Neumann Goretti football star Shawn Battle knows how to win — and it shows on the court

Just a few months removed from making a state-title run with his Neumann Goretti football team, Shawn Battle is helping the Saints’ basketball team make a similar run.

On the football field, the 5-foot-11 Battle is defensive back who stepped in as an instant starter as a freshman. Since then, he hasn’t backed down from his role as the team’s lockdown defender and has become the Saints’ engine, leading with a quiet confidence. On the basketball court, Battle is a rotation player who serves as a pass-first guard.

The key to Battle’s success in both sports, as well as his leadership ability? The junior approaches both sports with an underdog mentality.

“I like always having a chip on my shoulder,” Battle said. “I’ve just been like that ever since I started playing sports, so I’m used to it.”

Battle’s football career has prevented him from dedicating the same amount of time to basketball as other players on the Saints’ roster. But he has still become a key contributor for a Neumann Goretti program that captured the 2022 Philadelphia Catholic League championship and won its first two games in the PIAA Class 4A playoffs. The Saints’ next state playoff matchup will come against Bethlehem Catholic in Tuesday’s state quarterfinals.

“He’s really good for our team,” Neumann Goretti coach Carl Arrigale said. “He’s tough; he’s a good extra ballhandler. He’s a tough defender. So, he definitely has been a big part of what we’ve done, especially the last two years.

“When I get him to play at a good pace, he really puts pressure on these defenses … His best asset, besides his toughness and defense, is [that] he’s a very good passer. He’s got really good instincts.”

While Battle has been an important part of Neumann Goretti’s basketball success, perhaps his biggest impact at the school has come on the football field.

In December, when the Saints’ football team entered its PIAA Class 3A state semifinal matchup against Wyomissing, it was missing seven starters, leaving it vulnerable in several areas. Coach Al Crosby needed someone to step up and be an on-field leader who could keep the team locked-in despite the tough circumstances.

Battle “was huge for us,” Crosby said. “Going into that state semifinals game, we were down seven starters, and to have him take that lead for us … he led offensively and defensively. It was a game that we came up short in, but it wasn’t because he wasn’t leading. He led us in so many ways that day.”

Battle’s leadership didn’t come as a surprise to Crosby, with the longtime football coach having first seen Battle play when he was still playing youth football. It was in those early games that Crosby got a sense of the type of approach that Battle takes to sports.

“I just think he knows how to win,” Crosby said. “He just believes. I think every time he hits the field or court, he believes that he’s going to win [and] that he’s one of the top players on the field at all times. I just think that comes with the quiet confidence.”

Although football has always been Battle’s first priority, basketball has always been a part of his offseason plans at Neumann Goretti. Yet, this year has added an extra wrinkle. Battle’s performance on the football field has helped him emerge as a blue-chip recruit. The junior is currently rated as the No. 11 player in Pennsylvania in the class of 2023 and has drawn offers from a host of Power 5 schools, including Penn State, Oregon, Nebraska, and Texas A&M.

As a result, Battle is beginning to take official visits as he makes his way into the heart of his recruiting process. After the pandemic prevented recruits from taking in-person visits, Battle has welcomed the chance to get face time with coaches.

“[I’ve enjoyed] being around the team and just building up a relationship with the coaches because I don’t want to be at a school that I’m uncomfortable with,” Battle said. “I want to be able to bond with the coaches.”

Battle has already taken several unofficial visits, and earlier this month, the three-star recruit visited Nebraska. He also recently announced on Twitter that he will be taking one of his official visits to Florida A&M, a historically Black college and university. In recent months, several big-time recruits have chosen to attend HBCUs instead of Power 5 schools. Early in his recruitment, Battle is also exploring whether an HBCU might be a good fit.

“Since [Florida A&M] is a HBCU, I want to see how they bond with the team and see the campus,” Battle said.

Although Battle’s recruiting obligations have forced him to miss an occasional practice, his commitment to the basketball team and his focus on its goals haven’t wavered. After capturing a PCL title in both football and basketball, and after coming up short of a state title in football, Battle is eager to end this basketball season with a win in Hershey.

“I’ve been with my [basketball team] since freshman year, too,” Battle said. “So, just getting a state championship with my friends before I leave would be good.”