ERLANGER, Kentucky – The St. Henry District High School community will not soon forget the significance of the football program’s successful debut Monday night.

St. Henry defeated Dayton 26-0 in a junior varsity game to open the Crusaders’ season. This also marked the official start of the school’s competitive football schedule. The school plans to field its own team in 2025.

“What a fantastic night for the St. Henry community,” said St. Henry’s Athletic Director Jim Demler. “We couldn’t have asked for a better start to our football program. It was simply outstanding!”

After a scoreless first quarter, St. Henry scored its first touchdown in program history when senior Gavin Armbruster ran 18 yards into the end zone. Cody Crowder kicked the extra point to give the Crusaders a 7-0 lead with 7:06 left in the second quarter.

Less than five minutes later, St. Henry scored and took a 13-0 lead. Quarterback Michael Chiasson found Brennan Lemmond and played a 12-yard touchdown pass.

St. Henry began the second half with an explosive climax when Parker Richmond returned the kickoff 70 yards. Ryne Ravenscraft scored an 18-yard touchdown to give St. Henry a 19-0 lead with 7:29 left in the third quarter.

Armbruster scored his second touchdown of the night, this time on a 7-yard run, to give St. Henry a 26-0 lead with 2:17 left in the third quarter.

That was all St. Henry needed to earn its first win. Monday night marked another chapter in the program’s inaugural season as a junior team. More than 50 student-athletes are in the program, and Monday’s game was met with great anticipation.

“We’re super excited and our community is super excited,” Demler said Monday afternoon. “This has been a long time coming. The community has been great at supporting us. We can’t wait to get started. We can’t wait for high school football to get started.”

Demler praised head coach Tim Odom, saying he has been “great” for the team. Odom, a longtime Cincinnati-area high school coach and former Ohio State and Moeller player, was officially named coach last December.

St. Henry’s junior team is scheduled to play at Bishop Brossart on Saturday at 10 a.m. St. Henry’s freshman team will host Dixie Heights on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

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