St. Xavier football finished 10-4 last season, but it’s possible to argue that the Bombers were better than their record showed.
Each of their losses finished as one possession games. They avenged their first loss of the season, 17-13 to Lakota West, with a 16-13 win over the Firebirds in the playoffs. They led the eventual state-runner-up Moeller Crusaders 17-14 at halftime in their regional championship game and nearly recovered an onside kick at the end of that game to take the ball with a chance to win.
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Esteemed coach Steve Specht is entering his 23rd season leading the St. Xavier football program with four state championships already under his belt. Can the Bombers compete for Specht’s fifth (and first since 2020) in 2025?
Here is a preview of each position group for the Bombers for the 2025 football season:
Who are St. Xavier High School’s options at quarterback after Chase Herbstreit’s graduation?
Former St. Xavier quarterback Chase Herbstreit (7) is on the football roster at the University of Michigan in 2025.
The Bombers will have a new starter behind center in 2025, after Chase Herbstreit graduated and headed to the University of Michigan. He led the Bombers to a 20-13 record and totaled 41 touchdowns in 33 starts over the past three seasons.
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Specht has not yet named a starter, but he said the quarterback competition comes down to three players:
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Junior Thomas George, who completed seven-of-nine passes for 62 yards and two touchdowns in limited action as the St. Xavier backup last season.
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Bexley transfer senior Jackson Frey, the son of former St. Xavier and Ohio State quarterback Greg Frey. Frey completed 12-of-17 passes for 109 yards and two touchdown in a limited role for the Lions last season.
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Springboro transfer junior Aidan Newdigate, who completed five-of-14 passes for 70 yards as the Panthers’ backup last season.
“We haven’t decided on one or the other,” Specht said. “It’s early, but they’re all really competing. They’re doing a really good job.”
St. Xavier High School football team looks strong at running back
While the Bombers won’t have Herbstreit’s legs to lean on (he rushed 108 times for 660 yards and eight touchdowns in 2024), they do return their top two running backs.
Senior Daniel Vollmer, who is committed to Vanderbilt and expecting to play linebacker there, was St. Xavier’s lead back last season, rushing 154 times for 834 yards and 13 touchdowns. A weapon who moves all around the offense, Vollmer should figure into the receivers’ room as well.
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“(Vollmer) is a swiss army knife, and as the season goes on, what the other kids do will dictate what we do with him,” Specht said. “If we have kids step up in one area, he can go another place.”
St. Xavier athlete Daniel Vollmer (3) chose to commit to Vanderbilt football over offers from Cincinnati, Duke, Harvard, Indiana, Purdue and more.
Fellow senior Jake Britt also returns after putting up 376 rushing yards and two touchdowns across 98 carries. Another player who will factor into the Bombers’ air attack and has played some receiver in the past, Britt caught 47 passes for 460 yards and three touchdowns last season. Specht also mentioned senior Spencer Stegbauer, who rushed 14 times for 84 yards last season.
“For the most part, our starters are coming back this year,” Vollmer said. “I think we’re going to be able to air it out this year, which will help to open up the run at times.”
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Who are receivers to watch for St. Xavier High School football?
To air it out effectively, the Bombers will need capable receivers on the other end of their eventual quarterback’s throws. St. X will miss tight end Matthew Hoerst, who graduated after catching 26 passes for 337 yards, but they do bring back Britt, Vollmer (17 catches for 212 yards and five touchdowns) and senior Cam Taylor, who reeled in 23 passes for 350 yards and five touchdowns a season ago.
Specht also said to keep an eye on junior Logan Von Holle, who caught five passes for 90 yards in the regional final against Moeller last season.
Which offensive linemen return for St. Xavier football?
“The one area that we’ve got to figure out is the offensive line,” Specht said.
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The Bombers return their starting right tackle, Grant Hester, who was a first-team all-conference performer last season. The Bombers’ only other returning starter is all-conference second-team guard William Sweeney.
“And outside of that, it’s all the competition we’re trying to create,” Specht said. “Whether it’s someone who thinks he’s a defensive lineman or one of the other offensive linemen we have, we’re trying to create that competition to build that offensive line.”
The Bombers will also hope to get contribution along the line from now-healthy senior Cam Carter, who started one game last season before suffering a season-ending leg injury.
Who will be on the St. Xavier High School football defensive line in 2025?
St. Xavier defensive lineman Josh Fasbender (98) is expected to lead the Bombers’ defensive line corps in 2025.
The 2025 Bomber defensive line is built around 6-foot-4, 265-pound junior Josh Fasbender, who is already receiving interest from Power Four schools and currently holds offers from Eastern Michigan, Liberty and Toledo.
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Fasbender, who started every game for the Bombers as a sophomore in 2024, finished last season with eight tackles for loss and three sacks. Outside of Fasbender, spots aren’t set, according to Specht.
How do the St. Xavier High School football linebackers and secondary look in 2025?
The Bombers’ linebacker corps is so strong, they’re going to have to play some athletes away from the second level of the defense to get them all on the field at the same time. In addition to Vollmer, St. Xavier has four-star senior and Notre Dame commit Kobe Clapper, who is rated the No. 412 player in the nation for his class, according to 247Sports’s composite ratings. That’s not it. The Bombers also have Northwestern commit Brayden Reilly and Wisconsin commit Aden Reeder. That’s four Power Four-committed linebackers.
Reeder is written in at linebacker in pen; don’t expect him to move around. Clapper, on the other hand, Specht compared to a defensive version of Vollmer due to his versatility. At 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, Clapper has played rush end, weak-side linebacker and even safety. Despite being 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds and playing plenty of cornerback for the Bombers, Reilly will likely slot in at safety, while Vollmer is expected to play some safety and linebacker.
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Even outside of the quartet of Power Four players, St. Xavier returns senior linebacker Connor Bareswilt, whom Specht said is also in the mix for one of his three starting linebacker slots, along with experienced sophomore Griffin Lyons, brother of St. Xavier grad and current Miami (Ohio) linebacker Grant Lyons.
As for cornerbacks, Specht sang the praises of junior Alex Walker, who may also factor in at receiver.
“He has a chance to be in the conversation with some of the great cornerbacks that have played at St. Xavier High School,” Specht said. “He’s that talented.”
As for the other cornerback spots, Britt has been taking reps there, along with seniors Alex McClatchey, Brody Giles and others. Specht believes the internal competition over the coming weeks will bring the best out of all.
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At safety, along with potential options Vollmer and Reilly, the Bombers return senior Jax Hendon, who started for the team last season.
Who to watch on St. Xavier football’s special teams in 2025?
St. Xavier kicker Owen Davidson (12) could be a weapon for the Bombers as a junior in 2025 after he missed just one field goal and two extra points in 2024.
St. Xavier’s field goal unit should be excellent.
It returns long snapper Nick Brady, ranked the No. 14 senior long snapper in the country by Kohl’s, a recruiting service that focuses on special-teamers. Junior placekicker Owen Davidson was 8-for-9 on field goals and 37-for-39 on extra points next season. St. Xavier’s main punter remains to be decided upon.
The Bombers first take the field for a regular season game at 7 p.m. Aug. 22 against Lakota West at RDI Stadium on the St. Xavier campus.
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St. Xavier Bombers 2025 football schedule
*All games on Fridays at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
Aug. 22 ‒ vs. Lakota West
Aug. 29 ‒ vs. Centerville
Sept. 5 ‒ at Cathedral (Indiana)
Sept. 12 ‒ vs. Westerville North
Sept. 19 ‒ at Moeller (at West Clermont High School)
Sept. 26 ‒ vs. Elder
Oct. 3 ‒ vs. Trinity (Kentucky)
Oct. 10 ‒ vs. La Salle
Oct. 17 at 6 p.m. ‒ at St. Ignatius
Oct. 24 ‒ vs. Life Christian Academy (Virginia)
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati high school football 2025: St. Xavier’s by-position preview
