Football is returning to West 30th and Lorain.
The Saint Ignatius Athletic Department has crafted a 4-game schedule. The Wildcats will play Bishop Sycamore, St. Edward, Massillon Washington, and St. Xavier.
After resuming practice on August 28, the Wildcats will have two full weeks of practice leading up to the team's opener vs. Bishop Sycamore on Saturday, September 12.
The Centurions will visit Byers Field. Kickoff is set for 7 pm on September 12, the latest opener for Saint Ignatius Football since 1976, when the Paul Nemec-led Wildcats began the season on September 17.
The annual rivalry between Saint Ignatius and St. Edward will be moved forward to September 19 this season. The age-old battle of West Side powers has not taken place in September since 1978. The Wildcats and Eagles have played 10 times in the month of September.
The Eagles did win last year, but Saint Ignatius enjoys the overall series advantage, 32-26-1, including a 26-14-1 margin in the Chuck Kyle '69 era. The Wildcats have won the last two home regular-season matchups.
I-77 will beckon the Wildcats for Game #3, as Massillon Washington remains on the schedule for September 25. The Tigers will host the Cats at the historic Paul Brown Tiger Stadium for a game under the Friday Night Lights. Saint Ignatius owns a dominant 12-1 series advantage, with a flawless 5-0 mark on the road.
The regular season will conclude with the famed Jesuit Bowl between Saint Ignatius and St. Xavier. The Jesuit rivals are set to do battle on Saturday, October 3. The Bombers will play host at Ballaban Field at St. Xavier Stadium.
The Wildcats experienced a difficult loss at home in the rain in 2019, which gave St. Xavier the 14-13 series advantage. Looking at the series history, the two teams have not played during the first week of October, but did play in September during the 2000 campaign.