CINCINNATI — A big rivalry in high school football is going head to head in the playoffs Friday night, but a big part of that rivalry is now gone after a former coach died this week.

What You Need To Know

  • Moeller High School football will go up against Princeton High School in a playoff game Friday night 

  • The two schools have been rivals for decades since former Moeller head coach Gerry Faust was there

  • Faust created the team in the 60's but died earlier this week, leaving his team to carry on his legacy 

You can almost feel the intensity of the Moeller high football players. Jovan Love is one of them.

“We’re out here just trying to get better,” said Love. 

He’s working hard because he’s got something to prove after what happened last season.

“I broke my ankle, so I had surgery and everything last year. It happened at the West game. It was right before the state semis, so I had to sit out that game,” said Love. 

It’s his first season back after an injury and his first time playing in the playoffs.

“Definitely got some more motivation,” said Love. 

In a high stakes game, Moeller high will go up against rivals Princeton high Friday night.

Moeller head coach Bert Bathiany says it’s no pressure.

“For us, it’s just it’s another game. That’s how we treat it and we always try to focus on us and we think we focus on us and everything else takes care of itself,” said Bathiany.

He’s been coaching the team through rivalries for the last two years, but the Moeller Princeton rivalry has been going on for decades.

“Growing up, you knew about the ‘King of the Block’ and they would shut 75 down. That was Coach Mancuso and Coach Faust,” said Bathiany. 

Gerry Faust, the former head coach who started Moeller football in the 60s died earlier this week.

The 89-year-old Dayton native turned the team into a powerhouse, winning four national and five state titles over 18 seasons.

His accomplishments were highlighted in a documentary, ‘King of the Block’, about the rivalry. He told us at the film premiere the rivalry was a crowd pleaser.

“The crowds were unbelievable. In fact, we played one time when the Reds were playing. We outdrew the Reds,” said Faust in a 2022 interview. 

The team plans to continue his legacy from the practice field to the big game.

“Just trying to get back over another step, getting over another hurdle. We got to go back and hopefully win state,” said Love. 

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