[Stardust]

Though his team is averaging 40.7 points per game this season, St. Xavier High School football coach Mike Glaser doesn’t expect to reach that mark against rival Trinity tonight.

But he also knows it probably will take more than two touchdowns to upset the powerful Shamrocks.


“Our goal board says to limit the opponent to seven or 10 points,” Glaser said. “In this day and age that isn’t going to happen. That’s no slight to our defense, but every time (the Shamrocks) can go all the way.


“Realistically, if we can keep them to 17, I’d feel great about it. But we have to score points. It’s as simple as that.”


Scoring has been anything but simple for St. X against Trinity in the past four meetings, but the Tigers will get another chance when the teams meet at 8 tonight at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium. The Shamrocks (5-0) are No. 1 in The Courier-Journal’s Litkenhous Ratings, and the Tigers (4-2) are No. 7.


The Tigers lead the series 36-35-2, but it was all Shamrocks the past two years. In four meetings since 2010 — two in the regular season and two in the playoffs — Trinity has outscored St. X 116-19.


And while Trinity’s offense gets the headlines, Glaser said the defense is just as impressive.


“Nobody talks about their defense,” he said. “But when you talk about (Daeshawn) Bertram and Jabari Jordan and (Jason) Hatcher and Bobby Bryant and Ryan White, we’re talking great football players, especially on the high school level. And they’re all two-year starters. That’s unreal.”
Trinity is allowing 19.2 points per game this season and hasn’t allowed more than 23 in any contest since falling 34-10 to St. X in the 2009 Class 6-A final, a span of 34 games.


White, a Trinity cornerback, said none of those numbers will matter tonight, especially with junior Charles Walker in the Tigers’ backfield.


“We can’t come in thinking we’re going to blow right past them, because it’s going to be a dog fight,” White said. “(Walker) is a very good back. If you give him a crease, he’s going to take it. He’s fast and pretty physical.”

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/2...ck_check=1