How does St. Edward's win over St. Joseph's Prep compare to wins under Tom Lombardo?

LAKEWOOD, Ohio — Tom Lombardo’s 10-season football coaching career at St. Edward is currently highlighted by two of his biggest victories against out-of-state schools.

Where do we stand after Saturday’s 35-21 win over Philadelphia St. Joseph’s Prep?

“Pretty high,” Lombardo said. “We’ve played some great teams.”

The Eagles have produced a string of Power Four and Power Five recruits, state champions and more over the past decade since Lombardo took over as coach of the program. They’ve won five in his first nine years and are once again the favorite, with Saturday’s performance only confirming that potential.

Below is a look at the 10 victories St. Edward has recorded during Lombardo’s tenure against top programs from outside of Ohio:

10. Naperville Central (Ill.): A 34-24 win on September 30, 2017

The Eagles left the western Ohio border for two straight weeks, starting with a 10-point win over Naperville Central, which was making a deep playoff run in Illinois and finishing 9-3. A week later, the Eagles claimed a 38-10 victory at Indianapolis Cathedral.

Against Naperville Central they came back in the fourth quarter with two touchdowns.

St. Edward lost in the second round of the OHSAA Division I playoffs to Mentor that year, but wins like the one in Illinois provided experience for then-junior quarterback Garrett Dzuro, who led the Eagles to a state title the following year.

9. Erie Cathedral Prep (Pa.): A 35-3 win on September 7, 2018

Perhaps not one of the most impressive victories due to its blowout nature, the Eagles needed this one. They started the 2018 season with an 0-2 record, coming off a 21-20 loss to Detroit Cass Tech, which defeated them on a Hail Mary pass. Playoff points proved scarce that season, as the Eagles made the Division I, Region 1 playoffs as the seventh seed and defeated rival St. Ignatius, 21-19, to spark a state title run. It marked Lombardo’s second state championship at St. Edward.

8. Detroit Cass Tech (Mich.): A 41-20 win on Sept. 7, 2019

A year earlier, Cass Tech had stunned the Eagles with a Hail Mary in Lakewood. The rematch gave St. Edward some redemption and also served as a bounce-back performance from a 29-28 loss to Mentor early that season. The Cardinals handed St. Edward its only two losses that season, including a classic regional final that ended in overtime with a two-point conversion pass to Luke Floriea at Byers Field. Floriea, a senior at Kent State, had been a thorn in the Eagles’ side all year, including that 36-35 playoff stunner.

St. Edward has not lost to an opponent from outside Ohio since the 2018 Hail Mary.

7. Center Grove (Ind.): a 27-10 victory on August 19, 2023

Like St. Edward, Center Grove now has its third straight Indiana Class 6A championship before opening with the Eagles at last year’s NEO vs. America Showcase at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton.

St. Edward dominated the game against the Trojans, who finished 11-2 and fell to eventual state champion Ben Davis in the Indiana semifinals.

6. Bergen Catholic (NJ): a 31-28 victory on September 26, 2015

In Lombardo’s first year at St. Edward, the Eagles played six out-of-state opponents en route to the state crown. Two weeks before beating Bergen Catholic, featuring Jarrett Guarantano, they suffered a narrow defeat on the road to Saint Joseph Regional in New Jersey.

Guarantano, who later played at Tennessee, proved to be one of the best quarterbacks St. Edward faced under Lombardo and defensive coordinator Pete Pappas. In fact, the Crusaders defeated St. Edward the year before in New Jersey during Rick Finotti’s final year as manager.

The Eagles played this game without two starting offensive linemen and scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to gain revenge.

5. Pine Richland (Pa.): a 28-27 victory on August 27, 2016

Fresh off a second straight state championship and the first of Lombardo’s career with the Eagles, Pine-Richland came to Lakewood with then-Notre Dame commit Phil Jurkovec. It took DeShane Bloodworth’s interception of Jurkovec to preserve the victory after Curtis Szelesta’s go-ahead touchdown run in the final two minutes.

St. Edward trailed for much of the game on a hot and exhausting afternoon, with Jurkovec throwing for 292 yards and scoring three TDs, live on ESPN. Jurkovec went on to play for Notre Dame, Boston College and Pittsburgh through the 2023 college season.

4. Cherry Creek (Colo.): A 13-9 win on Sept. 3, 2022

Former Browns player Dave Logan brought his team to Lakewood after winning three straight major school state championships in Colorado. The Bruins went on to a fourth straight, losing only twice that year, while the Eagles won the second of their current three-peat.

Cornerback Cam Drewery turned this goal in St. Edward’s favor early in the 2022 season when he picked up a tipped ball near the goal line and made a game-winning interception.

3. Our Lady of Good Counsel (Md.): a 28-7 victory on August 27, 2023

Last year, in Week 2, ESPN brought a live, nationally televised audience to First Federal Lakewood Stadium. The Eagles showed they were ready for primetime in a matchup between two nationally ranked teams.

St. Edward scored 21 unanswered points to take the lead on a short run by senior quarterback Casey Bullock, and the Eagles’ defense did the rest.

Good Counsel went on a losing streak last season, winning 10 straight games and defeating DeMatha Catholic in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title with a 7-0 victory in Annapolis, Maryland.

2. St. Joseph’s Prep (Pa.): a 35-21 win on August 31, 2024

St. Joseph’s Prep has landed a handful of Power Four prospects, including Ohio State running back Isaiah West, and is ranked 15th nationally by MaxPreps.

West managed just 43 yards rushing and one passer-by against the Eagles, who entered the Ohio vs. Pennsylvania matchup of the reigning state champions as underdogs. Despite three straight OHSAA Division I state titles, St. Edward had just seven starters returning, including three on defense. The favored Hawks had reached eight straight PIAA Class 6A state finals, winning six of them.

“Our kids are responding to that challenge,” Lombardo said after Saturday’s performance in Lakewood. “I’m really impressed because I didn’t know how this particular team was going to respond, but man, tradition never dies, I guess you could say.”

While Lombardo admitted the game ranks “pretty high” among his out-of-state victories, he called the Eagles’ 35-point second quarter their best stretch of football in his 10-year tenure. They scored 28 straight points, including 21 on special teams plays and defensive turnovers, led by Bradley Eaton’s punt block that linebacker Nate Gregory jumped on to score the Eagles’ second touchdown.

They forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, leading to more points, and Eaton followed it up with an interception.

A scoreless first quarter led to junior Brandon White breaking through the St. Edward’s line for an 85-yard touchdown run. White finished with 108 yards on 19 carries.

“They’re 15th. We’re 25th,” senior center Archer Soltis said. “We knew from the beginning that this was going to be a battle. I think it says, ‘Don’t underestimate us.’ We’re the same St. Ed’s we’ve always been.”

St. Edward has now won 20 straight games against out-of-state opponents.

1. Gilman School (Md.): a 14-13 victory on August 29, 2015

Lombardo’s first game at St. Edward was one of the Eagles’ toughest tests of the last decade with Gilman going on to win 10 straight games and capture a Maryland state title. The Eagles met the Greyhounds at West Virginia University.

It ended with a fourth-and-3 stop at the three-minute mark of the fourth quarter that kept the Eagles ahead after Jimmy Keefe’s go-ahead scoring run late in the third quarter in his first start. Gilman had eight returning starters on defense, including a Penn State recruit in Ellison Jordan.

In a sense, it all started during Lombardo’s tenure.

St. Edward won the first of five state titles under him. He is now 74-12 at the school with a 33-2 record against out-of-state opponents.

Contact sports reporter Matt Goul at X (@mgoul), Wires (@mgoul) or email ([email protected]).