As he leaned against the wall outside the Saint Ignatius locker room, senior tailback Mike Anter didn’t waste a second in going directly to the sources of the Wildcats’ recent offensive surge.
"It all started up front with the line, they’ve been blocking great,’’ Anter said after his three touchdowns helped lead Saint Ignatius to a 49-7 victory over Warren G. Harding on Saturday night at Byers Field. "Then it’s the receivers, Joe (Parris), Connor (Ryan) and Frank (DeSico), out there blocking and springing holes for me and K.J. (junior tailback Kevin Johnson).
"And Andrew, I mean he’s been on fire. Yeah, it’s been fun not punting.’’
Andrew is Wildcats standout senior quarterback Andrew Holland. All Holland did was direct the Wildcats to six touchdowns on six consecutive possessions before turning the signal-calling duties over to junior Mark Myers with more than four minutes remaining in the third quarter. Myers made it seven for seven, as he scored on a 20-yard run with 2:44 to go in the third quarter. A 38-yard, over-the-shoulder reception by senior wideout Jason Mersek set up Myers’ score.
Saint Ignatius, which has now scored 49 points in each of its last three games, improved to 6-1. Harding, one of the Steel Valley’s best, lost for the third time in seven games.
The Raiders, who have been dominated by the Wildcats twice after upsetting Coach Chuck Kyle’s team in 2006, came out strong and took a 7-0 lead on the game’s first series.
A 30-yard run by junior wideout D.J. Williamson off a reverse put the ball on the Saint Ignatius 12. Three plays later, junior running back Mike Dorsey powered his way up the middle for an 8-yard touchdown. Harding drove 80 yards in eight plays in what turned out to be its only highlight of the evening.
Responding in a manner one associates with a perennial Northeast Ohio Division I power, the Wildcats totaled 407 yards of offense in their first seven possessions. Along the way, Coach Kyle’s reliable defense adjusted and limited the Raiders to just 32 yards and one first down in their next seven possessions. That first down was the result of a penalty.
Saint Ignatius’ first scoring drive was an eight-play, 61-yard effort and was highlighted by a roll-out touchdown pass from Holland to Anter, who made a leaping catch in the right corner of the end zone. Anter’s effort came on a fourth-and-goal from the 3.
Holland, who completed his first eight passes, hooked up with Ryan on a deep-post, 31-yard touchdown strike. It came off a six-play, 84-yard march. A 51-yard punt return by DeSico showed the way for Anter’s second TD – a 2-yard run – and the Wildcats held a 28-7 lead at halftime after Anter powered his way over the left side for a 1-yard score.
"I don’t know if I needed to jump,’’ smiled Anter as he talked about his touchdown reception in the first quarter. "But, you gotta do what you gotta do. It felt good to get back out there after being banged up the last game (a 49-7 victory at Massillon). It’s no fun sitting on the bench. It was definitely fun tonight, getting back out there and making plays.’’
Saint Ignatius continued to make plays after halftime as the Wildcats matched their second quarter with a 21-point third quarter. A 22-yard run by Anter helped set up a 1-yard keeper by Holland, Holland combined with Parris on a touchdown pass off a crossing pattern and the 20-yard gallop by Myers, followed by an extra-point kick by junior Jesse Franklin, closed out the scoring.
Holland was 16-of-18 for 192 yards, Anter rushed for 72 yards on 15 carries and Johnson totaled 46 yards on eight carries. Parris hauled in six passes for 37 yards and Ryan totaled 78 yards on three receptions. On the season, Holland has passed for 1,415 yards and 15 touchdowns.
"You still have to give it up to them,’’ said Anter, referring to the effort put forth by the Saint Ignatius defense after Harding’s opening drive. "That one touchdown, I mean that’s going to happen. It was nice the way our offense scored right off the bat to get their (the defensive players) confidence back.’’