The last 4 pages have been a copy and paste of one another... a couple of people from each side arguing the same points as before, then a final "no one knows or will know" to send it on to the next page. 

I keep clicking on here hoping for some fireworks and continue to be let down ?

13 hours ago, Adrian Woj Burner said:

The last 4 pages have been a copy and paste of one another... a couple of people from each side arguing the same points as before, then a final "no one knows or will know" to send it on to the next page. 

I keep clicking on here hoping for some fireworks and continue to be let down ?

Honestly I think (hope) the likelihood of fireworks has faded here.

I went to the Hall of Fame induction last night and it was really a great time. Even only having 4 people inducted instead of 6, it was a full house at the banquet hall. We got to hear about 4 great athletes, and the 3 living inductees gave really great speeches.

My classmate Nick Hoppenjans (CCH '99) was inducted as a soccer/baseball/track athlete. He was a defender on the '98 soccer team that held a program record at the time of our graduation for the most shut-out losses in a season, but also ended up making it to the state finals in that same season. They were a very scrappy team and had a bunch of VERY talented defensive players, but the lack of experienced midfielders was ultimately why they lost to Trinity in the state finals. He was also a member of the school's 4x400 and 4x800 relay teams that both still hold the school records 25 years later.

Guy Scheper (CCH '75) was inducted. He played during Coach Fred Bernier's 2-year tenure and during Coach Lynn Ray's first season as head football coach. The Cov Cath football program was less than a decade old and still very much working to find its footing, with a 10-21 record during Guy's three years playing varsity football. He was a two-way lineman who was a 1st team All-State defensive end. He ended up getting college offers from Morehead State, Kentucky, Louisville and Notre Dame, and ultimately decided on Louisville where he wound up starting on the Cardinals O-line in '79 and '80. Folks from the St. X and Trinity programs in Louisville may also be familiar with Guy from his years spent coaching youth football at St. Raphael. Of the 46 football players now in Cov Cath's HOF, Guy is only the 7th defensive lineman to make the Hall.

The speech from the sister of golfer Jon Biedenharn (CCH '98), who died of Sudden Athlete Death Syndrome/SCD, was especially touching. Jon was a mediocre golfer coming into Cov Cath, and was actually cut from the golf team as a freshman. He worked his rear off to be able to turn around and make the varsity team as a sophomore, was the individual winner of the regional golf match his junior year, and was team captain his senior year. Jon medaled in matches 22 times in his three years at Cov Cath, which is a hell of an accomplishment for anyone familiar with high school golf. He ended up earning a full ride to Cincinnati for golf, and graduated from UC with a degree in chemical engineering. He passed away completely unexpectedly from SCD after a rec basketball game when he was 25.

Richard Dickmann (CCH '80) was the final inductee of the night. He was a member of the school's '78 state championship swim team, he coached the swim team from 2009-2016, and also served as Cov Cath's alumni director from '09-'16. His 2014 Aqua Colonels swim team set the regional record for most points scored in the regional meet, and Cov Cath's swim team finished runners-up in the state for 5 of the 7 years he coached. Richard was also integrally involved in fundraising for quite a few of the major campus improvement projects at Cov Cath, including the renovation of the Griffin Stadium, renovations to the chapel, and the additions of the Zembrodt STEM Center and Drees Alumni Center. He gave a really great speech, and it was really cool hearing him expound on how much of a presence the alumni of Cov Cath's swim team have had in D1 college swimming and D1 swim coaching, as well as both participating on and helping operate/coach the US Olympic Swim Team.

Good time last night!

38 minutes ago, Colonels_Wear_Blue said:

Honestly I think (hope) the likelihood of fireworks has faded here.

I went to the Hall of Fame induction last night and it was really a great time. Even only having 4 people inducted instead of 6, it was a full house at the banquet hall. We got to hear about 4 great athletes, and the 3 living inductees gave really great speeches.

My classmate Nick Hoppenjans (CCH '99) was inducted as a soccer/baseball/track athlete. He was a defender on the '98 soccer team that both held the record at the time of our graduation for the most shut-out losses in a season, and also ended up making it to the state finals. They were a very scrappy team and had a bunch of VERY talented defensive players, but the lack of experienced midfielders was ultimately why they lost to Trinity in the state finals. He was also a member of the school's 4x400 and 4x800 relay teams that both still hold the school records 25 years later.

Guy Scheper (CCH '75) was inducted. He played during the Coach Fred Bernier's 2-year tenure and during Coach Lynn Ray's first season as head coach. The football team was less than a decade old and still very much working to find its footing, with a 10-21 record during Guy's three years playing varsity football. He was a two-way lineman who was a first team defensive end and earned offers from Morehead State, Kentucky, Louisville and Notre Dame, and ultimately decided on Louisville. He ended up starting on the O-line for the Cardinals in '79 and '80. Folks from the St. X and Trinity programs in Louisville may also familiar with Guy from his years spent coaching youth football at St. Raphael. Of the 46 football players now in Cov Cath's HOF, Guy is only the 7th defensive lineman to make the Hall.

The speech from the sister of golfer Jon Biedenharn (CCH '98), who died of Sudden Athlete Death Syndrome/SCD, was especially touching. Jon was a mediocre golfer coming into Cov Cath, and was cut from the golf team as a freshman, but he worked his rear off to be able to turn around and make the varsity team as a sophomore, was the individual winner of the regional match his junior year, and was team captain his senior year. Jon medaled in matches 22 times in his three years at Cov Cath, which is a hell of an accomplishment for anyone familiar with high school golf. He ended up earning a full ride to Cincinnati for golf, and graduated from UC with a degree in chemical engineering. He passed away completely unexpectedly from SCD after a rec basketball game when he was 25.

Richard Dickmann (CCH '80) was the final inductee of the night. He was a member of the '78 state championship swim team, coached the swim team from 2009-2016, and also served as Cov Cath's alumni director from '09-'16. His 2014 Aqua Colonels swim team set the regional record for most points scored in the regional meet, and Cov Cath's swim team finished runners-up in the state for 5 of the 7 years he coached. He was also integrally involved in fundraising for quite a few of the major campus improvement projects at Cov Cath, including the renovation of the Griffin Stadium, renovations to the chapel, and the additions of the Zembrodt STEM Center and Drees Alumni Center. He gave a really great speech, and it was really cool hearing him expound on how much the alumni of a presence Cov Cath's swim team has had in D1 college swimming and swim coaching, as well as both participating in and helping operate/coach the US Olympic Swim Team.

Good time last night!

Glad to hear it went off smoothly for the inductees. Being an old guy I remember the recipients and all were very deserving of their honor!

On 1/16/2025 at 9:18 AM, TheConch said:

Post #3 is up with a text from Nick to Tony and Bob. 

Nick is really going after Tony here, and IMO, Tony has the least amount of influence on the entire ordeal. 

Which tells you all you need to know about Nick. 

On 1/21/2025 at 10:22 AM, Justchillen said:

Before he came 1 state runner up & 1 final four. that's IN 67 YEARS…

 

After he left 2 state titles, 2 final 4’s & let’s not even get into how many regional titles. that's IN 13 YEARS…

There’s levels to this. Feelings lie numbers don’t.

This has always been my argument as an outsider. They put on a national search and landed on a guy from a Prep School in NJ. They didn’t hire Coach Faust to coach diocesan kids. They didn’t like that level of success. Scott and Joe brought them exactly what they wanted them to bring. If they then wanted someone to coach local diocesan kids were the people that interviewed told that? Does Thielen know he left a good spot at UC to coach all the local kids? I think the local kids during the last 12 years or so also didn’t do a good enough job looking at other local diocesan options. 

On 1/21/2025 at 5:50 PM, blue-five-two said:

My understanding is that CovCath’s enrolllment annually averages about 35-40% out of district. I’m not so sure how that percentage plays out with their sports, but my guess is it’s pretty close. My point is, build it and they will come! Highlands did it with Mueller. Beechwood with Yeagle. I would also argue this applies to academics as well as sports. The new Ignite School comes to mind. 

As for Scott and the HOF, I cannot imagine any reason why Rowe or Bacigalupo would withdraw his HOF election, much less his dismissal from coaching. And let’s be honest, no critical thinker could possibly believe Scott resigned to concentrate on the family business. Rowe and Bacigalupo love winning and understand what a good sports program brings to a school. Scott is obviously a great coach, and according to the vast majority who played for him, Scott is a man they look up to. From what I understand, there has always been mutual admiration among Scott, Rowe, and Bacigalupo. 

It is my belief that when Nick called the diocese and was told Scott withdrew, he was misinformed. Whether that was deliberate or not, is another story, though I wouldn’t put it past the diocese to make CovCath look like the bad guys. One thing I’m 100% sure of, is this message didn’t come from Rowe or Bacigalupo. 

The school is in a no-win situation. As someone else alluded to, it’s not smart to question your boss, or do anything to make him/her look bad. Seems to me, Rowe and Bacigalupo have no choice but to remain silent, which is why they haven’t released a statement. Worse yet, the they have no choice but to look like the bad guys.  Defending themselves by pursuing the truth could very well result in losing jobs they love. Darned if you do, darned if you don’t. 

What is their district? 

9 hours ago, PRS said:

This has always been my argument as an outsider. They put on a national search and landed on a guy from a Prep School in NJ. They didn’t hire Coach Faust to coach diocesan kids. They didn’t like that level of success. Scott and Joe brought them exactly what they wanted them to bring. If they then wanted someone to coach local diocesan kids were the people that interviewed told that? Does Thelen know he left a good spot at UC to coach all the local kids? I think the local kids during the last 12 years or so also didn’t do a good enough job looking at other local diocesan options.

To clarify a few things, was the Cov Cath search for a new basketball coach national? No. You could call it "national" in that, sure, they would have accepted any applicants from anywhere in the nation. They did do that...obviously. But at the time, with Mike Guidugli as longtime Cov Cath athletic director back in 2010 when they parted ways with Mike Listerman as basketball coach and were looking to hire his replacement, Cov Cath was definitely NOT formally going out and pursuing any avenues to actively promote their basketball coaching job across the country. Mike Guidugli's style for finding new coaches at Cov Cath didn't generally involve a whole lot more than buying a weeklong job posting in the Cincinnati Enquirer and probably posting the job with the KHSAA & OHSAA, given their proximity to Cincinnati.

The fact is, Coach Ruthsatz found out about the job at Cov Cath, and it was Ruthsatz who reached out and contacted Cov Cath, and not the other way around. Ruthsatz was in New Jersey actively pursuing a head coaching opportunity closer to home in Sandusky and was tipped off about the opening by then-Xavier University head coach Chris Mack the day before Cov Cath had set to conclude their interview process. So Ruthsatz made what literally amounted to a cold call to Cov Cath late in the day on the day prior to their self-imposed interview deadline asking about having a chance to interview for the basketball opening. I can't recall if it was the AD or the principal that he ended up speaking with, but he was told, essentially, "Wow, your qualifications sound great, but I'm sorry, we've told our current list of applicants that we are going to have the interview process completed tomorrow and will be announcing our new hire shortly after. So at this point I won't have a chance to fit you in for an interview." Coach Ruthsatz asked if there was any chance he could get an interview if he left New Jersey right then and there and made it to Cov Cath first thing the next morning, the folks at Cov Cath agreed to it, and that's how the hire took place.

I'm not sure whether or not you're saying Coach Faust applied for the job at the time, or if you're just trying illustrate a point based on Faust's style of coaching, but I frankly wouldn't be surprised if Coach Faust (or someone like him) had been Cov Cath's most qualified candidate for the job right up until the point that Ruthsatz called and asked to interview at the eleventh hour.

19 hours ago, 98NCCalum said:

What is their district? 

They have five feeder schools: St Agnes, Blessed Sacrament, St Pius, St Joe and Prince of Peace. They’re lucky to get one student a year from Prince of Peace. 

2 hours ago, blue-five-two said:

They have five feeder schools: St Agnes, Blessed Sacrament, St Pius, St Joe and Prince of Peace. They’re lucky to get one student a year from Prince of Peace. 

Essentially, the "Big Four" of the diocese ( although St. Joe's has been down for quite a while, so it may not be considered that anymore) and Prince of Peace.  CCH and NDA have by far the biggest feeder system in the Diocese, but it is still probably smaller than the 5 and 6 A public school feeder systems. 

22 hours ago, Colonels_Wear_Blue said:

To clarify a few things, was the Cov Cath search for a new basketball coach national? No. You could call it "national" in that, sure, they would have accepted any applicants from anywhere in the nation. They did do that...obviously. But at the time, with Mike Guidugli as longtime Cov Cath athletic director back in 2010 when they parted ways with Mike Listerman as basketball coach and were looking to hire his replacement, Cov Cath was definitely NOT formally going out and pursuing any avenues to actively promote their basketball coaching job across the country. Mike Guidugli's style for finding new coaches at Cov Cath didn't generally involve a whole lot more than buying a weeklong job posting in the Cincinnati Enquirer and probably posting the job with the KHSAA & OHSAA, given their proximity to Cincinnati.

The fact is, Coach Ruthsatz found out about the job at Cov Cath, and it was Ruthsatz who reached out and contacted Cov Cath, and not the other way around. Ruthsatz was in New Jersey actively pursuing a head coaching opportunity closer to home in Sandusky and was tipped off about the opening by then-Xavier University head coach Chris Mack the day before Cov Cath had set to conclude their interview process. So Ruthsatz made what literally amounted to a cold call to Cov Cath late in the day on the day prior to their self-imposed interview deadline asking about having a chance to interview for the basketball opening. I can't recall if it was the AD or the principal that he ended up speaking with, but he was told, essentially, "Wow, your qualifications sound great, but I'm sorry, we've told our current list of applicants that we are going to have the interview process completed tomorrow and will be announcing our new hire shortly after. So at this point I won't have a chance to fit you in for an interview." Coach Ruthsatz asked if there was any chance he could get an interview if he left New Jersey right then and there and made it to Cov Cath first thing the next morning, the folks at Cov Cath agreed to it, and that's how the hire took place.

I'm not sure whether or not you're saying Coach Faust applied for the job at the time, or if you're just trying illustrate a point based on Faust's style of coaching, but I frankly wouldn't be surprised if Coach Faust (or someone like him) had been Cov Cath's most qualified candidate for the job right up until the point that Ruthsatz called and asked to interview at the eleventh hour.

Mostly true- for a more accurate and detailed rendition of Scott's hire, listen to his own recollection here:

 

 

7 hours ago, blue-five-two said:

They have five feeder schools: St Agnes, Blessed Sacrament, St Pius, St Joe and Prince of Peace. They’re lucky to get one student a year from Prince of Peace. 

But anybody can go there right? There are no actual school boundary lines. 

We lost to Guardian Angels girls team in 4th grade at Turners. Correct me if I’m wrong on the school name, would’ve been 1993-1994.

52 minutes ago, PP1 said:

But anybody can go there right? There are no actual school boundary lines. 

Anyone can go there.  As far as the diocese goes, high schools are only allowed to advertise to their designated feeders.  Years ago, there were different tuition rates based on feeder/nonfeeder, diocesan/nondiocesan, but now there is no difference in tuition, at least for feeder/nonfeeder. For example, a CCH representative could go to St. Pius and give a talk to the students about their school, but they could not go to St. Henry.  And only NDA and CCH could go to St. Pius.  But yes there is open enrollment to all diocesan schools.

9 hours ago, PP1 said:

But anybody can go there right? There are no actual school boundary lines. 

Right

9 hours ago, PP1 said:

But anybody can go there right? There are no actual school boundary lines. 

Same rules the rest of the state abides by. Just because school districts self impose a district isn’t anyone else’s fault.