ST. VINCENT-ST. MARY FIGHTING IRISH
St. Vincent-St. Mary football's top returning players
- Chuck Brown, DL, 5-10, 220, Jr.
- Zander Giffin, OL-DL, 6-5, 320, Sr.
- Logan Henderson, FB-TE-DL-LB, 6-0, 210, Sr.
- Donald Johnson Jr. , 5-9, 185, RB-DB, Sr.
STVM football's impact players
Under first-year head coach Doran Grant, the Irish will have just two returning starters on each side of the ball — Giffin and Johnson on offense and Brown and Henderson on defense — after 22 seniors from last year's team graduated. ... Henderson will play several positions, and Grant has identified him as the team's best leader. “He's very vocal. He handles his business,” Grant said. Henderson is being recruited as a linebacker, and he has received scholarship offers from Ohio Dominican, Brown and Drake. … Giffin will start at guard and defensive tackle. “He's in shape, he's getting stronger and he's very hungry for the season,” Grant said. … Johnson is expected to be the offense's top playmaker. “He's a very talented kid,” Grant said. “Personally, I like him better as a corner as he gets older and maybe at the next level. But he's a great runner for us, and he'll help us on both sides.” … Brown is switching to D-line after starting at linebacker last season. “He'll be tough for us on the defensive line,” Grant said. “He put on some weight and got very strong in the offseason.”
Watch Ohio High School Football Live on the NFHS Network all season
What's new with St. Vincent-St. Mary football in 2024?
A former STVM and Ohio State football star whom the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted in the fourth round in 2015, Grant has taken control after Terry Cistone went 13-10 at the helm of the Fighting Irish the past two seasons. Grant will call the defense's plays, and longtime STVM assistant Rob Brown will serve as the defensive coordinator. Dominic Davis, a 2016 STVM graduate, will be the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach who calls the offense's plays. … With offers from Akron, Kent State and Miami (Ohio), DeCarlo Prince (6-4, 185, WR-DB, Jr.) is the most highly recruited Irish player. He will be a new full-time varsity starter along with Nassir Abdullah (LB-DB, 6-3, 210, Sr.), Vincent Brooks (WR-DB, 5-10, 165, Sr.), Corey Jacobs Jr. (DB-WR, 6-0, 185, Jr.) and Mekhi Madison (DE-LB-RB, 6-0, 190, Sr.). … These four players are vying this summer for the starting quarterback job: Rylan Hurley (5-9, 160, Jr.), Anthony Felding (5-9, 160, Jr.), William Adamson (6-0, 160, Fr.) and Cayden Dahs (5-6, 120 Fr.). Hurley gained some varsity starting experience last year, but Grant said of the competition, “This thing is open.”
St. Vincent-St. Mary football's outlook
Drastic turnover on the roster after the graduation of 22 seniors poses the greatest challenge to STVM at the outset of Grant's coaching tenure. … This how Grant characterizes his expectations for the 2024 season: “I just want the team, the players and the coaches, but more so the players, the kids, to truly grasp what I'm trying to give them. The culture, how we go day to day in this sport, the weight room, class, practice, games, everything, I want them all to understand that everything matters. That's my only expectation. Wins and losses. The chips are going to fall where they may, but it starts with them understanding the culture.” … Still, Grant is a fierce competitor who wants to lead a tough, winning team out of the gate. “I'm expecting a pretty solid season, to be honest,” he said. “I'm expecting a little better than last year. I'm expecting a little bit more fight. … Like that Walsh Jesuit game last year [when STVM lost 43-13 in Week 6]? I do not expect that type of result moving forward.”
STVM football's biggest rival: St. Vincent-St. Mary and Archbishop Hoban head coaches want to renew 'the Akron Holy War'
STVM football schedule for 2024
- Aug. 23 Mansfield
- Aug. 30 PERRY
- Sept. 6 Walsh Jesuit
- Sept. 13 Warren Harding
- Sept. 20 CHARDON ND-CL
- Sept. 27 ELYRIA CATHOLIC
- Oct. 4 Young. Ursuline
- Oct. 11 HARVEST PREP
- Oct. 18 Cle. VA-SJ
- Oct 25 Benedictine
Home games in all CAPS. All games at 7 p.m., unless noted.
STVM's new competition starting in 2026: St. Vincent-St. Mary High School joins Ohio Catholic Athletic Conference
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
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This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary Fighting Irish 2024 high school football schedule, preview
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