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Regional Semifinal Preview: Wildcats and Bees Meet For First Time

By Joe Ginley '12 , 10/23/20, 1:00PM EDT

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Aidan Conway and Emmett Hanna will be back for the Wildcats on defense.

Anything can happen once you’re in the playoffs. The Saint Ignatius Wildcats and Medina Battling Bees are prime examples.

The Wildcats entered the postseason with a 1-3 mark, struggling with inconsistency and injuries. But Saint Ignatius rolled to a win over Solon and earned a hard-nosed victory over Euclid. Meanwhile, Medina drew a tough game with St. Edward in the Regional Quarterfinal, a rematch from 2019, when the Eagles drubbed the Bees, 73-38. This year’s game was a lot different, ending in a 35-31 Bees victory. 

Not many folks predicted a Saint Ignatius vs. Medina Regional Semifinal, but here we are. 

“I’m not sure if many people thought a month ago we’d be in the sweet 16,” said Head Coach Chuck Kyle ’69. “All the credit goes to these young men. They kept the faith.”

The Wildcats and Bees have never played on the gridiron before, so Friday’s Regional Semifinal has the potential to be a classic first meeting that both programs won’t soon forget. 

Kickoff remains set for 7:07 pm, as Spectrum is broadcasting the game live. As a result, per OHSAA rules, the SIBN will be audio-only tonight. 

SAINT IGNATIUS OFFENSE VS. MEDINA DEFENSE

The Wildcats offense has found an identity during the playoffs, and it starts with two juniors – Marty Lenehan and Joe Pfaff.

Lenehan has emerged as a bellcow back, especially in the past few weeks. Lenehan has reached the century mark in three straight games, totaling 620 yards on the season, including 174 yards on 39 carries vs. Euclid. The game plan was not to ride Lenehan that much, but the junior showcased such incredible moves that the coaching staff rode the hot hand and let Lenehan run the ball over the Panthers.

"We need to do more to be more balanced, but it's the way the game developed last week," says Coach Kyle. "You're not going to be Woody Hayes all the time. But there are certain blocking schemes that Marty reads well. I've always believed that an important quality of a running back is vision, you gotta see the seam and go. Marty is very good at that. But I'll be interested to see how Medina plans to stop that. How much can they load the box? As soon as that happens, that helps the passing game." 

Pfaff managed 131 passing yards against a Euclid secondary that boasts two Division I commits. Pfaff will look to help the Cats be more balanced than last week. The Rocky River native has shown poise in the pocket and a live, accurate arm. He tossed a beautiful ball to John Becker for 22 yards vs. Euclid.

Jack Dunstan is the team’s leading wideout with 18 catches for 205 yards, but Nick Lamirand, Steven Bodamer, Colin Wiehn, and Becker will also figure into the mix. The Wildcats would love to see some speed on the outside to complete the deep ball when Medina crowds the box to stop Lenehan.

Injuries will shake up the offensive line a bit this week. William Witalis will slide over to right tackle, with Tommy Wasinski and AJ Gottschalk fighting for the starting left guard spot. Will Robinson and Sean Ward will be on the depth chart at right tackle.

Medina’s defense bent plenty but stood strong enough to hold off St. Edward last week. The Eagles managed 446 rushing yards but only three rushing scores. Medina did limit the Eagles to 4-of-11 passing for 74 yards. A late fumble forced by the Bees made all the difference in the world. Avoiding turnovers will be absolutely critical for the Wildcats.

As a unit, the Bees largely play with a 4-man front, stunting and twisting the defensive linemen. Medina will switch coverages, but often locks the cornerbacks in man coverage.

Linebacker Matt Hamula enters as Medina’s leading tackler with 65 total tackles (35 solo, 30 assists). Hamula and fellow backer Nathan Spatny are tied for the team lead with 7 tackles for loss. Spatny leads the team with 3 sacks. Matt Spatny has tallied 3 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries. Defensive back Hunter Stratton leads the team with 5 pass breakups, also picking off a pass.   

SAINT IGNATIUS DEFENSE VS. MEDINA OFFENSE

The story of Medina’s win vs. St. Edward was the run game. Typically an Air Raid attack, Medina utilized the Maryland stacked-I and Dorian Boyland as the cudgel. Boyland had only managed 141 yards before Friday, but he pummeled St. Edward for 158 yards on 17 carries. At 6’2, 225 pounds, Boyland is a battering ram who can also speed past you. The grandson of Dorian “Doe” Boyland, a former Pittsburgh Pirates first basemen, the younger Boyland found paydirt twice last week. 

Boyland’s presence in the run game makes Drew Allar’s passing attack that much more deadly. The 6’5, 220-pound quarterback has the size and talent to play on Saturdays. Allar has tallied an astonishing 2,093 yards and 21 TDs through the air and 189 yards and 2 scores on the ground. He’s the real deal. 

"Drew Allar does a great job with the Air Raid offense. They spread you out to create 1-on-1 matchups," says Coach Kyle. "The quarterback is the linchpin, no doubt about it, he has great touch on the ball. He has good vision, he'll do some nice pre-snap reads to see if you're in man or zone. The key with the Air Raid is getting the ball away when you need to, so you have to know where you’re throwing. He can also take off running. You gotta stay in coverage, because the wideouts know what to do when the QB breaks out."

Luke Hensley is his top weapon with 51 catches for 786 yards and 13 TDs on the year. The 6’2, 200-pound wideout is a weapon. And you can’t forget about Jajuan Jackson, who has 22 catches for 337 yards and 2 TDs, or Drew Hensley, who has 23 catches for 297 yards and 3 TDs.

But you can't forget about Boyland and the run game as you prepare for the passing attack.

"[Boyland] is a big, tough football player, he's a throwback," says Coach Kyle. "You'll see him on defense, too. They'll use him in short-yardage downs with a goal-line philosophy, and they kept doing it after having success. He showed good vision, and he's a tough kid to bring down because he makes good cuts. You can tell when they’re in that offense because of personnel, but can you stop it? It's 180 degrees from the air raid, so you need to prepare for both."

The Wildcats are fortunate to have two defenders back on the field this week – Emmett Hanna and Aidan Conway. Hanna returns from a 2-game absence to start at free safety and Conway is back at middle linebacker. 

The secondary will be critical to stopping Medina. Griffin Taliak has been outstanding at safety, with 26.5 tackles. Chris Snyder and Cole Smith have been dynamite at cornerback, with a combined 6 interceptions and 9 pass breakups. They’ll be heavily tested.

Bennett Adler will look to repeat his crazy effort vs. Euclid after tallying 5 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, and 1 forced fumble. The front six will need to generate pressure to limit Allar. 

SPECIAL TEAMS

Declan Mangan continued to thrive vs. Euclid with 3 important field goals. He'll be vital again this week.

Medina poses a good challenge in the kicking game. Ryan Miller can hit field goals, while Luke Hensley averages 36.4 yards on his rugby-style punts. Jackson returns kicks well, also.

"I've preached all week: the kicking game will be a good battle this week," says Coach Kyle. "Generally speaking, we’ve been winning that battle. But this will be a good challenge: Medina has a good kicking game."