The stat line from the September 20 game between Clarksburg Notre Dame and Bishop Donahue played in McMechen didn’t seem all that unusual for anyone that’s followed the Fighting Irish for the last four years. Not only did NDHS get a much-needed 30-29 win, but under the rushing totals was a familiar name with some pretty familiar numbers.

 

The final line read: Santino Cava, 30 carries for 236 yards with four touchdowns. The scoring runs were from20 yards, 70 yards, 30 yards and he managed to squeeze one in from a yard out.

 

While some may find my description of those numbers as familiar a stretch, trust me. It's not a stretch.

 

Cava, who his father Danny said has lived most of his life right here in Bridgeport, has been posting numbers like that for four seasons now. No matter if it’s a Class AA power from another state, teams like Grafton and Liberty locally or even perennial power Wheeling Central, Cava has made a habit of running through, over and occasionally around the opposition.

 

Did I mention he’s the all-time leading rusher in Harrison County history? Prior to Friday’s game at River View (Ohio), Cava had managed to eclipse a mark that I actually watched get established by former West Virginia University signee and Lincoln all-stater Danny Pratt.

 

Cava’s totals two games ago left him with 4,283 career rushing yards, which were 21 more than the 4,262 set by Pratt during the Frank Lopez years at Lincoln. Unlike Pratt, who was a towering 6’3, Cava is a compact wrecking ball listed on the official WVSSAC roster at 5’8 and 190 pounds.

 

While many of you may know the name from broadcasts on local television, newspapers or social media sites, there are plenty that remember him from his time of playing football right here in Bridgeport. While Cava’s parents Danny and Machelle are lifelong products of Harrison County’s Catholic School System, Santino spent the first part of his educational career here in the Bridgeport school system.

 

In fact, Cava attended Johnson Elementary and was at Bridgeport Middle School up until the start of his eighth grade year. Then, he began his time at Notre Dame.

 

Did he play football during that time? He absolutely did and he credits two people for putting his roots firmly into a solid foundation of football play – Jeff and Brett Hathaway.

 

“I played Pop Warner and, honestly, (Jeff and Brett) were the foundation of my game. B.R. and Jeff were so helpful in developing me as a player and we had a lot of fun at the same time,” said Cava. “They were the ones that taught me how to run with the ball.”

 

The numbers indicate it was a lesson learned. More important to Cava, the same fun he had then he’s having now.

 

“What I remember the most during the years that I played was that we had some teams with just 12 kids; I think the most we ever had was about 16 kids. Even with that, we won championships,” said Cava. “That made it a lot of fun, but the whole experience was good for everyone.”

 

Unfortunately, Cava never suited up for BMS. He played Pop Warner until he transferred. In his first year with the Fighting Irish’s middle school program, they went 6-2.

 

“That first year was pretty good, but we didn’t get to play for the (Harrison) County championship since we didn’t play enough games against county schools,” said Cava. “Still, that first year was good for me and got me involved with Notre Dame.”
 

While Cava was setting up a new social circle, he didn’t forget his old one in Bridgeport. In fact, he’s still involved with the guys he played with and the friends he went to school with in Bridgeport to this day.

 

“I know all the guys on the team,” said Cava. “I’m close with all of them and have a lot of good friends at Bridgeport.”

 

Of course, that begs the question: Does Cava ever wonder what it would have been like to put on the red and white of BHS?

 

“I think about it sometimes and that’s not a problem, but there’s nothing that would change my mind about coming to Notre Dame,” Cava said. “It’s been a great four years. I’ve got a lot of things, personally, that the school, my teammates and the coaches have done that have helped me personally in my development on many fronts. I have zero regrets about coming here and I wouldn't change a thing.”

 

The development started his freshman year. He was playing – and starting – on a team that had just four seniors. And he said those guys, much like the Hathaways, played a big part in who he is today as a student-athlete.

 

“They helped me through everything. I learned a lot from those guys,” said Cava. “ … All of those seniors were good players, but they played with heart and that’s what I try to do. I think that can make all the difference in the world.”

 

It certainly has made the difference in one of the county’s most prized records. While Cava knew it was there, he said he was more focused on getting the against Bishop Donahue than the record.

 

“My dad came over and told me during the fourth quarter that I broke it. Sure, it was nice to hear it, but I was really focusing on trying to win because we were in a battle,” said Cava. “You know, after the season it will be nice to talk about, but right now the concern is winning games and trying to get to the postseason. That’s the concern for me, the guys doing all the blocking for me, the coaches and everyone that’s playing.”

 

While the future and the postseason is uncertain, Cava’s future in football beyond high school is also uncertain. Right now, he’s playing it by ear.

 

“Honestly, I’m keeping my options open. I don’t know if it will happen, but I do think I would miss it too much so I’m just going to wait and see how things go,” said Cava. “The most important thing is getting an education.”

 

Right now, Cava said he’s gotten letters from some Ivy League schools. Of course, that means he’s probably doing pretty good in the classroom.  Okay, so he’s actually doing incredible in the classroom.

 

Last year, he had – get this – a 4.6 grade point average.

 

How is that even possible?

 

“I took AP classes. I think I’d like to get into accounting or finance; something like that so I need to keep my grades up. That’s just as important as the yardage,” said Cava.

 

Indeed it is. Records aside, the grades prove that brains and brawn are a great match on any athletic field.

 

Editor's Note: Photos of Santino Cava courtesy of John Wickline of Connect-Clarksburg.