-1, and shut out Henry Clay in the semis, 2-0, and Ryle in the finals, 3-0, to bring home the hardware.

Schulten was named Coach of the Year by the National High School Athletic Coaches’ Association, an honor for which he was a finalist in 2010. In the last five seasons, Schulten and the Tigers have sported a 116-7-6 record. The talented Tigers placed four players on the LCS.com All-Catholic soccer team’s first and second teams.

Trinity Shamrocks – record: 21-3; 7^th Region runners-up

Before the season began, Trinity’s first year head coach Barry Swearingen, Sr vowed to have his Shamrocks on the attack from first whistle to last. He wanted to take advantage of his talented group of strikers and midfielders, knowing that his defense would be anchored by goalkeeper Chirs Hubbard and stellar defenseman Ben Sykes.

And the offense did its job, scoring a whopping 126 goals (5.25/gm) while the defense limited opponents to just 14 goals (0.58/gm), allowing more than one goal on only three occasions. Led by all-state striker Abdullah Abdullahi and talented freshman Sam Stockton, the offense provided big leads throughout the season with the “all ahead, full” mentality on the attack.

Abdullahi, Stockton, Sykes and Hubbard were chosen to the first team of the All-Catholic soccer team.

DeSales Colts – record: 11-8; Region 6 semifinalists

The Colts put together a solid season under head coach Wayne Dodge, Jr. Playing off of their strength on defense with senior goalkeeper Tanner Reece, and sophomore defender Cameron Brothers, the Colts allowed only 35 in 19 games (1.8/gm) and scored 48 (2.52/gm). They lost to Bethlehem in the All-A classic and defeated district rival Iroquois, 3-2, in their regular season match. They also earned a hard-fought 1-0 win over Butler in the 11^th District semifinals.

DeSales returns 15 underclassmen to their roster in 2012. First team All-Catholic players include Reece and Brothers, while Thad Dodge, Jonathan Gardner and Austin Young earned 2^nd team honors.

Holy Cross – record: 3-13-2; 11^th District quarterfinalists

18 of the 22 players on head coach Tom Wampler, II’s Holy Cross roster were freshmen or sophomores, so while the Cougars record may not look great, the 2011 season provided the team with plenty of opportunities to gain valuable experience.

All-Catholic team members include seniors Josip Petri (first team) and Blake Keith (second team), as well as sophomore Nathan Bearden.

First Team

• Abdul Abdullahi, Trinity
• Danny Belza, St. Xavier
• Cameron Brothers, DeSales
• Neil Henley, St. Xavier
• Chris Hubbard, Trinity
• Nathan James, St. Xavier
• Mitchell Metzger, St. Xavier
• Josip Petri, Holy Cross 
• Tanner Reece, DeSales
• Sam Stockton, Trinity
• Ben Sykes, Trinity

Second Team

• Nathan Bearden, Holy Cross
• Jacob Dickerson, Trinity
• Thad Dodge, DeSales
• Jonathan Gardner, DeSales
• Drew Hillebrand, St. Xavier
• Blake Keith, Holy Cross
• Adam Kirsch, St. Xavier
• Thomas Mudd, Bethlehem
• Logan Riely, St. Xavier
• Gabe Stewart, St. Xavier
• Austin Young, DeSales