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Club football finds positives in defeat

John LaFollette
Sports Editor

A crowd of about 3,000 people including Xavier students, parents and former football players saw the Musketeers take the football field for the first time in 33 years last Saturday at Norwood High School’s Shea Stadium, where the club football team opened its season with a 16-6 loss to the Marquette Golden Eagles.

Daniel Nusbaum

Sophomore James Loughlin makes a falling-away catch in front of a Marquette defender.

Playing against a depleted Marquette team that had yet to win a game, Xavier had chances to win. Two Musketeer touchdowns were called back because of penalties, and Xavier failed to cash in on four Marquette turnovers.

The game was marked by sloppy play on both sides. Excessive penalties and turnovers (Xavier coughed it up four times as well) plagued both teams.
The Musketeers netted -1 yards rushing, thanks to -37 yards on nine sacks suffered by junior quarterback Jimmy Byrnes.

For most people though, the excitement of the game itself overshadowed the loss.
“We had our fair share of mistakes, but we’ve built a great foundation,” said Byrnes in a spontaneous post-game speech to his teammates.

“When we look back on this 30 years from now, we’ll remember it and be proud.”

Many of those in attendance were actually looking back 30 years, when Xavier last played competitive football. More than a few old-school jerseys could be seen in the stands, and those former football players in attendance were honored midway through the second half with a loud ovation from the crowd.

“Everybody is just so pleased,” said head coach Tom Powers. “The former players I’ve talked to have been so supportive, the students have been fantastic. The spirit is fantastic.”

Powers himself knows firsthand about what those former football players went through 33 years ago. “The winter after my senior season at Villanova, they dropped football, so I can totally relate to the feelings of former Musketeer players in losing their team, because I had the same ones,” Powers said.

He also knows what those former players are going through now. “Villanova brought football back five years later, so I also know how good it feels to have your team back. To help give Xavier its football team back is very important to me.”

As for the long term future of football at Xavier, those involved are content with club status. “Certainly, there are people that were a part of the football program years ago and had that tremendous sense of attachment,” Athletic Director Mike Bobinski said. “Clearly, they would be thrilled if football ever returned. But the club situation is the appropriate level for us at this point and for the foreseeable future.”

Daniel Nusbaum

Head coach Tom Powers gives his players reason to hold their heads high after they suffered their first defeat of the season on Saturday.

Powers agrees: “Right now our plan is to have a successful club football program,” he said. “We want to have a solid fan base, we want to generate the spirit that I think was obvious on Saturday.”

Next up for Xavier is the second of their three-game season against the junior varsity team from Wilmington College on Friday, Nov. 5. Powers said in the next two weeks his team will be working on timing their pass plays better, moving in and out of the huddle faster and other game-related improvements. But Powers is confident his team is getting better.

“You need time to work off the rust a little bit, you need time to re-train your playing skills,” said Powers. “The only thing that beat us on Saturday was a lack of game experience. I think we had a better team, I think we had more talent on the football team.”

Despite an opening loss, the team’s morale remains high. “[Saturday] was a great day,” Powers said. “The two things we wanted to do this year we did: we got the Xs on the helmets, and we got the helmets in the game.”

While winning games is an important part of his football team, Powers said it isn’t all that matters. “We’re kinda like Avis; we might be number two, but ‘we try harder.’ I want the Xavier community to be proud of the team because of what we do on the field, but also proud of how we act and who we are off the field.”

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Celebratory symphony

CSO to perform in commemoration of 175th anniversary

Jennifer Downing
Senior News Editor

Robert Porco of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra will conduct a performance to celebrate the 175th anniversary of Xavier University at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at Music Hall.

Britten’s Cantata academica will open the event, a piece originally written to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the University of Bassel. The symphony will also be performing Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 3, Schubert’s Mass No. 2 and Vaughan William’s Five Mystical Songs.

With discounted tickets for students, faculty and staff, Tom Merrill, Director of Xavier Choral Activities, is optimistic that nearly 1,500 – 2,000 people will attend the event each evening.

With connections in the symphony, Merrill initiated conversation in gaining the symphony’s interest in the 175th celebration.

The program itself is a combination of songs that was carefully selected by Porco to tie the event to Xavier and university life.

“I am excited the Symphony is doing this program,” said Porco. “I was looking for something that had a connection to university life, and I’ve known about Cantata academica for a long time.”

If you go...

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

When: 8 p.m. Fri. Oct. 27, and Sat. Oct. 28.

Where: Music Hall, downtown

Program includes Britten, Bach, Schubert and Vaughan William.

Tickets can be purchased at the door or online at www.cincinnatisymphony.com. Student tickets are available for the reduced rate of $10 with a valid student ID.

Most of the other music has a distinct religious or Catholic tie, said Porco.
Porco said that he’s also looking forward to what will be most intimately connected to Xavier’s identity – the May Festival performance of Xavier’s new alma mater on Friday evening.

“I always enjoy conducting choral and orchestral music on CSO subscription concerts and working with the wonderful May Festival Chorus. This season, it’s especially meaningful to make local connections by saluting Xavier University’s 175th anniversary with the CSO premiere of Britten’s Cantata academica,” said Porco.

Merrill will be leading a pre-concert discussion called “Classical Conversation” to discuss the significance of the program’s songs.
It has been 25 years – when Xavier celebrates its 150th anniversary – that the symphony played in tribute of the university.

“It really is an honor that the symphony has gone out of its way to program this event,” said Merrill. “They have a good community spirit, and it speaks well that they’re singing the alma mater on Friday.”

“Some people in the chorus do have connection with the Xavier community, so it should be a very nice event,” confirmed Porco.

Aside from Porco, the Director of Choruses for the Cincinnati May Festival, the event will feature renowned tenor Stanford Olsen and baritone William McGraw.

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BLT gets big laughs

Pat Jennings
Contributing Writer

For over a year, Xavier students have found themselves laughing uncontrollably to the point of near-incontinence.

This phenomenon is not caused by the suds in the fountain on the academic mall, but from free improvisational comedy shows provided by Xavier’s own Barely Legal Teens. The BLT are comprised of Ryan Nemeth, Bill Garvey, Monica Bartz-Gallagher, Katrina Sodaro, Paul Lieber and will soon enough add some current trainees.

The Barely Legal Teens are the only long form improv group anywhere close to Cincinnati. Nemeth, along with former member Bradd Hout, have improvised comedy at Improv Olympic in Chicago.

In addition to the BLT, Nemeth produced the play “Jimmy the Soap” last year from Xavier Players’ Workshop and has also written several other short plays.
The Newswire recently had a chance to sit down with four Barely Legal Teens and ask them about the tricks of their trade.

The Newswire: How did you go about starting such a group for Xavier?
Ryan Nemeth: I was studying improv in Chicago in the summertime and talked to Bill on the phone, and one thing led to another and we decided it would be a lot of fun to do this sort of thing at Xavier.
Bill Garvey: Improv is like the basis for all human activity!

TN: How do you guys go about practicing being funny?
RN: We don’t practice being funny...
BG: We just try to be human beings in everyday situations.
RN: Monica reads a lot of improv books.
Monica Bartz-Gallagher: Yeah, I read a lot of books.

TN: From where do you guys pull all your inspirations?
BG: Everyday situations.
RN: My idiot friends.
MBG: Conversations I find myself in.
Katrina Sodaro: I’m a creep and spy on people. People are pretty funny.

TN: Does practicing improv help you in everyday life?
RN: Improv makes me focus on my surroundings.
MBG: Improvising helps to give me confidence in everyday life.
KS: I’m not afraid to call the pizza man anymore.

TN: How big of a role does teamwork play?
RN: Teamwork...so much.
KS: Teamwork and respect for each other.
BG: Yeah, when we started, I had almost no respect for Paul Lieber, but now, I have a marginal amount.

TN: Do you pull inspiration from what is going on in your life?
RN: Everything I do can be personal.
MBG: Not me.

TN: Does jazz improvisation relate at all to improvised comedy?
RN: Yes, absolutely. Standard improv form is called Harold form. It’s based on jazz improvisational patterns and repetitions and rhythms.

Barely Legal Teens meet for shows at 9 p.m. on most Tuesdays in Kelley Auditorium. All shows are free of charge.

Published since 1915 by the students of Xavier University

Club football finds positives in defeat

Celebratory symphony

BLT gets big laughs