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Magis Athletes of the Week: Pechota, Watters, Maloney, Martin Shine This Week

By Joe Ginley '12 , 10/15/19, 5:15PM EDT

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Pechota scored the game-winning goal in the regular season finale.

It was a fairly quiet week for Saint Ignatius athletics, with just two sports in action. 

The Soccer Cats earned a 1-0 win over Olentangy Liberty to complete an undefeated regular season, while the Football Cats fell just short in a 7-3 decision. The cross country and golf teams were busy preparing for this weekend's events. Even still, several young men have quietly shined. 

Here are this week's picks for Magis Athletes of the Week, brought to you by the Carfagna Family Magis Athletic Center.

Cross Country – Joe Maloney '21

While the Cross Country Cats did not race this week, we do have a Wildcat to write about. 

Joe Maloney has quietly excelled all season, and he recently tabbed a personal record.

The junior galloped to a time of 17:13 at the Legends Meet at Trumbull County Fairgrounds. Racing in the JV/Open race, Maloney beat all other comers with his PR time. 

The solid young man deserves plenty of kudos for his hard work and dedication to the team this year. Maloney will be a leader for the Wildcats next season. 

Football – Max Watters '20

The Magis Athlete of the Week award was created for young men like Max Watters. 

A hard-working player with a great personality, Watters is the kind of glue guy that every team wants. And Watters is a pretty good defensive lineman, too.

The St. Angela's grad played an outstanding game on the biggest stage last week. Facing off with a big, tough St. Edward offensive line that's battered opposing linemen all year, Watters stood tall. The 6'2, 250-pound defensive end seemed to have a nose for the ball, always right in the mix when the Eagles rushed his way. 

Watters tallied 3.5 tackles vs. St. Edward, with one solo and five assists. He also assisted on a sack with fellow lineman Bennett Adler and tallied 1.5 tackles in the game. Thanks in part to Watters, the Eagles managed just 109 rushing yards and 194 yards overall. His stats in the classroom – a 3.4 GPA – are also worth applauding. 

Watters will play a big role in the next three weeks on defense for the men of Ohio City. 

Golf – Andrew Martin '21

The golf program experienced an off week as the team preps for the State Tournament on Friday and Saturday. 

Martin has not golfed since September 27, so why did we pick him? Well, look no further than his lead-by-example style. 

Martin is the type of young man who will support his teammates, no matter what. While Martin did not make the roster cut for the playoffs, he's been supporting his teammates this postseason. Martin attended both Sectionals and Districts, in addition to practicing with the team. 

Head Coach PJ Myers '99 called him an "awesome team player." Martin is a role model to the younger members on the varsity and JV Gold teams, players such as freshman Nick Piesen. Martin is like a coach on the course, dating back to the regular season, when he split time between varsity and JV Gold. 

Martin is also excellent student, too. This past weekend, Martin participated in Mentor High School's Model United Nations conference. Amongst 100 students from 7 local schools, Martin was named the Best Delegate.  

Martin deserves some time in the spotlight for being a great teammate, student, and person. 

Soccer – Luciano Pechota '22

On a team made up of mostly seniors, Luchiano Pechota has made his presence known. 

The sophomore has been scoring goals all season for the Wildcats, earning playing time on one of the most talented soccer squads in program history. 

Pechota scored perhaps his most important goal of the year on Saturday. With the game deadlocked at 0-0, Pechota found the back of the net in clutch fashion. Taking a pass from Matthew McLaughlin, Pechota tapped it into the back of the net. In a physical contest, Pechota's tally stood as the game-winner.

And even moreso than his physical talents, Pechota has endeared himself to the team with his humble nature and his positive attitude. Theo Kudlo and Everett Shorey have 'adopted' Pechota as his parents on the team. Without a doubt, Pechota is a beloved player on this tight-knit squad.

Pechota's skill and personality hint at a bright future for the soccer program.