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Football Cats Open Camp with a Productive Day

By Joe Ginley '12 , 08/05/20, 8:30PM EDT

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We'll have regular coverage on football camp from Wasmer Field.

Football is back.

The Saint Ignatius football program began fall camp on Wednesday, with the first double session of August. 

Uncertainty surrounds fall contact sports. Scrimmages and competition between teams are currently prohibited, and the season may or may not be played. So, the Wildcats are taking a one-day-at-a-time approach. As Defensive Coordinator Ryan Franzinger '02 and Defensive Line Coach Dave Cicetti said to the defense, "We can only practice today. Control what you can control." Those controllables include working hard in practice, wearing a mask, physical distancing as much as possible, and hand washing.

Even in the face of the uncertainty, the Wildcats were excited to be back on the field. Maybe not so excited for the conditioning part of practice, but you could sense the joy in the Wildcats today. Overall, this is a young, talented team with some veterans, and plenty of heart to go around. It's the kind of team you just can't help but root for. 

Here are observations from Day 1 of camp. 

Competition at quarterback

The quarterback is undoubtedly the most important position on the field. The Wildcats are fortunate to have two young, great players at the position.

The starting job at quarterback will be a competition in camp between Jaxon French and Joe Pfaff. 

Looking at the two of them, French and Pfaff may form one of the best 1-2 punches at quarterback in recent memory. Either of the two rising juniors could capably quarterback the Wildcats to wins this year and the next. French and Pfaff are both talented.

Looking at the tale of the tape, French stands at 6'2", 200 pounds, while Pfaff weighs in at 6'4", 180 pounds. 

In terms of arm strength, French and Pfaff have equally powerful arms. Both rising juniors can sling the ball around the yard and hit the deep ball. The two showcased their strong arms during last season's 8-1 junior varsity campaign. 

French and Pfaff can each move around the pocket. French has great legs and is dangerous when he runs the ball. One rushing touchdown against the JV St. Xavier Bombers in a 26-21 win stands out as evidence of his impressive feet. 

Looking at experience, French has the edge. The St. Bernadette alum attended Padua as a freshman, starting for the Bruins in 2018. French then transferred to Wildcat High and played some varsity snaps as well as on the JV squad. Pfaff saw some time last year, but did not get as many reps as a freshman as French.

The competition will likely be decided by decision making. The quarterback who can consistently be trusted to make the right reads in Offensive Coordinator Nick Restifo's scheme. In Restifo's offense, the signalcaller must be able to make progressions in a quick fashion, not unlike at the college and pro levels. 

The leader of the Mack Pack is healthy

Mike Simcak is back and healthy to lead the "Mack Pack," aka the Saint Ignatius running back group. (The RBs call themselves the Mack Pack after the Mack truck.)

The rising senior lost his junior campaign due to a season-ending injury in Week 1. Simcak toted the rock 10 times for 39 yards vs. Loyola Academy to open the 2019 season, and looked primed for a good junior year. 

Simcak worked his way back into playing shape over the offseason, returning to 100% around April. But he is still a bit nervous. 

"It feels normal," Simcak says. "I just can't wait to play again. With a year off, I'm anxious. But I've been 100% since April, so I'm ready."

Simcak will combine with Ryan Waldron and Marty Lenehan (with Anthony Santagata mixing in) to form a 1-2-3 combo at running back this season. The group's goal is to run for over 1,500 yards as a unit, and to be a go-to option for the offense. 

Preseason honors mean little

Following an All-Ohio junior year, Aidan Hubbard has been a media darling.

Hubbard earned Max Preps Preseason All-Ohio honors and was named a Sports Illustrated All-American candidate. Hubbard will likely get more accolades as the season approaches.

But the preseason recognition isn't inflating Hubbard's ego.

"Quite honestly, they don't mean much to me," says the Northwestern commit. "I just need to go out and prove it like I did last year. It's nice, but I have to prove it."

Hubbard's focus is on the team's goals, which include a return to the postseason.

"We want to go to the playoffs. We missed them last year, which was tough. This year, we want to get to the playoffs."

Luke Gable joins the staff as an intern assistant coach

As in past years, the coaching staff will have some student help.

Rising senior Luke Gable has joined the staff as an intern/student assistant coach.

Gable follows in the footsteps of many young student coaches, including Ben Rossi '20 and Alex Tuason '20. Gable will help out with the defense, working for Coach Franzinger. 

"I just wanted to find a way to be part of the team and be with some of my friends," Gable says. "I want to help the team any way I can. I love being around it."

Gable is excited to work and learn from Franzinger, a 14-year veteran coach with the Wildcats. 

"Coach Franzinger has been great so far, helping me learn what to do and how to work with the guys."

As for goals this season, Gable hopes to help the Wildcats succeed, in practice and in games. 

"We have a good group of guys, hopefully everything works out for us to play. We're just going to try to do our jobs, and win as many games as possible."

Scout team making plays

As a coach, you always want your scout team to be engaged and active, helping the first team to improve.

From the start, the scout team has been very involved and interested.

On Day 1, the scout offense unveiled some trick plays, including a wide receiver pass. Charlie Dunstan floated a beauty for a "touchdown" on the defensive half of the field. It was a nice play for the sophomore, a newly minted player with the JV Cats. 

Just a couple plays later, Anthony Moissis uncorked a picture-perfect pass downfield for a great completion. You don't get wins like those often, so you enjoy them when you can, and the scout players did. 

Some starters on offense also enjoyed the chance to play a bit of defense on Wednesday. Jack Dunstan and Nick Lamirand were amongst the offensive stalwarts to try their hands on defense today, and both impressed. On one great play, Lamirand stepped in front of a pass for an interception and took it to the house for a pick-six, smiling all the way.

Overall, it was a hard day of practice, but there were plenty of smiles by the Wildcats.