Ohio City - The Wildcats, coming off an 11-2 Regional Finalist finish in 2017, will open their 2018 season by welcoming defending Division II State Champion Archbishop Hoban to Parma's Byers Field on August 25th at 7 PM. The Hoban Knights were Division III State Champions in 2015 and 2016.
Saint Ignatius opened its 2017 gridiron campaign by traveling to Archbishop Hoban and coming away with a 17-3 victory over the Knights. Archbishop Hoban then went on to win 14 consecutive games, including its Division II State-Championship Game victory over Winton Woods. Cleveland.com recently ranked the Knights No. 1 in its "Way Too Early" preseason seven-county area poll.
The annual Week 2 matchup with the Mentor Cardinals will take place on September 1st at 7 PM on Byers Field and in Week 3 the Wildcats will travel to Euclid's new football-rich stadium on Friday, September 7th for a 7 PM kickoff with the Panthers.
Mentor's Cardinals ended the 'Cats' season last November with a 23-21 victory in an OHSAA Regional Final at Bedford's Bearcat Stadium. As this corner has expressed many times, there isn't a better Catholic School-Public School football rivalry in the nation than Saint Ignatius vs. Mentor.
COF Academy, the AMEC's first Non-Public, Non-Charter private school, will host the Football Wildcats on September 14th at 7 PM in a site to be announced. Memorial Stadium at Otterbein University and Ohio Stadium on the campus of The Ohio State University are among the possible sites, and we emphasize possible sites. Coach Urban Meyer's Buckeyes are at TCU the weekend of September 14th.
COF Academy, which is expecting to welcome around 800 students for its inaugural year, has a 61 acre campus located in Columbus, Ohio that will include innovative classrooms an athletic facilities. The school is preparing for 19 sports in its athletic program.
Week 5 on the Wildcats' who's who schedule has the Panthers from Cincinnati Elder traveling to Byers Field in Parma's Robert M. Boulton Stadium for a 2 PM kickoff on September 22nd . Saint Ignatius won a thriller over the Panthers last season, 30-28, in The Pit.
Canada North Football makes a return visit to Byers Field on 9/29 at 7 PM and in Week 7 (Oct. 6th at 7 PM) the Wildcats will take on another new opponent, West Toronto (ON) Prep at a site to be announced. Saint Ignatius defeated Canada North Football, 38-7, last season.
Computer playoff guru Mr. Joe Eitel has West Toronto Prep listed as a Division III program, as far as the OHSAA computer playoff qualifying points are concerned.
Weeks 8, 9 10 provide three traditional and demanding opponents - Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller on October 13th at 3 PM on Byers Field, Cincinnati St. Xavier on October 20th at 2 PM on Tom Ballaban Field in St. Xavier Stadium, and the annual regular-season finale versus longtime West Side rival St. Edward on October 26th at 7 PM. The Football Cats have won the last three meetings with the Eagles and lead the all-time gridiron series, 31-24-1.
Saint Ignatius will be looking to avenge last season's 41-20 loss to Archbishop Moeller, which took place at Otterbein University.
We will keep you informed when the sites of the COF Academy and West Toronto Prep games are determined. This old gridiron grinder just wanted to whet your pigskin appetite and allow you to make early plans for what should be another Fall to Recall in Wildcats Football.