COLUMBUS, Ohio — Head Coach Brad Burchfield and his Bishop Hartley Hawks weren’t sure if they would even make it through the season.

But, they’ve gotten to do so and they’re making history by playing St. Francis DeSales three times this year. It’s the first time two Ohio schools have faced each other three times during a single-season.

What You Need To Know

  • Bishop Hartley High School and St. Francis DeSales play each other three times this year

  • It's the first time Ohio schools have played each other three times in a single season

  • Started playing again in 2014, after not facing each other since 1987 due to size disparities

“We’re really proud of it. We’re really proud to make Ohio history. We take a lot of pride in our role within Ohio high school football history and our history in it and to have a notch of playing our rival three times in a season is awesome,” said Burchfield.

This season, the Central Catholic League made the decision to minimize playing non-conference teams due to the pandemic.
“I mean you certainly planned on making it through the season once we had all the kids together you knew how good it was and you knew we were doing things as safe as they could possibly be done.”

The Hawks and the Stallions have a long-standing rivalry. The pair started playing each other again in 2014 after not meeting since 1987.

“We were original rivals obviously played for a long time and then schools had some disparity in sizes and got away from playing. Obviously, we brought it back, and we’re really proud of bringing it back. It’s better to have a great rival.”

And now the two teams will share even more history.

“It’s been an incredible rivalry. I mean, we’re mirror image teams and programs, and when you put both of us on the field, you've got a lot of state championships and regional championships and playoff appearances and legendary players. So, it’s a tremendous, tremendous rival for sure.”