Adam Smith photos.

Xavier HS defeated St. Joseph's Prep in a season opener for both well-regarded high school teams.

"It was a sloppy but solid win," said Xavier coach Joe Sweeney. "We've got a very young team, with only one returning starter from last year's team in the lineup."

Sweeney said the Xavier team is raw, but has some time to put things together.

"It's a talented and focused squad," Sweeney added. Xavier will take on club #2 Fort Hunt next week.

"It will be a real baptism of fire for our young guys," said Sweeney. "We're excited about taking on a tough challenge so early in our season."

"This was our rust-shaker for the season and we approached it rather unconventionally," said Xavier Head Coach Greg Norris, who actually left the coaching to Sweeney and Dom DeFalco while he was away on paternity leave.

Xavier's 2nds also beat the St. Joe's 2nds 78-5.

"St Joes were a lot more physical than in past years and certainly put a lot of pressure on us at the breakdown," said Norris.

Xavier's center pairing of Steve Hoey and Tom Treussard had solid games, while Norris said the forwards played hard but were "a little disorganized."