Topic: Football
St. Xavier vs. DeSales High School
Paul Cox Stadium
DeSales High School
Louisville, KY
October 9, 2020
© 2020 by Ron Harrison
COVID-19 has made for some interesting and creative scheduling this season and kudos to the schools and coaching staffs that have put the student athletes first and in some cases sacrificed their preferred preparation time and records to make it work. St. Xavier had prepared for three teams this week and DeSales had originally been scheduled to play Christian Academy of Louisville. 6A power St. Xavier defeated 3A power DeSales tonight by the score of 28-7. St. Xavier was led by their young defensive stars 6-4 230 pound Soph DE Micah Carter and 6-2 206 Soph LB Jaxon Panariello. Micah Carter got St. Xavier off to a fast start with an interception return for a touchdown. The Tigers starting QB Giles Pooler went to the bench with a thigh bruise early in the third quarter but Jack Sivori came in and capably finished the game and added a touchdown pass. St. Xavier recorded 10 first downs and 266 yards of total offense. The Tigers were penalized three times for 24 yards. DeSales recorded 14 first downs and 264 yards of total offense. The Colts were penalized four times for 44 yards, lost two fumbles, and had a pass intercepted.
Jack Sivori led St. Xavier’s ground game with 51 yards on six carries. Thomas Brain carried the ball twice for 50 yards and a touchdown. Giles Pooler completed eight of 16 passes for 87 yards and a touchdown. Jack Sivori completed one of three passes for 55 yards and a touchdown. Mekhi Smith caught three passes for 72 yards with two touchdowns. Mike Duddy added three receptions for 50 yards. Bennett Boehnle punted four times for a 43.0 average with a long punt of 54 yards. Jaxon Panariello led the defense with five solo and three assisted tackles with two of his tackles resulting in losses. Ben Green added two solo and five assisted tackles. Micah Carter recorded three solo and four assisted tackles with two of his tackles resulting in losses. Carter also scored on an interception return. Eli Monks and Luke Saner each recovered a fumble.
James Johnson led DeSales’ ground game with 129 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. Jayden Scroggin completed 11 of 19 passes for 127 yards with one interception. Caleb Winebrenner caught three passes for 42 yards. Zach Locke added three receptions for 32 yards. Zane Wilkerson caught two passes for 34 yards. Lance Weiter returned three kickoffs for 52 yards with a long return of 25 yards. Derek Hollenkamp led the defense with five solo and four assisted tackles with one of his tackles recording in loss yardage. Zane Wilkerson added five solo and three assisted tackles and recovered a fumble. Trevon Williams recorded four solo and two assisted tackles.
Scoring Summary
| School | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
| St. Xavier | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 28 |
| DeSales High School | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| STXAVIER | - | Micah Carter 25 yard interception return (Cam Tegge kick) |
| STXAVIER | - | Mekhi Smith 8 yard pass from Giles Pooler (Cam Tegge kick) |
| DESALES | - | James Johnson 5 yard run (Travis Moss kick) |
| STXAVIER | - | Thomas Brain 47 yard run (Cam Tegge kick) |
| STXAVIER | - | Mekhi Smith 55 yard pass from Jack Sivori (Cam Tegge kick) |
Selected Statistics
| St. Xavier | ||||
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| Rushing | No. | Yds. | Avg. | Long |
| Jack Sivori | 6 | 51 | 8.5 | 27 |
| Thomas Brain | 2 | 50 | 25.0 | 47 |
| Giles Pooler | 4 | 20 | 5.0 | 19 |
| Grant Goodman | 6 | 7 | 1.2 | 9 |
| Jaxon Panariello | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 3 |
| Justin Walsh | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 |
| Mekhi Smith | 1 | -2 | -2.0 | 0 |
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| Passing | A-C-I | Yds. | TD | Long |
| Giles Pooler | 16-8-0 | 87 | 1 | 23 |
| Jack Sivori | 3-1-0 | 55 | 1 | 55 |
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| Receiving | No. | Yds. | TD | Long |
| Mekhi Smith | 3 | 72 | 2 | 55 |
| Mike Duddy | 3 | 50 | 0 | 23 |
| Grant Goodman | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| Jack Campisano | 1 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Justin Walsh | 1 | -1 | 0 | 0 |
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| DeSales High School | ||||
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| Rushing | No. | Yds. | Avg. | Long |
| James Johnson | 24 | 129 | 5.4 | 33 |
| Chase O’Neil | 4 | 11 | 2.8 | 4 |
| David Griffith | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | 8 |
| Derek Hollenkamp | 2 | 4 | 2.0 | 2 |
| Kaleb Adkins | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Jayden Scroggin | 14 | -15 | -1.1 | 7 |
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| Passing | A-C-I | Yds. | TD | Long |
| Jayden Scroggin | 19-11-1 | 127 | 0 | 36 |
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| Receiving | No. | Yds. | TD | Long |
| Caleb Winebrenner | 3 | 42 | 0 | 29 |
| Zach Locke | 3 | 32 | 0 | 14 |
| Zane Wilkerson | 2 | 34 | 0 | 36 |
| James Johnson | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Josh Brown | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Luke McClinton | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Acknowledgements
A special thanks to the DeSales Stats Crew and St. Xavier for the comprehensive stats provided for tonight's games.
Please feel free to send your comments and questions concerning the event, teams, or players to me at prepgridiron@yahoo.com.
Ron Harrison’s reports on this and other football events appear on https://www.angelfire.com/ky2/prepgridiron.