The 2017 Varsity Football Wildcats, who exuded a team-first approach from the first day of practice back in June and throughout their 28th OHSAA playoff run in November, celebrated their "Brotherhood" on Sunday in The Breen Center for the Performing Arts
Grant Abbott (pictured) and Tommy Eichenberg were named captains for 2018.
By Eddie Dwyer
Ohio City - Not even a cold, gray day in Cleveland could come close to dampening what was a warm and joyful celebration of the annual Varsity Football Awards on Sunday afternoon in the Breen Center's Hummer Theater.
Saint Ignatius' 2017 Men of the Gridiron, with their coaches, parents, other family members and friends applauding their "Men for Others" approach, closed the final chapter on what was another storied fall in the Wildcats' rich football history.
After the introduction and invocation by Saint Ignatius' outstanding Athletic Director Mr. Rory Fitzpatrick '88, the Wildcats' Football Family was treated to another brilliant and memorable season highlight video by Saint Ignatius graduate Mr. Jack Corrigan '70, the radio voice of Major League Baseball's Colorado Rockies. Mr. Fitzpatrick and Saint Ignatius' gifted Communications Coordinator for Athletics, Mr. Joe Ginley '12, assisted in the video production.
Titled "A Story of Brotherhood," Jack's masterpiece not only gave game by game highlights and the crucial turning points of those games, but truly captured the personality of a close-knit team that compiled a 9-1 regular season record against a who's who schedule and advanced to the OHSAA Division I playoffs for a remarkable 28th time since 1988.
The record 11-time Division I State Champions and three-time National Champions of Hall of Fame Head Coach Mr. Chuck Kyle '69 would finish their 2017 run with an 11-2 mark after a dramatic two-point setback to the Mentor Cardinals in the Region 1 championship game at Bedford Bearcat Stadium. Saint Ignatius and Mentor have developed one of the finest, even not the finest, Catholic School versus Public School football rivalries in the nation.
Sunday's celebration was highlighted by the annual Awards Presentations to the 2017 Varsity Wildcats by Coach Kyle and his staff. With the exception of the traditional Coaches Cup, all of the awards were voted on by the players.
For the second consecutive season, senior linebacker Andrew Boldy was selected by his peers as the Most Valuable Scout Team Defensive Player and the Most Valuable Scout Team Offensive Player award went to senior wide receiver/tight end Alex Schum.
The Special Teams MVP honor went to the premier kicker in Ohio, senior Matthew Trickett.
Matt tied the school record for the longest field goal, set by Tim Shenk in 2011, by booming a 55-yard field goal in The Pit at Cincinnati Elder in Week 5 and came back two weeks later and sent home a Wildcats-best 59-yard field goal versus Canton GlenOak at Byers Field in Parma's Robert M. Boulton Stadium. On the season, Matt also produced four field goals of 40 yards or more, including a 48-yard effort at Archbishop Hoban on opening night.
Matt, a first-team All-Northeast Lakes District selection, an All-Area selection by cleveland.com and an Honorable Mention All-Ohio pick, kicked off 78 times for a total of 4,606 yards and 57 touchbacks. He punted 41 times for 1,531 yards, with a long of 61 yards and two others of 50-plus yards. His punts produced 16 fair catches and three touchbacks, and nine of them went inside the 20-yard line.
Garnering the Wildcats' Bigger, Faster and Stronger Award was All-Ohio, All-Northeast Lakes District and All-Seven-County Area senior linebacker Logan Joyce.
Junior tailback Jahadge "Bo" Floyd, who came to the fore when the injury bug bit the 'Cats and helped lead another charge to the postseason, received the 2017 Most Valuable Running Back Award.
Senior Captain Jack Jamieson, a three-year starter and a perennial All-Ohio, All-District and All-Seven County Area honoree, was again the 'Cats' MVP along the Offensive Line and senior nose tackle Aidan Gill, the pride of Our Lady of Angels in West Park, was the players' pick as Saint Ignatius' MVP along the defensive front.
Senior Cameron Toppin received MVP Honors as the glue in the Wildcats' Defensive Secondary. A two-year starter and a first team All-Ohio, All-Northeast Lakes District and All-Seven County Area selection this past fall, Cam was one of the top shutdown corners in the Buckeye State for the past two seasons.
Saint Ignatius senior Sammy Snyder, an All-Ohio, All-Northeast Lakes District and All-Seven-County Area honoree, was a well-deserved recipient of Saint Ignatius' Most Valuable Wide Receiver award, and senior wide receiver/defensive back Max Pike earned a large applause after being chosen as the 'Cats' Most Improved Player for 2017.
Junior Tommy Eichenberg, one of the premier linebackers not only in the seven-county area, but also the entire state, took home the 'Cats' Most Valuable Linebacker Award and Tommy was also the pick by his peers as Saint Ignatius' overall Most Valuable Player. Described as a disruptive force by more than one area coach, and a few down state as well, Tommy led the 'Cats in total tackles, tackles for losses and sacks.
Saint Ignatius also paid tribute to its Captains for 2017, Jamieson, senior wide receiver and Holy Cross recruit Connor Kennedy, standout senior safety and Penn recruit Justin Sands, and two-year fixture at tailback, senior Mark Bobinski.
As is a season-ending tradition, it was announced that Tommy Eichenberg and junior two-way lineman Grant Abbott will serve as two of the Wildcats' four Captains for 2018. Two more Captains will be announced during the preseason workouts/summer practices. Congrats from this corner to Tommy and Grant and to all of the 'Cats' first, second and third year Award Winners!
THE PRESTIGIOUS COACHES CUP couldn't have been presented to a more exceptional young man, Wildcats senior linebacker Jonathan Ockunzzi.
Coach Kyle, who has awarded the Coaches Cup to some of the finest athletes in Wildcats history, said Jonathan's influence on the younger players and the example he set as a "Man for Others" were invaluable.
This corner will always remember the privilege of having the opportunity to do a little story on Jonathan for the lead to one of the summer camp notebooks. The class and character were obvious two minutes into the interview. Congratulations to Jonathan, his family, Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Coach Mr. Ryan Franzinger '02 and the entire Linebacker Legion for 2017.
A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS also went out to the best of the best Head Athletic Trainer in these United States, Mr. Hank Gaughan, ATC, Hank's outstanding Assistant Athletic Trainer Maureen "Mo" Sizemore, Saint Ignatius' brilliant Director of Strength and Conditioning, Mr. Anthony Rubino, and the tireless work of Equipment Manager Tim Malik.
Hank and "Mo" recognized the heart and soul behind the scenes, Student Managers Michael Gallipoli, Declan McCarthy, Ryan Paul, Luke Van de Walle and Elias Yazbeck, and 2017 Student Trainer Aid Nate Sommerfeld. Nate is currently a key rotation man for the Wildcats' 8-1 Junior Varsity Basketball Team.
In closing, this old gridiron grinder would like to thank the Saint Ignatius Broadcast Network, headed by "The Dean," senior Matt MacKenzie, for its continued great work, make a small editorial and keep a promise to a devoted fan who, on my way to my car Sunday night, asked if I would post a little bio on Jack Corrigan.
You will have to excuse this corner, who has been following area high school football in the Cleveland area since the late 1950s at then legendary West Tech High School Field and reporting on it for nearly five decades now, but Tommy Eichenberg not making the All-Ohio team as, at the very least, an Honorable Mention, and not even earning an HM spot by cleveland.com on its all-area team is mind-boggling. One member of Saint Ignatius' Coaching Staff said it must have been "fake news."
Okay, that's done, now here is the bio on Jack and his brilliant career. It is a bio that was posted by the Rockies prior to the start of last season. Have a wonderful week from the soon to be a great 68 later this week.
JACK CORRIGAN - RADIO ANNOUNCER - KOA
Jack Corrigan celebrates his 31st season broadcasting Major League Baseball and his 14th campaign with the Rockies Radio Network. Corrigan came to Colorado after 17 years in the Cleveland Indians television booth. In addition to his work in baseball, Corrigan has been involved with play-by-play and color commentary for the Cleveland Cavaliers telecasts in the NBA and spent more than 15 years as the voice for college football and basketball games for the Atlantic Coast Conference, Ivy League, Mid-American Conference and Patriot League, among others.
In the summer of 2005, Jack published his first novel, Warning Track, a book about an aging baseball player dealing with the lure and repercussions of illegal supplement use. His second novel is titled Night of Destiny: 24 December 1944. It is a fictionalized account of an incident in World War II that involved his late father. He is at work on a third novel, a sequel to Warning Track, tentatively titled Hit And Run, that is expected to be completed this summer.
A native Clevelander, Jack is a graduate of St. Ignatius High School and Cornell University, where he played football for four seasons while earning a B.A. in History. He received a Master’s degree in Communications from Kent State University. He is involved with his own video company that has produced more than 100 projects for sports entities and other commercial and non-profit organizations.
Jack and his wife, Lisa, have been married 39 years and they have two children. Megan, a graduate of Mercyhurst College, and her husband, John, live in Colorado with their sons, James and Daniel. Michael, a Loyola Marymount University graduate, works in Chicago as the senior publicist for TheTiebar.com, an online clothing and fashion company. Jack is on the Board of Directors for Boys Hope/Girls Hope, a privately funded, non-profit, organization that helps at-risk children. He and Lisa are also active with Seeds of Hope, a scholarship program that benefits inner city schools. Jack serves as a volunteer assistant football coach at Regis Jesuit High School in Denver after filling a similar position at St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland for more than 20 years.