The postseason has officially arrived.
For three of the five Saint Ignatius winter sports teams, the playoffs are here. As such, this weekend will be an interesting one as the Wildcats look to start lengthy postseason runs.
Here’s what’s on tap for the Wildcats this weekend.
Basketball
The postseason might not yet be here for the Basketball Cats, but that doesn’t make it a boring weekend. The Wildcats will face two of the top teams in Northeast Ohio in the St. Edward Eagles and the Solon Comets on Friday and Saturday.
Friday’s road matchup will begin at 7:30 p.m., while Saturday’s home contest will start at 7:00 p.m. Saturday also marks Safety Forces Night, which will begin with Mass in St. Mary’s Chapel at 4:00 p.m.
The Basketball Cats enter the weekend with a 12-4 record, hoping to lock up the No. 1 seed in the district with a strong showing this weekend. Matt Davet highlights the Wildcats’ attack with 23.2 points per game, and Colin Goodfellow has also had a hot hand shooting the ball as of late.
Tommy Schmock anchors the Eagles’ offense as one of the team’s top guards. The 6’0” guard highlighted the St. Edward offense in the last matchup, which resulted in a 90-80 overtime win for the Wildcats. In the post, 6’7” Kelvin Calhoun will contend with Davet and Austen Yarian. St. Edward will look to wear down the Wildcats late by utilizing its deep bench. The Eagles enter with a 13-4 record, winners of three straight.
If you can't attend Friday's game, Spectrum Sports (formerly Time Warner Cable Sports Channel) will have a live broadcast on Channel 311. The SIBN will also be broadcasting from Lakewood.
The Comets carry a 13-5 mark into the weekend. Solon narrowly defeated Mentor, 75-73, last Friday. The Comets have another league game on Friday, as Solon will play at Euclid. Michael Bekelja is the focus of the Solon offense, as the sophomore notched 24 points in a win over Strongsville recently. The Comets have a young squad with just one senior and no players taller than 6’1”.
The 14-1 JV Cats will also be in action, playing at St. Edward tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. and hosting Solon on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
If you plan on coming to Sullivan Gym this weekend, please consider donating an old varsity jacket or heavy coat. Saint Ignatius is teaming up with Varsity Coats for Needy Folks to collect jackets and coats for the homeless and needy of Northeast Ohio. A story about the initiative will air at halftime of Friday's Spectrum Sports broadcast.
Hockey
The postseason has just begun for the Wildcats. The Ice Cats started off the 2017 Cleveland Cup with a quarterfinal win over Lake Catholic on Tuesday, 7-0.
Now, the Wildcats will face Holy Name on Friday at OBM Arena at 6:00 p.m. for the right to play for the Great Lakes Hockey League’s Cleveland Cup Championship. That game is slated for 7:00 p.m. at OBM Arena on Saturday.
First, the 21-8-2 Wildcats must take down the 14-4-3 Green Wave. The Ice Cats dispatched Holy Name twice in the regular season, defeating the Namers at home, 6-2, and on the road, 6-1. Holy Name defeated Walsh Jesuit, 5-2, in the quarterfinal game for its first Cleveland Cup win in the tournament’s four-year history. The Green Wave have won five of their eight games.
After the Cleveland Cup, the Wildcats will begin OHSAA Tournament play. After receiving the No. 1 seed, the Ice Cats will be idle in the first round before playing the winner of Normandy/Brecksville in the second round on Saturday, February 18 at noon. All Brooklyn district games will be at John M. Coyne Recreation Center in Brooklyn.
Wrestling
The Saint Ignatius wrestling program will gather to celebrate its nine seniors on Friday evening in Sullivan Gym. On a special Senior and Alumni Night, the Mat Cats will host Medina Highland at 7:00 p.m.
First, however, the Wildcats have a tri-meet tonight at Lake Catholic against the Cougars and Mansfield at 7:00 p.m.
The Mat Cats currently hold 10-2 record following wins over Bedford and CVCA last weekend. Quade Rasmussen earned Student-Athlete of the Week honors for his two second period wins last Friday and his 9-3 win over his St. Edward foe last Wednesday.
The nine seniors will be celebrated on Friday, but in the meantime, congratulations to Jimmy Andrews, Andrew Benisek, Phu Duong, Matthew French, Tommy Gallagher, Joe Gibbons, Cal Miller, Quade Rasmussen, and Kaden Russell on exceptional careers at Wildcat High.
Swimming & Diving
The start of the OHSAA Tournament is already upon the Saint Ignatius swimming & diving team. Following a quick taper period, the Wildcats are ready for Sectionals.
Sectionals are slated for this Saturday at Cleveland State University’s Robert Busbey Natatorium. The Wildcats will be one of 18 teams competing for the right to move on to Districts.
Veterans Marcus Hong, Joey Libertin, and Dimitri Simcox will lead the seasoned Saint Ignatius swimmers and divers. The senior trio will look to guide the Wildcats’ young swimmers to a top-three finish at States, which will require a disciplined effort in Sectionals and then Districts.
Bowling
The Alley Cats look to set the stage for an OHSAA Tournament run with a solid showing at the Great Cleveland Interscholastic Bowling League Tournament this weekend.
The Wildcats’ keglers have formed a tightknit bond. The squad of Nick Frank, Anthony Doran, Vinny Doran, Devin Venczel, and Joe Johnson has proven to be lethal in tournament play, and will look to place Saint Ignatius bowling on the state map by finishing well in GCIBL and starting strong in the OHSAA Tournament.
Best of luck to all of the Saint Ignatius teams in competition this weekend.