“We played a very mature brand of football this year. Bone-crushing defense and a great kicking game allowed us to play field position football while waiting for the breaks of the game to present themselves. I am tremendously proud of our staff and our players. Through adjustment, execution, and perseverance, we won the second half in every game we won this year, outscoring our opponents 167–59.” — Head Coach Chris Stevens ’83
THE AGES no-call in the final seconds of their first meeting, opted to punt on 4th and 7 from Xavier’s 47-yard line. Defensive coordinator Kevin Kelly trotted down the sideline to Stevens. “Are you going to try to block this?” he asked. Xavier’s famed single-wing offense is ground and pound. The Knights’ game plan is to control the tempo by orchestrating long drives—but time was of the essence. Maestro Chris Stevens needed good field position for the odds to fall in his favor. The coaching tandem positioned everyone on the line. The unpracticed punt block was on. After the snap, linebacker Rory Kinsella ’17 raced through the Royals’ powerful offensive front to block the punt, which was then returned 44 yards by teammate Jack Abbruzzese ’16. The scoop and score, followed by a successful two-point conversion, pulled Xavier ahead of King, 28–25. Senior cornerback Guiseppe Orlando ’16 sealed the victory with an interception in the Xavier end zone on the Royals’ lastditch effort to regain the lead. The Knights were crowned, and the 2015 championship game was dubbed “The Mitchel Field Miracle.”
Thursday, November 26, 2015: On Thanksgiving morning, Stevens’ Amazing, Fantastic Gridiron Way Back Machine was one win away from immortality. The 2015 Knights stood on the brink of becoming Xavier’s only 11-win team, which would make them the winningest team in Xavier football’s 133-year history. A history that encompasses the late Leo Paquin, one of the Seven Blocks of Granite, who made Fordham University’s front line a formidable football force in 1936 and 1937. (Paquin later worked at Xavier as a football coach, athletic director, and teacher.) A program that has always lacked proper facilities, but has survived and advanced since the late 19th century. A team that has amassed a 68.5 winning percentage with Stevens running the single-wing—a testament to an institution and its constituents, who are expected to pursue excellence in every endeavor. It was fitting that Xavier’s 11th win would come against “The Ancient Foe Who Dwells Atop Rose Hill,” Fordham Prep, in their 91st meeting at the annual Turkey Bowl, New York City’s oldest sports rivalry. Alumni volunteer Nick Byrne ’11 is an assistant football and rugby coach at Xavier.
XAVIER MAGAZINE 29