THE CANNONBALL JUBILEE

Rev. Terrance A. Baum, SJ

On May 20, 1521 in Pamplona, Spain, a military career and a leg were both shattered by a cannonball in a battle with the French. The wounded Iñigo Lopez de Loyola, in excruciating pain, was transported 70 miles to the family home in Azpeitia in the Basque region of northern Spain to recuperate. The convalescence took nine months.

What to do during the recovery? There were two books in the Loyola household: a life of Christ and a collection of lives of the saints. Iñigo would read passages from both and during times of reflection would imagine himself following Christ and engaging in deeds not unlike those of St. Francis and St. Dominic. During those times, a sweetness would enter his soul.

Over this nine-month period, Iñigo experienced the fire of conversion and dedicated himself to the Lord and His service. A grand adventure followed that took him to Manresa and its cave, the Holy Land, and several cities in Spain to obtain an education. In 1528, he traveled to Paris to receive the best theological education available in Europe. It is there that Iñigo became Ignatius. It is also there that he gathered around himself a group of companions with whom he shared his spiritual insights, Francis Xavier among them. In 1540, that group of companions became the Society of Jesus with full approval from the Holy Father. Ignatius Loyola spent the next sixteen years of his life in Rome as superior general, effectively “chained to his desk” leading this community of men dedicated to the service of God and His people.

While in Rome, Ignatius’ dear friend Francis Xavier was sent on his grand adventure as a missionary leading him to India and Japan. The reports he sent back home to Ignatius and his Jesuit brothers of his ministry in Asia captured the imaginations of many young Jesuits who desired to follow his example and become missionaries.

Both men achieved sanctity in serving God in very different ways. And both were honored by the Church on March 12, 1622 when they were canonized saints.

From May 20, 2021 until July 31, 2022 (the feast day of St. Ignatius), the Society of Jesus celebrates a Jubilee. Let all those who love the Jesuits join them in remembering these two great saints and how they continue to inspire. Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!

The Year in Review

Co-Curriculars

Volunteer Programs Through the pandemic, hundreds of St. X students gave thousands of hours to serve food to the homeless, play games with young adults with developmental disabilities, work in nature preserves, remotely mentor younger kids and clean up yards of neighbors in need of a little extra help.

Mission Trips Fifty St. X students went on weeklong trips to Appalachia in September to April. Even in masks, the bombers chopped wood, dug ditches, planted crops and repaired homes in underserved areas. This summer, over 130 students signed up to carry the tradition of giving up a week of their summer in service of others.

Food Drive Despite everything, 2020 was the best year for the annual Canned Food Drive on record. Freshman and sophomore homerooms collected 75,410 pounds of food – over 10,000 more pounds than 2019. Juniors and seniors collected and delivered to 25 local food banks. Because of the impact of the pandemic, more Cincinnatians than ever went to food banks for the first time.

Choir It’s no secret that this year has been a challenge for education institutions around the world. Amidst these challenging times, the St. Xavier Choirs were able to safely and joyfully continue to make music! While rehearsals and performances looked quite different than usual, Ensemble X and X-Men, choirs had strong showings throughout the year. In August, Ensemble X hosted auditions and selected 28 talented young men to represent our top tier musicianship. Together with X-Men, the choir program put on a virtual production of their season opener in October titled “Brothers in Song”. Through recording sessions, audio editing, and videography these young men were able to produce a cohesive concert in unique ways during a pandemic that has barred many choirs from singing. At long last, May 11 brought the first live performance in 14 months. Performing a concert titled “The Journey Home,” X-Men and Ensemble X featured a repertoire delving into our personal concepts of “home.” Whether home be a physical location with family, an emotional place within your heart, or a spiritual home with God, St. Xavier choirs were happy to again call the stage home. This performance welcomed back to the stage alumni of the longstanding St. X choral tradition to join in on the performance of the Ensemble’s familiar tunes. The concert was outdoors in the beautiful Seasongood Pavilion in Eden Park next to the Cincinnati Art Museum, allowing for a COVID safe performance that was free and accessible to the community to enjoy.

Band The Bomber Bands had a wonderful year albeit a challenging year due to COVID-19 precautions. It began with the Marching Bombers attending their annual summer band camps preparing for the marching season’s performances with the uncertainty that they would be allowed to perform. The Bomber Band’s hard work and determination to provide spirited and entertaining performances came to fruition through the implementation of necessary precautions and safety measures. Marching bands were not allowed to travel to away games during the regular season this year. The band performed for the parents and players as they loaded up and departed for their away games. They performed for two home soccer matches since they were not allowed to travel with the football team. The musical theme was “One Hit Wonders” featuring songs such as, “Take on Me,” “Play That Funky Music,” “Tainted Love,” “High Hopes,” and more. The Marching band traveled to the final two football games making it possible for the boys to participate in St. Xavier’s winning the state semi-finals and state championship. The jazz band, the concert band, and the percussion ensemble spent the year rehearsing in individual plastic cubicles for in-person students while other members joined in via zoom. Performances were recorded and presented to parents and fans through various media options. Both ensembles were able to provide recordings for Open House, the annual Christmas concert, the Michael Benson Jazz Concert, and the end of the year concert. These three ensembles were able to present a live performance in the stadium at the end of the semester for many spectators that were thrilled to finally be able to attend an inperson concert.

Theatre Xavier This year, the pandemic provided challenges for theaters across the country, but Theatre Xavier used this time as an opportunity to expand its usual offerings by creating the first ever TX movie! The War of the Worlds, a classic tale of global panic, was filmed and presented as the TX Fall show. TX offered the film via streaming to keep audiences safe.

The Spring show saw TX audiences back in the theatre in a big way! Theatre Xavier performed, masked, but in-person, the hit musical 1776 to sold-out crowds. This musical combined modern casting, costuming and set choices with the signing of the Declaration of Independence to create a historic story that felt very much like it was about our modern world.

Next year TX will be helping folks recover from the pandemic by offering laughs and a good time. Our first show will be a hilarious collection of short plays titled “Lives of the Saints” by celebrated comedic playwright David Ives. And following that will be what many call the greatest musical of all time - Singin’ In the Rain. These shows will be followed by a trip to Scotland where Theatre Xavier will perform a show, written and performed by our students, as part of the world’s largest performing arts event - the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Strings The Men in Black String Ensemble presented the first virtual St. X Fall String Concert in September of 2020. A small group of parents and students met in the Theater on September 30 to view the video that was shared and simultaneously viewed in the homes of many parents, students, and interested community members. In December, the string ensemble released a Christmas video which included nostalgic images from many of the string players’ families. And the Men in Black 2021 Spring Concert was shared with the community in May. This final concert included musical arrangements by Raza Adhami ’21 and Ryan Schnitter ’23. The Men in Black continued to participate in a variety of recording projects including some collaborations with the Campus Ministry office. One of the most impressive recording projects was senior Daniel Dorsey as the featured cello player on the Monday, January 4, 2021 broadcast of From the Top, a national classical music broadcast which spotlights the very best musicians in the country. Daniel Dorsey is moving on to study cello at the Cleveland Institute of Music in Cleveland, Ohio. Some of the members of the string ensemble have branched out to electronic violins, violas, cellos, and basses allowing them to perform in alternative venues like the Friday Flex tunes which take place at the coffee kiosk in the gym lobby and in nearby outdoor venues. Fourteen of the Men in Black were featured on a May 5 concert at the Wolterman Memorial Park in College Hill. And as we approached the final weeks of the ’20-’21 school year, registration for the 2022 Spring Break Music Trip to Disney opened up and the string players joined the choir and band students in preparing a return in-person large ensemble performances.

The Year in Review

Athletics

The 2020-2021 school year will always be remembered for a lot of things: masks, plexi-glass, social distancing, quarantining, hand sanitizer, protocols and more. For St. Xavier Athletics, it will also be remembered as one of, if not the most, successful years in school history. The season began in the spring of 2020 as the Athletic Department worked tirelessly with the Hamilton County Public Health Office and the State of Ohio to put together protocols and regulations to be able to get athletes back on campus and prepare for the year. The St. X Coaches, Athletic Trainers and Strength & Conditioning staff proved once again why they are the best in the business as they implemented anything and everything that was handed to them to make sure the Bombers were ready for the season. Even though there were several shut-downs, numerous changes, and endless regulations, the entire St. X community came together to do everything they could to make sure the 2020-2021 year moved forward. In the end the Bombers captured 10 out of 12 GCL Championships with 10 sports reaching the state finals/final four and two capturing a state championship. This would not have been possible without the over 750 student-athletes striving for the magis in all they did, but also without the support, patience, and understanding of all coaches, athletic staff, faculty, administration and, especially, our families who navigated everything to support the Bombers!

FALL CROSS COUNTRY - GCL CHAMPIONS

The Cross Country team was looking to defend their state title as the team returned a number of key runners for the 2020 season. The Bombers started their post-season run by capturing their 10th straight GCL Championship as St. X finished in the top six spots led by GCL Runner of the Year, Nate Mountain ’21 and coached by GCL Coach of the Year, Andy Wietmarschen. From there, it was onto Districts where the Bombers captured their 6th straight championship and then ran to a Regional Championship the following week with Mountain finishing 1st in both meets. From there it was onto the State Championship where St. X came up just short of defending their title finishing second in the state.

GOLF - GCL CHAMPIONS

The 2020 Golf team was poised to make another trip to the state championships as they returned a number of key golfers for the 2020 season. On their way, the team captured their sixth consecutive GCL Championship led by GCL Golfer of the Year, Sophomore Eric Braun. Head Coach Alex Kepley was named GCL Coach of the Year for the sixth consecutive year. From there the Bombers captured the Sectional Championship and District Championship qualifying them for their eighth consecutive spot at the state championship. St. X tied the all-time school record at the state championship shooting 616 which won them the championship in 2015. It was just short of taking the title, as the Bombers finished in third at the state final capping off a memorable season.

SOCCER - GCL CHAMPIONS

The St. X Soccer team was loaded with a very talented Senior class as they looked to make a run in 2020. The season started off with a 7-0 streak and top ranking in the state of Ohio. From there, the Bombers captured the GCL Championship led by GCL Player of the Year Briggs O’Toole and Head Coach Brian Schaeper, GCL Coach of the Year. From there St. X rallied to win their fourth straight District Championship as they were able to host Regionals on their home field. The Bombers prevailed, winning two final games at St. X and capturing their first Regional Championship since 2008 advancing them to the Final Four. While the Bombers came up short in the state semi-final game, the season will be one that goes down in history.

FOOTBALL - GCL CHAMPIONS

The 2020 football season will go down as one of the most memorable in school history. While most states cancelled or postponed their seasons, Ohio went from a 10-game regular season to six games with everyone making the playoffs. The season started off with a trip to Brownsburg, Indiana where the Bombers played on ESPN2. It was one of only two losses as they swept the GCL and defeated St. Ignatius to go 4-0 against Ohio teams. In the playoffs, the Bombers defeated Walnut Hills, Moeller, Elder, Lakota West, and Springfield to go to the state championship against Pickerington Central, the defending state champs. St. X dominated the game 44-3 capturing the team’s 4th state championship and broke five state championship game records including largest margin of victory and fewest yards allowed. The Bombers were led by GCL and District Coach of the Year Steve Specht, and Penn State commit Liam Clifford, GCL, District and Ohio player of the year. WINTER BOWLING

The Bowling team returned a number of key bowlers for the 2020-2021 season. Like all sports, Bowling is very competitive in the GCL as Elder and LaSalle have had a grip on the league for a number of years. That didn’t faze the Bombers as they swept Elder for the first time in eight years and swept Moeller for the first time in four years on their way to second place in the GCL. The Bombers won Sectionals and placed fifth in Districts qualifying the team for the state championships for only the fifth time in school history and the first time in 12 years. Head Coach Matt Hott led St. X to seventh in the state, which ties the best in school history, with Owen Sena ’21 finishing fourth, the highest finish by a Bomber in school history.

BASKETBALL - GCL CHAMPIONS

Like all sports in the 2020-2021 season, the Basketball season took a turn every week with games being canceled, added, and moved. Secondyear Head Coach Mike Noszka wasn’t fazed as he prepared to play anyone anywhere. The regular season featured a rare trip during the pandemic as they travelled to Cleveland to play at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, home of the Cleveland Cavs. The next Friday St. X travelled to Moeller and held on to the defeat the Crusaders for the first time in 15 years leading to a share of the GCL title, their first since 2005. The Bombers were led by GCL and District Player of the Year Kobe Rodgers ’21 and Coach of the Year, Mike Noszka. St. X charged through the tournament leading to their 1st District Championship since 2010. The Bombers came up just short in the rematch with Moeller in the Regionals but showed the league and state that St. X Basketball is back!

SWIMMING AND DIVING - GCL CHAMPIONS

St. Xavier’s and the state of Ohio’s most successful team, the St. X Swimming and Diving team, was faced with one of the biggest rebuilding years in recent history as only four athletes returned from the previous year’s state championship team. Fans would never know that as the AquaBombers kicked off post-season action by capturing their 61st consecutive GCL Championship and 76th in school history. From there, St. X swam to their 51st consecutive Sectional Championship and 53rd consecutive District Championship to qualify for the State Championship in Canton. Even though there was very limited capacity at the state meet, the natatorium was once again dominated by St. X capping off an amazing rebuilding year. In the end, St. X captured their 42nd state title and 13th in a row. The AquaBombers were led for the last time by Head Coach Tim Beerman who has led the program for six seasons. With Keating Natatorium undergoing a $5.5 million renovation, the future of St. X Swimming & Diving is strong and continues to grow.

ICE HOCKEY

The St. X Hockey team had a new leader this season as Head Coach Bob Bove took over and led the program through their pandemic season. Having joined the highly competitive Capital Conference out of Columbus two years ago, the Bombers rose to the occasion once again. Amidst a season of cancellations, changes, and additions, the Bombers made it through the regular season and were placed in the 11-team league consolation cup bracket in postseason action. The Bombers skated to the Consolation Championship while the JV team came out on top leading the league to finish the regular season. St. X has truly made their mark on the league as they look to continue to build on their success.

WRESTLING

The Bomber Wrestling team was also facing a tough rebuilding year with only a few seniors returning for the unique and complicated 2020-2021 season. The schedule was truly decimated as all tournaments and other matches were cancelled due to the pandemic. St. X was able to host and ending up winning a home match which was one of the highlights of a difficult year. Under the leadership of second-year Head Coach Neal Ryan, the Bombers had six athletes qualify for Districts with one making his way to State as an alternate.

SPRING BASEBALL - GCL CHAMPIONS

Having missed their 2020 season due to the pandemic, the Bombers were anxious to take the field once again in 2021. Under the leadership of GCL Coach of the Year Bob Sherlock, the Bombers navigated a tough schedule and typical spring weather in Ohio to capture the GCL Championship for the second consecutive season. St. X was led during the regular season by GCL Player of the Year Max Klare and Pitcher of the Year William Jaun ’21. The Bombers captured the top seed in the District leading into post-season action. St. X navigated the Districts capturing the school’s 11th District Championship. While the 2021 tournament run ended in the Regionals, the Bombers provided some great excitement and momentum for the program.

LACROSSE

The St. X Lacrosse team was poised and ready to get back to action in 2021 after a disappointing 2020 season that was cancelled. The Bombers were young and had one of the most difficult schedules in the Midwest, but they rose to the occasion and continued to get better as the season progressed. Under the leadership of Head Coach Nate Sprong, the Bombers defeated the top team in Kentucky and Division 2 in Ohio as they looked to make a run to state. The difficult .500 season proved to pay off as St. X rolled through their first two games in the tournament and held on to avenge their regular season loss to Moeller defeating them on their home field in Regional action. The Bombers once again avenged a regular season loss as they held onto to defeat Springboro to win the Regional Championship and advance to the Final Four for the third consecutive season. While the run stopped short in the state semi-finals, the future continues to look bright for St. X Lacrosse.

TENNIS - GCL CHAMPIONS

Joe Jackson was named the new head coach of St. Xavier tennis in the fall of 2019. It wasn’t until 18 months later that the Tennis Bombers finally got to hit the court for action. St. X picked up where they left off as they captured their 53rd consecutive GCL Championship as Coach Jackson was named GCL Coach of the Year and Charlie Temming ’21 was named GCL Player of the Year. Both the JV and Varsity teams won the Coach’s Classic held at St. X’s 17-court complex. While the team fell short in team action, St. X captured the single and doubles Sectional Championships and also advanced to the state championships. There, they came up just short in state. The tradition of St. Xavier Tennis continues and looks stronger than ever.

VOLLEYBALL - GCL CHAMPIONS

The 2021 St. X Volleyball team was looking forward to defending its state championship, even though it had to wait two years. The Bombers were once again led by Head Coach Bill Ferris as the team started 11-0 and ranked at the top of the state to start off the season. As with all sports, the GCL proved to be very competitive as Elder, Moeller, and the Bombers went back and forth throughout the season. In the end the three schools tied for the league championship setting up a battle to make it to the state championships. While St. X came up just short in a heart-breaking loss, the tradition of winning looks bright as both the JV and JVB teams went undefeated this year going 30-0 combined setting up some great seasons ahead. RUGBY

The Rugby team entered the spring as Rugby 7’s State Champions which took place during the fall. As with all teams, the Bombers navigated an ever-changing season due to the pandemic, but were able to get in many matches highlighted by big wins over Lakota and Walnut Hills on their home pitch on South Campus. Head Coach Ken Haber led the Bombers for the last time as the team graduated one of the largest in program history. While the season ended with a tough loss against St. Ignatius, the program continues to grow and succeed.

WATER POLO

While Water Polo is traditionally a fall sport in the state of Ohio, the decision was made to move it to the spring this year in hopes that the pandemic would be better by then and they could have a full season. The move paid off as St. X Water Polo, under the direction of second-year Head Coach Paul Splitt, had a full season making Powel Crosley’s outdoor pool their home for the season due to the renovation of Keating Natatorium. In tournament action the Bombers made their way through regionals capturing the Regional Championship and advancing to the Final Four. St. X fought hard but came up short and now look to move the season back to the fall in 2021 and building on the momentum and success of this past season.

TRACK & FIELD - GCL CHAMPIONS

The St. Xavier Track & Field team continues to grow and succeed culminating in one of the best seasons in school history in 2021! With more than 100 athletes on the team and very limited entries in meets due to the pandemic, it proved to be quite a challenge to get enough competition for everyone. Head Coach Kyle Schreiner navigated everything and led the Bombers to some impressive results including the GCL Championship, the first one since 2005. The Bombers continued this momentum into the post-season capturing the District Championship for the first time since 2006 and the Regional Championship for the first time in school history. Nine Bombers qualified for the State Championship with Nate Mountain ’21 adding to his indoor state championship in the 1600 with another state championship. St. X finished third in the state, tying for their highest finish ever.

Meet Dan Lynch

Dan Lynch started a new chapter in his life as principal of St. Xavier High School on July 1, 2021. Mr. Lynch began his career at St. Xavier in the early 90s. After many years, he returned seven years ago and has been a faculty member in the Mathematics Department. Please welcome Dan as he begins his career as the newest principal!

Mr. Lynch featured with the Mathametics Department at graduation.

Please tell us about your family.

I’m a proud husband to Anne of 29 years and father to three. My two girls have followed in their Mother’s footsteps and both graduated from Ursuline Academy: Kara ’20 and Brigid ’21. Both girls will be students at Xavier University. My son Conor is a rising 8th grader at All Saints School and future Bomber as part of the graduating Class of 2026.

What brought you originally to St. Xavier?

I am honored to be a graduate of Creighton Prep, the Jesuit high school in Omaha, NE. It was my experiences there which led to my own vocation in teaching. I graduated from Xavier University and then did my student teaching at St. X in the fall of 1990. I worked with Joan Whitaker primarily, but I was also lucky enough to learn from fellow teachers John Rheebush, Pete Corrigan and Bill Sandquist. In the fall of 1991, Mike Trainor, former principal, was willing to expand the Math department and hired me on full time. I could not have been happier!

What took you away from St. Xavier?

As a young married couple, Anne was working at GE Aviation and was given the opportunity to explore other roles within GE. Beginning in the summer of 1994, we moved nine times around the world. I was able to work at four other Jesuit Schools: Marquette University High School (1996-1997, 1999-2002, 2012-2014), St. Aloysius’ College in Sydney Australia (1997-1999), St. Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia (20022004) and Regis High School in NYC (2004-2006). We also lived in London, England from 2006-2012 where I worked in an International School teaching Mathematics and, at the end, serving as the interim Middle School Principal. After 20 years of moving, we wanted to settle down for the teenage years of our children. Cincinnati and St. Xavier High School were an easy choice for our final destination.

Please list the things you have done while at St. X.

During my first stint at St. X, I coached freshman football for a year and freshman soccer for two years. I served on the Kairos board and helped to lead two retreats. I took a great group of young men on a mission trip to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota for two weeks.

During the past seven years, I have been coaching JV soccer, serving as a Kairos director, working with the St. Xavier Faculty Association and this year helped to get the new Emmaus Retreat (Freshmen Retreat) started.

What is your favorite place in Cincinnati?

Ballaban Field and Cintas Center on game days.

What is special about St. Xavier?

Like all Jesuit schools, the mission of the school is what draws me in. However, it is the people that sustain me and make me excited to keep returning to work each day. We have a phenomenal faculty and staff that are dedicated to the mission and success of the school. The students of St. Xavier are intelligent, cooperative and willing to work hard in order to grow and succeed. The families and alums of the school provide additional support in countless important ways with both time and treasure.

What is your vision for your first year?

Coming out of a pandemic, it is my hope that we can return to some sense of normalcy for both the students and adults alike. New initiatives will be kept to a minimum. However, we will continue to work to excel and grow in areas already established – the classroom, athletics, extracurriculars, retreats and service work. There are no off years when striving for the Magis.

Graduation

On May 27, the Class of 2021 was welcomed into the Long Blue Line of St. Xavier alumni. The 332 young men ceremoniously followed the members of the Class of 1970 (who joined this year since COVID prevented them from welcoming the Class of 2020 in person) and 1971 into the Cintas Center for the graduation ceremony upholding the tradition of the 50-year anniversary class leading the procession.

Principal Terry Tyrrell welcomed the graduates, alumni, parents and family members supporting the members of the class on this special occasion. He encouraged the graduates to continue to live the Jesuit motto of Ad Maijorem Dei Gloriam, for the Greater Glory of God. Hasan S. Quadri ’21 spoke on behalf of the senior class pushing them to continue to celebrate the five characteristics of the Graduate at Graduation, especially being Open to Growth. St. Xavier alumnus Mr. Vivek G. Ramaswamy ’03 was the keynote speaker encouraging students to embrace hardship and achieving excellence.

The J. Harold Kotte, M.D. Biology Award Creighton Bolter Wright III

The Donald N. Berning, M.D. ’38 Chemistry Award Ryan Joseph Rotsching

Chinese Daniel Driscoll Zacharski

Community Service Ethan Frederick Roth

Computer Science Joseph Mitchell Reinert

English Joshua David Uterstaedt

French Raymond Arthur Barrish III

German Alexander Thomas Stewart

Health/Physical Education Connor J Tooman

Latin Joshua David Uterstaedt

Mathematics William Connor Jones

Music Daniel James Dorsey

Physics Evan James Day

Religion Ryan James Yu

Social Studies Grant Christian Dutro

Spanish Evan James Day

Theater Christopher Joseph Szaz

Visual Arts Chase Andrew Padgett

Graduation Awards

Senior Scholar Award William Connor Jonnes

Rev. Joseph Brennan, S.J. Award Joseph Richard Nichols

St. Francis Xavier Service Award Hasan Syed Quadri and Creighton Bolter Wright III

Dr. Charles Farrell Memorial Leadership Award Benjamin Choquette Kemper

Jesuit Schools Network Award John Anthony Piehowicz III