The weekend before Christmas will be a very busy one for the Wildcats.
Just like busy elves, we'll be traveling around Northeast Ohio to cover all of the Wildcats' events this weekend.
The fun begins on Thursday with the Mat Cats, and ends on Sunday with the final game of the Fr. Styles Showcase. We'll be covering it all on Twitter at @SIHSSports.
Here is a rundown of where the Wildcats are this weekend.
Basketball – Saturday vs. Canton McKinley, 7 pm
The second basketball home game of the season – the final one of 2019 – will be on Saturday.
The Wildcats will be hosting a quadruple-header:
2:30 pm: Freshmen Blue vs. Massillon Jackson
4 pm: Freshmen Gold vs. Canton McKinley
5:30 pm: JV vs. Canton McKinley
7 pm: Varsity vs. Canton McKinley
The Varsity Cats and Bulldogs have faced off every year since the 1979-80 season, 45 meetings in all. McKinley holds the series advantage, 29-16. Last year, the Bulldogs won on the road, but the Cats won at home in 2017.
At halftime, Saint Ignatius Athletics will be honoring 2018-19 Wirtz Athlete of the Year Nate Conry '19.
Click here for more information on Conry and the award.
Coach Cam Joyce would love a sellout. To purchase tickets in advance, click here.
Bowling – Saturday vs. St. Edward at Buckeye Lanes, 9 am
Nothing draws a crowd like Saint Ignatius vs. St. Edward. Buckeye Lanes will be bumping on Saturday, as the two rivals do battle on the alleys.
The Wildcats and Eagles faced off earlier in the season, with St. Edward earning the victory in the Greater Cleveland Interscholastic Bowling League (GCIBL) showdown. This time, the Wildcats will look to upend the Eagles.
Jim Viets' men enter with a 3-2 record on the year, fresh off a victory over Garfield Heights on Saturday.
Hockey – Friday, Saturday, Sunday, hosting the Fr. Styles Showcase at John Coyne Brooklyn Recreation Center
The John Coyne Recreation Center in Brooklyn will be busy this weekend.
The Wildcats will be hosting the Fr. Styles Showcase, bringing a number of great teams to Brooklyn for three days of fun.
The Ice Cats open things up on Friday against the 18U AA Pittsburgh Icemen at 6:45 pm. The hockey continues on Saturday morning against Marquette University High School (WI) at 10 am.
The marquee matchup of the weekend may be on Saturday evening. New Trier, the #1 ranked team in Illinois, rolls into town for a much-anticipated rematch of last year's game. The Wildcats enter as the top-ranked team in Ohio, according to the first coaches' poll of the season.
The Fr. Styles Showcase concludes on Sunday, as the Wildcats play an opponent to be determined at either 10 am or noon.
Swimming & Diving – Friday & Saturday, hosting the Viking Meet at Cleveland State
The 45th annual Viking Invitational has arrived! The annual tradition is always a fun one, and not one to miss.
The meet brings thousands of swimmers, parents, and fans to Cleveland State University's Robert Busbey Natatorium. Hosted by the Wildcats, the meet is a great one. A shoutout goes out to Kyoko Hong and Mike Slabe, the Viking Invitational Co-Meet Directors.
The excitement starts on Friday evening, with the diving portion. Will Claus and Noah Keim will rep the Wildcats in the diving.
Saturday is a lengthy, action-packed day. The A prelims start at 8 am, continuing to about 11:15 am. After a two-hour break, the B session rolls from 1:45 pm until a little after 4 pm.
Then, Santa visits the pool. It's a fun tradition, with presents handed out to nice swimmers on the pool deck. It's not something you want to miss.
At 6 pm, the finals begin. The well-run meet then concludes around 8:15 pm, completing 12 great hours at the pool.
Wrestling – Thursday at St. Edward, 6 pm
As we said above, nothing is better than a rivalry.
The Wildcats and Eagles kickoff the weekend on Thursday evening in Lakewood, as St. Edward hosts Saint Ignatius.
The Mat Cats will look to challenge the always-tough Eagles on Thursday evening starting at 6 pm.