The public vs. private school football rivalry that dominated the 1970s and 80s returned to the field last November when Moeller and Princeton High Schools played in an Ohio Division I regional semifinal at Mason.
In the first playoff meeting between the pair in 28 years, Moeller prevailed 28-21. Historically, the Crusaders have won 38 of the 45 times they've faced the Vikings.
Should you want documentation of some of Greater Cincinnati's best football lore, a movie called "King Of The Block" debuts Wednesday, Aug. 10 at the Mariemont Theater on Wooster Pike at 7 p.m. The film had been in the works already when fate brought the Crusaders and Vikings together again last fall.
"It was like the perfect storm when I saw they were going to play each other," film producer Branson Wright said.
When the two teams regularly played in a Greater Catholic League/Greater Miami Conference battle the "King Of The Block" trophy was up for grabs. Based on last November, it still resides at Moeller.
Wright, direc Joddy Eric Mathews, executive producer Tony Ralston, co-producer Jarrid Brunswick and editor Chris Kennedy have combed through video and film and interviewed some top names in the state of Ohio.
In addition to speaking with coaches Gerry Faust and Pat Mancuso, the group interviewed former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, ESPN color analyst and former Buckeye Kirk Herbstreit and former Cincinnati Reds Pete Rose and Barry Larkin. Larkin was a pretty formidable football player for Moeller in addition to his skills at shortstop.
The Baseball Hall of Famer initially went the football route, following in his older brother Mike's (Notre Dame) footsteps. He didn't switch to full-time baseball until he was at Michigan. Though long married to his wife Lisa, Larkin's high school sweetheart was far from a Moeller fan.
"She went to Princeton," Wright said. "We interviewed her (Carmen Sanders) too. She's Princeton through and through. The fact that her boyfriend went to the rival school and she went to the games make for an interesting documentary."
Larkin's former manager with 4,256 career hits also chimed in on Cincinnati football for the piece. Rose once covered Moeller in a part-time winter gig at WKRC-TV when Nick Clooney (now known as George's father) was the anchor.
The film crew admittedly had to turn the camera off a few times on the ever-colorful Hit King who joked about what he could say around the religious Faust.
The coaches were legendary.
From 1975-85, of 11 state championships the OHSAA awarded, Moeller won seven and Princeton three. Also in that '75-'85 decade, first Faust successor Ted Bacigalupo was 12-1 and third Moeller coach Steve Klonne was 46-3.
"Football in Cincinnati was the best in the state of Ohio," Faust said. "It still is to this day I think."
Moeller's back field is named the Faust Athletic Complex for the man who started local football at the school and finished with a 178-23-2 record. That included 12 GCL championships, five state titles and four mythical national titles. In his final six seasons he was an amazing 70-1 before going off to his five-year stint at Notre Dame.
As Princeton fans may know, that one loss came to Mancuso's Vikings.
"It was just us and them back in those days," Mancuso said of the seasonal slugfest with Moeller.
"King Of The Block" also features the Francisco brothers, Hiawatha and D'Juan, who eventually followed Faust to Notre Dame. Not long ago, Hiawatha Francisco was employed at Princeton, which brought teasing from both sides.
The oldest of the bruising running backs told Wright he was asked who he would be pulling for should the Vikings and Crusaders meet again.
"He said, 'Who's writing the check?'" Wright said laughing. "Hiawatha told us Princeton was writing the check but if they played while he was there, under his suit would be a Moeller shirt."
Also appearing from the Princeton side is former tight end/linebacker Arnold Franklin, a high school All-American who went on to North Carolina and was an 11th-round pick of the Dolphins in the 1986 NFL Draft. From Moeller, tight end Tony Hunter, a former first-round pick out of Notre Dame who played with the Bills and Rams, is also featured.
"The story is about the rivalry and relationships and what it means and meant for Cincinnati," Wright said.
A humorous segment comes from a visit to Uncle Bumpee's barbershop in West Chester where a collection of Princeton and Moeller players met for tall tales and trims. Ray Hutch played for Princeton and is Uncle Bumpee. Wright said the shop provided a place for the two sides to find common ground.
"I think in another life Ray could have been a wrestler for WWE," Wright said. "He's such a great personality. He's not shy. He is someone I sought out because he believed in the rivalry."
Mancuso still attends most Princeton games and won three state championships for the Vikings in 1978, 1983 and 1987. Their games were so popular that in 1980, way before streaming services, the game was televised by Warner Amex (cable TV).
Playoff spots were not liberally handed out in those days. A successful Moeller season in 1978 was spoiled by an early 13-12 loss to Princeton. The Vikings, via the old Harbin ratings, thus advanced to the postseason. The winning field goal came from Princeton's Ken Weber.
"That was THE game in Cincinnati," Weber said in a story with Enquirer contributor Mark Schmetzer. "Back then, it was huge."
In their last regular season match-up before 2021's playoff game, in 2008, Princeton held a 10-7 lead on Moeller at the half but fell 27-17 despite 275 yards passing and 123 yards rushing from Spencer Ware (LSU, NFL running back).
The Vikings last Nov. 12 got out to a 14-0 lead on Moeller, but the Crusaders rallied for 28 unanswered points before Princeton scored a late touchdown.
Should the pair meet again this season, it would have to be in the playoffs. Moeller's nearest non-conference foe this season is East Central on Sept. 3. Princeton plays but one non-conference game (at Anderson Aug. 19) due to the nine-game GMC slate.
Wright is currently in talks with other platforms to air the documentary.
The former writer for the Cleveland Plain Dealer has co-produced "Believeland" about Cleveland sports on ESPN's 30 for 30. He also produced HBO's "Women of Troy" about the University of Southern California's women's basketball team in the 1980s featuring Cheryl Miller.
Source link
