St. Joe Christian, Bishop LeBlond renew rivalry with district championship on the line
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- Who doesn't love a good city rivalry with a district title on the line?
One way or another, one St. Joseph football team will walk away with the 8-Man District 5 championship on Friday as the Bishop LeBlond Golden Eagles prepare to face off with the St. Joseph Christian Lions in a highly-anticipated showdown between two longtime city rivals.
The matchup marks the first time the two teams have faced off since Nov. 3, 2023, a district semifinal matchup that saw the Lions narrowly defeat the Golden Eagles 26-20.
A semifinalist in last year's 8-man state tournament, Bishop LeBlond is seeking back-to-back district championships with the victory. After a difficult 1-4 start to the year, the Golden Eagles have responded with a 5-game winning streak to rewrite their season.
"A year ago we graduated nine seniors, seven of whom started on both sides of the ball. We brought back our quarterback and a couple pieces on the offensive and defensive lines, but other than that we got a lot of guys who are new to varsity snaps," Golden Eagles coach Chuck Davis. "At the beginning of the season, the schedule was rough. At the time, we were trying to figure out who we were still."
"We used those losses as a gauge to see what we needed to improve, who needed to be playing where and how to maximize our potential. I think our kids have responded well to that 1-4 start and turned it around."
In talking to Golden Eagles senior Cole Sigrist, who plays wide receiver and defensive back, he explained the tough stretch early in the year helped get the team to where they currently are.
"Being able to take the experiences from those games and learn has helped because we are a younger team this year," Sigrist said. "It's hard to transition from JV to varsity and expect it to be the same. Over the past few weeks it's been a tremendous growth from the younger guys."
Even though it's only been a few years since Sigrist and Bishop LeBlond played against St. Joe Christian, he still remembers it well.
"We never forgot that game from my sophomore year, two years ago," Sigrist said. "There's still some bad blood in our mouth, but were ready to get it back. We just need to execute on all levels, on every play."
On the Lions side, they got off to a strong 3-1 record, but then lost four straight before earning the win in the regular season finale. Late season losses were partially due to many starters missing time due to injuries.
Lions coach James Schoonover explained the last game of the regular season was when many of the original starters were able to return.
"The last game (of the season) was the first game we started getting a lot of people back and a lot of those original starters," Schoonover said. "With different players (in the lineup), we've had to change our style a lot throughout the year and changing what personnel is on the field."
Schoonover also noted that since ending the regular season in the win column, the team has continued to gain more confidence and momentum heading into Friday.
Senior Aiden Martindell, who plays tight end and linebacker, expressed how the Lions are determined to come out strong and make a statement against the Eagles.
"We have a great history with Bishop Leblond, that's our hometown rivals," Martindell said. "Everybody knows that's not a secret. We're going to come out ready to knock some heads off, go crazy and win the game."
LeBlond holds the edge in all-time wins against SJC at 3-1, but the Lions come in with bragging rights having won the most recent matchup.
"Anytime you have an in-town rival, they're a great team. It's private Christian school against private Christian school. We call it the 'holy war' for fun," Schoonover said. "Anytime play a rival, there's extra adrenaline that fires you up."
