The Saint Ignatius campus will be quiet this weekend.
Each of the Wildcats' five winter sports teams will compete off-campus this weekend, traveling various lengths to face their foes.
Here's a preview of what's in store for the Wildcats this weekend.
Basketball
After playing two of the toughest opponents in Ohio last weekend. the Basketball Cats receive a little break this weekend. Instead of playing two games this weekend, the basketball squad will play one.
The men of Brian Becker '77 will face Cleveland Central Catholic on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The JV game will begin beforehand at 6:00 p.m.
Entering the second half of the season, the Wildcats stand at 8-4 overall, with 10 games remaining on the schedule.
The Cleveland Central Catholic Ironmen carry a 6-4 record into the showdown. The Ironmen have played tough competition, such as St. Vincent-St. Mary, Benedictine, and Villa Angela St. Joseph (VASJ). The Ironmen are coming off of an 85-53 win over Trinity last weekend, and will first play St. Thomas Aquinas on Friday before facing the Wildcats on Saturday.
Ranked No. 22 in Cleveland.com’s Top 25 poll, the Ironmen are led by Miryne Thomas, who scored an impressive 27 points and notched 13 rebounds against Shaker Heights earlier this month.
The Freshman Blue squad will also face Cleveland Central Catholic on Saturday at 10 a.m., and the Freshman Gold team will host Akron Buchtel on Saturday at noon.
The SIBN will have coverage of both the varsity and JV contests.
Hockey
For the second straight weekend, the Ice Cats face a three-game slate.
The action begins on Friday for the Ice Cats with a showdown with Padua at OBM Arena at 7 p.m. The Wildcats will then face University School on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Cleveland Heights. Wrapping up the weekend is a matchup with Gilmour Academy on Sunday at noon.
The Ice Cats enter the weekend stretch with a 16-5 record after notching a 2-1 record at the National Jesuit Cup last weekend. Connor Koehnke has thrived for the Wildcats, scoring four goals against Gonzaga (DC) and showing his stuff as a team captain. Sophomore Benny Savarino has also thrived in net, shutting down opponents with his quickness in net.
All three contests this weekend are Great Lakes Hockey League games, as the Ice Cats will look to keep their 35-game GLHL unbeaten streak alive.
Padua enters the weekend with a 7-15-3 record, 1-4-1 in GLHL play. The Bruins defeated Kenston and Rocky River in the Cleveland Jesuit Classic before dropping contests to Culver (IN) and Shaker Heights. University School boasts a 20-7-1 record, the winners of six in a row after sweeping the Mark Rasmus Memorial Invitational. The Wildcats won the previous showdown with the Preppers this season, 3-2. Finally, Gilmour carries a 2-21-1 record into the weekend. The Lancers traveled to Canada last weekend, claiming one win over Kiski School, 3-2.
Wrestling
A tri-match awaits the Mat Cats this weekend, as the Varsity Gold wrestling squad will face two fellow Jesuit schools in Saint John’s Jesuit and Walsh Jesuit. The Warriors will host the meet, which begins at 5 p.m.
Last weekend, Mark Sullivan’s men claimed third at the National Catholic Invitational in Columbus. DJ Huff and Kaden Russell each captured titles at the event, held in Columbus. Freshman Najee Lockett returned to the mat after an injury ended his football season and kept him out until now. Lockett took fifth at 152 pounds at the CIT.
The Wildcats have a 4-1 in dual meets this season, most recently claiming wins over Padua and Archbishop at home two weekends ago.
The Varsity Blue team will also have a busy weekend. The Wildcats will face Chagrin Falls & Chardon on Friday at 6 p.m., after a showdown with Benedictine & VASJ this evening at 5 p.m.
Follow @SIHSwrestling on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates on the Mat Cats this weekend.
Swimming & Diving
The Saint Ignatius swimming and diving squad will pack its bags and head south for Loyola, Maryland on Saturday and Sunday. The Aqua Cats will take part in the National Catholic Championships this weekend.
Guided by student-athlete of the week Marcus Hong and the Aqua Cats’ strong relay teams, the Wildcats will make their lengthiest roadtrip of the year. First, though, the Wildcats must face Shaker Heights tonight.
The Aqua Cats enter the home stretch of the season with some momentum. The 200 and 400 freestlye relay teams have performed particularly well, as the two squads notched second place finishes at the NE Classic in Canton last week. The two relay teams are also currently ranked third in the state.
Bowling
A critical conference matchup is in store for the Saint Ignatius bowling team this weekend. The Alley Cats will face Garfield Heights in a Greater Cleveland Interscholastic Bowling League contest, pitting two of the top teams in the conference.
The Alley Cats and the Bulldogs met to open the season, which ended in mixed results for Saint Ignatius. The Wildcats dropped the OHSAA point, 3-1, and the baker games, 4-1. On the flipside, the Alley Cats won the scratch and handicap games, 5-2 and 5-2.
Overall on the year, the Wildcats have a 5-2 OHSAA record and have strengthened as a team since the opening week of the season. Vinny Doran, Joe Johnson, Nick Frank, Devin Vinczel, and Anthony Doran have become a formidable team, developing a comfort and ease on the lane.
After Saturday’s contest, the Wildcats will travel to Mount Vernon, Ohio for the Highland Classic. The tournament will be a great preparation for the Alley Cats for the postseason, which is rapidly approaching.
Best of luck to all five of the Wildcats’ teams in action this weekend.