It’s a trivia question John Rodenberg can’t answer, even though he might soon be the answer.
Or at least part of it.
With the thousands of high school football coaches who have occupied sidelines over the generations in the United States, there may not be any who have led teams to a championship in three different states.
Rodenberg, 56, the first-year Roncalli coach, can add Indiana to his résumé on Friday when his squad plays Hobart in the Class 4A title contest at Lucas Oil Stadium. He previously guided Covington Catholic to Kentucky’s 3A championship in 2006 and Cincinnati Moeller to Division I crowns in Ohio in 2012 and 2013.
Impressive credentials for the Cincinnati native, a fullback for LaSalle High School in the early 1980s and later an outside linebacker at Capital University, a Division III school in the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio.
“You’ve always got to be surprised you’re in a state championship game, but I knew this team was very well coached before I got there,” Rodenberg said. “It’s not a normal circumstance of a guy taking over a team that’s in this shape. I was just so appreciative of the buy-in factor from the players because they were willing to do the things I asked them to do.”
The career bridge between Moeller and Roncalli was the two seasons Rodenberg was head coach at Lawrence Central. The Bears posted a 4-7 mark his first year and sputtered to a 2-8 record in 2019, both times finishing in the bottom half of the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference standings.
Rodenberg doesn’t regret his decision to leave his hometown, but the MIC just turned out to be not quite the right fit for him.
“It was something where I was in a situation where my kids are out of the house, and my wife and I decided we really didn’t need to live in Cincinnati anymore,” he said. “I was looking for something really competitive. I knew about the MIC conference, so I knew it was the equivalent of the GCL (Greater Catholic League) where I came from.
“I wanted to give it a shot, and basically what I realized it was something I wasn’t used to. I had been in Catholic schools my entire life. Things work differently. Not good or bad, just differently. I just came to the conclusion that I wasn’t a good fit (at LC).”
In January, Roncalli coach Scott Marsh, a Kentucky native, announced he was leaving to take a head coaching job just outside of Lexington. That left the door open for Rodenberg to return to his parochial comfort zone.
He was named the ninth head coach in Roncalli history the following month.
“When we got him, we were excited about it because we knew his history,” Roncalli senior tailback Baron Huebler said. “We bought into him and he’s a great, great coach. He’s a big conditioning guy who wants high intensity every practice.”
Roncalli lost in Week 2 to 3A state finalist Chatard, 28-7, but regrouped to score a win at Columbus North before shutting out Guerin Catholic and notching a thrilling 49-45 victory at West Lafayette Harrison.
Rodenberg’s club has since gone on to win its last seven games by an average of 32.5 points.
Tradition means expectation. Rodenberg understands this and thrives in such an environment. A win Friday would make him the fourth Roncalli coach to win a state title, following Bill Kuntz (1985), Bill Sylvester (1988) and career wins leader Bruce Scifres (1993-94, 1999, 2002-04 and 2016).
“Roncalli really reminded me of Cov Cath and Moeller just with that tradition,” Rodenberg said. “I know the expectations. I know the pressure. Extreme pressure. I’m used to it. I knew the lay of the land, so I was comfortable walking into Roncalli.
“I’ve been in a position to be at schools with a lot of tradition. There are reasons why you get to the state championship. You’ve got great administrations, you’ve got administrations with tradition and I’ve just happened to be at three schools that all have that.”
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Friday
State finals
At Lucas Oil Stadium
Class 6A
Westfield (12-1) vs. Center Grove (13-0), 7 p.m.
Class 4A
Hobart (11-2) vs. Roncalli (12-1), 3 p.m.
Tickets: $15; check with Center Grove or Roncalli athletic departments about availability
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