SYCAMORE TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Moeller senior tight end Cooper McCutchan looked around Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium July 10 and was ticked off.
More than 200 miles separates Moeller and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. But, this summer trip evoked some somber memories from when Moeller was the Division I state runner-up this past December in Canton.
“The last time we were there — bad taste in our mouth,” said McCutchan, a 6-foot-4, 240-pound University of North Carolina verbal commit. “So this year we want to get the job done.”
Moeller (14-2 record in 2024) is ranked No. 35 nationally this preseason by MaxPreps. However, the Crusaders aren’t dwelling on the spotlight of the national ranking and having the reigning Ohio Mr. Football in senior quarterback Matt Ponatoski (Kentucky verbal commit for football and baseball).
Moeller opens the season Aug. 23 against Princeton (at West Clermont), vowing to change its recent past playoff history.
“I think this year is going to be a lot different,” said Moeller senior defensive lineman Christian Harris, who is verbally committed to Wake Forest. “Any team we play against, we’re going to run through them. That’s the mindset we got to have.”
There is plenty to accomplish between now and the postseason for the Crusaders. Moeller graduated six offensive linemen and three wide receivers who earned a lot of reps. The defense graduated a lot of players from last season. And yet there are plenty of players ready to step up.
The roster has depth. Like any season, it's a process of building chemistry.
“It’s fun watching our offense because you’ve got young offensive linemen and you want to see how they develop as a group,” Harris said. “This will be their first year starting together so it will be pretty fun to watch them. It will also be pretty fun just watching Matt do what he does and the wide receivers.”
Ponatoski wasn’t able to be with his senior teammates in Canton in July. But, they kept him connected through text messages. The star quarterback doesn’t need a reminder about the recent playoff history.
“I think we know what happened last year, the year before and the year before that,” Ponatoski said. “We’re just trying to get over the hump.”
As the season opener approaches, Moeller is looking forward. But the storied program can’t help but remember it has unfinished business. There was plenty of self-reflection in Stark County in July.
“That was obviously a little bit different this year than in years past,” Moeller football coach Bert Bathiany said. “Because in past years it was this is where we want to go. And this past year, it has some different memories to it. So we made sure that we made everything the exact same from that day. Same locker rooms, same path, same path to the field and tried to recreate those feelings to hold onto them for the rest of the year.”
Ultimately, Moeller knows it is on a mission. The trip to Canton in July was a good way to start a new journey.
It was another reminder to the seniors of why a successful trip to Canton — complete with the program's 10th state title — is the ultimate goal in Week 16.
“When you get in the thick of it and then you get back to it — I think all those emotions kind of come back and you remember where you were during that moment,” Bathiany said. "I always look forward to that trip every single year. But, with this group in particular — this is my third year with them so it was pretty special.”
