CINCINNATI -- St. Xavier football coach Steve Specht, who led the Bombers to a historic state championship last month, was named the Cincinnati Bengals High School Coach of the Year on Sunday.
It sets him up for another possible Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year award, which he won in February 2013.
Specht coached St. X to the Division I state title in a double overtime thriller against heavy favorite Cleveland St. Ignatius last month. It was just the second double overtime game in Division I state football finals history and the first since Hilliard Davidson defeated Mentor in 2006.
St. X (10-5) became the first five-loss team to win a state football championship in Ohio after a season filled with ups, downs and plenty of injuries.
As the High School Coach of the Year Award winner, Specht receives a $2,000 donation for the St. X football program from the Bengals. He's one of 32 coaches nominated for the Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year award. The winner receives $10,000, and his high school football program is awarded $15,000. The second finalist will receive $5,000, and his high school football program will receive $10,000. Both finalists will receive all-expenses-paid trips to the 2017 Pro Bowl and Super Bowl LI in Houston.
The Bengals picked 10 other Greater Cincinnati coaches as High School Coach of the Week recipients; they'll get $1,000 grants for their schools' football programs:
- Tom Bolden, Colerain High School
- Scott Dattilo, Sycamore High School
- Eddie Eviston, Covington Catholic High School
- Mark Mueller, Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy
- Rob Stoll, Turpin High School
- Josh Stratton, New Richmond High School
- Dan Wagner, Newport Central Catholic High School
- Bruce Kozerski, Holy Cross High School
- Noel Rash, Beechwood High School
- Jim Hilvert, LaSalle High School
WCPO.com's Mike Dyer contributed to this report.
