Football

2024 Season Review

The Royals went 7-5 this season under new head coach Sam Otley R’11. The team was led by great defense all season. They were a relentless group who played fast and physical all season. Toward the end of the season, the offense found their rhythm and were able to establish themselves during games. They ran the ball with greater success and made explosive plays when given the opportunity. Special teams developed greatly at the end of the season as well, and they played a significant role in key wins and the Royals’ playoff run. For their strong performance on the field, the following Royals were recognized as All-Circle City Conference players: seniors Robert Houser, Eli Lauck, Sam Neu, AJ Richardson and Rudy Schoettle, junior Brody Heidelberger and sophomore Will Hegwood. Lauck, Neu, Richardson, Schoettle and Hegwood were also all named All-County Honorable Mention. The Kiwanis Club honored Richardson as an All-Academic Nominee and Schoettle as a Great Player Nominee. 

Although the team was disappointed to lose when they did, in the sectional championship game, there was much to be proud of all season. The Royals were ranked in the Top 25 in 4A to start the season, and by the end, they were ranked 3rd in 4A and in the Top 25 in the state. This had much to do with the senior leadership. They attacked the season and fought through adversity together. They set a great example of attitude, effort and doing things the right way for future classes. It is no surprise that seniors took home all of the end-of-season awards: Rudy Schoettle was named MVP, Marty Babcock took home the Mental Attitude Award, Johnny Jaffe was given the Leadership Award and the Sportsmanship Award went to both Henry Adams and Peyton Sisk.

Coach Otley had this to say about his first year as head coach, “The most memorable moments from this season were taking the field late at night after the lightning delay versus Guerin, beating Brebeuf in hurricane conditions, winning a hard-fought game at East Central and watching how much our team developed as strong, Catholic young men. There were countless examples of Roncalli football at its finest this season, and I am excited for the future. Go, Royals!”