A New Beginning for Moeller Football
“Who will Moeller bring in to fill Coach Elder’s shoes?”
That question had been on the minds of many within the Moeller community, returning football players in particular, but on March 6th, the answer came.
Moeller hired Bert Bathiany, former Lexington Catholic Head Coach and Tiffin University Defensive Coordinator. Bathiany led the varsity team of Lexington Catholic to its first 10-win season since 2015. He has coached fifteen years at various levels of multiple football programs. His experience with both collegiate and high school programs could really set the Crusaders up for success in the coming seasons.
The Crusaders are coming off a 13-2 season after a heartbreaking loss to Springfield in the OHSAA state semifinal playoffs. Bathiany looks to bring a bit of grit, toughness, and intelligence to the Moeller Family.
Upcoming seniors are looking forward to getting to work with Bathiany, beginning in the off-season. Junior Tight End Eli Jacon-Duffy said, “I’m excited to see how this unfolds. It’s just adding another piece to our puzzle, and I think it was the right choice for our team.” Coach Bathiany has shown continuous love for the Moeller community since being hired on March 6th. The community, in turn, is excited to see how next season plays out for the Crusaders and hope for success on their new journey.
Bathiany replaces Coach Mark Elder, who spent a three year tenure as Moeller’s head coach. Elder turned the program around after two previous seasons when the Crusaders went 13-20. Coach Elder flipped that around quickly and went 27-12 in his next three seasons as head coach. Senior Mitchell McNulty said, “Elder made us better football players, as you could see our play on the field, but he also made us better people as well. Being able to connect life with football helped us as a team.”
The Moeller community has high hopes for the future of the football program.
“Who will Moeller bring in to fill Coach Elders shoes?” That was the talk of February as everyone was curious on what Moeller would do. The conclusion came to hire former Lexington Catholic Head coach and Tiffin defensive coordinator Bert Bathiany. He led the varsity team of Lexington Catholic to its first 10-win season since 2015. He has coached 15 years at various levels of football programs. Being able to use the college outlook and various seasons of coaching that Coach Bathiany has, I feel like the Crusaders will be built for success in the upcoming season. The Crusaders are coming off a 13-2 season after a heartbreaking loss vs. Springfield in the OHSAA state semifinal playoffs. Bathiany looks to bring the little pieces of grit, toughness, and intelligence to this Moeller Family. I asked the upcoming seniors about what they thought of Coach Bathiany and how he will play a huge role in their success on upcoming seasons. Junior Tight End Eli Jacon-Duffy said “I’m excited to see how this unfolds. It’s just adding another piece to our puzzle, and I think it was the right choice for us.” Coach Bathiany has been showed continuous love from the Moeller community ever since being hired on March 6th. I am excited to see how this next season plays out for the Crusaders and hope for success on their new journey.