South Bend Saint Joseph football continues to grow under Ben Downey

SOUTH BEND — Last year was familiar, but different for Ben Downey.

After coaching South Bend Saint Joseph football from 2010-2015, Downey returned to the sidelines following a seven-year hiatus. Inevitably, there were growing pains, as demonstrated by St. Joe’s 4-7 record.

“I took a number of years off, and the world keeps spinning,” Downey said. “There was plenty that I needed to catch up on. I needed to refresh myself on what was currently going on in the sport of football. I paid attention as a fan, but I wasn’t paying attention to the details like a head coach has to. … I also had to adjust to how players are a little bit different than the last time I coached.”

While it was a fourth-straight sub-.500 season for Saint Joseph, things started getting better near the end of the season. After a four-game losing streak that saw them score a combined 14 points, they won the ‘Holy War’ over Mishawaka Marian in the regular season finale, then knocked off Plymouth in a Class 4A, Sectional 18 opening contest.

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“We did start playing a little bit of cleaner football near the end of the year,” Downey said. “I think we just have to give credit to the seniors for that. They were being asked to do new things, schematically, and being asked to have a program run in a different manner. There was an adjustment period, and thankfully, once we got to the end of the year, they were welcoming those changes.”

While there are some solid players returning for Saint Joe, they also have plenty of new faces that will have to step up. Almost all of the key defensive players for St. Joseph were seniors last year, including the top seven players in total tackles.

Here’s some more info on the 2023 St. Joseph football team.

A dual-threat quarterback, Ortiz threw for 962 yards and seven touchdowns and rushed for 314 yards and six scores in 2022. He’ll have to continue to be a dynamic player if St. Joseph is going to contend for an NIC or sectional championship.

Miller is the top pass catcher returning for Saint Joseph, hauling in 13 receptions for 240 yards and a touchdown last season. He was used as a running back as well, carrying the ball 20 times for 152 yards and two touchdowns. Miller is expected be a big part of the secondary for St. Joe this year, too, after he recorded 22 tackles and eight pass deflections a season ago.

Saint Joseph used multiple running backs throughout the season last year. Langager was one of them, carrying it 40 times for 133 yards and two touchdowns. He’ll be one of the players looked at to help Ortiz in the running game.

“We have a number of guys we’re excited about at the running back position,” Downey said. “They’re all underclassmen, so we’ll just wait and see who steps up at that particular position.”

Daeh McCullough, cornerback: The son of Notre Dame running backs coach Deland McCullough, Daeh played his senior season for Saint Joseph after previously being at Bloomington South High School. One of the top cornerback prospects in the country, Daeh is now with his brother, Dasan, at the University of Oklahoma.

Jack Aranowski, linebacker: Aranowski led the team in 2022 with 56 tackles, 12 of which were for loss. He also had three sacks, forced two fumbles and had an interception.

Gavin Sparke, wide receiver: Sparke was Ortiz’s favorite target last year. In his senior season, Sparke totaled 22 receptions for 278 yards and two touchdowns.

On St. Joseph’s biggest challenge: “Just being mentally and physically tough against a schedule that is extremely challenging, and against a sectional that is just loaded with solid programs,” Downey said.

On St. Joseph’s key to success: “Doing everything in our power to find competitive advantages,” Downey said. “And then again, just being mentally and physically tough to handle the grind of football against good, well-coached teams.”

Aug. 18 vs. Lakeland, 7 p.m.

Aug. 25 at Fort Wayne South, 7

Sept. 1 vs. South Bend Washington, 7

Sept. 8 at South Bend Adams, 7

Sept. 15 vs. New Prairie, 7:30

Sept. 22 at Elkhart, 7

Sept. 29 at Penn, 7

Oct. 6 vs. Culver Academy, 7:30

Oct. 13 vs. Mishawaka Marian, 7