Cincinnati – Dan Fox, Saint Ignatius’ gifted senior safety, talked about the desire he and his teammates called on in the crucial moments late Saturday afternoon.
''Just before overtime, Coach (Chuck) Kyle was saying, ‘we won’t be denied,’’’ Fox said. ''I think the defense took that to heart. It was third-and-goal from the 1-yard line, and, I don’t know, we just put it together, stopped them and made them go for a field goal.’’
Fox and Co. weren’t denied as a gutsy overtime stand by the Wildcats helped show the way to a 19-16 victory over defending Division I state champion Saint Xavier in a nonleague football headliner in the Queen City.
The Bombers, who were seeking what would have been a seventh consecutive victory over Saint Ignatius, moved from the Wildcats’ 20 to a first-and-goal at the 6 on the first overtime possession. Under the OHSAA overtime rules, each team is awarded a possession starting at the opponent’s 20-yard line. If the score is still tied after each possession, the teams go on to a second OT and so forth.
On first-and-goal from the 6, Saint Xavier’s tough and durable senior running back Nevin Heard fought off tacklers for a 4-yard gain to the 2. The 5-9, 180-pound Heard finished with a game-high 149 yards rushing on 33 carries.
After a 1-yard gain by senior fullback/linebacker Pete Lees put the ball on the 1, Bombers coach Steve Specht called on Heard one more time.
However, the Wildcats’ defense, spurred on by the strength of senior nose tackle Ryan Carr and the penetration of senior middle linebacker Kolin Sullivan and junior outside backer Scott McVey, dropped Heard for a 1-yard loss and Saint Xavier settled for a 19-yard field goal by senior Danny Freudiger and a 16-13 lead.
''We had asked them (the defense) again and again to get down there and make the plays,’’ said Coach Kyle (’69), after his team locked up its state-best 21st consecutive playoff appearance in Division I, Region 1. ''Offensively, it wasn’t our best. A couple of times the ball was just tipped away. We had a couple of times when it was just by a fingertip. And they did some good things with their coverage. They disguised it very well.’’
Not even the best disguise could deny Saint Ignatius on its overtime possession.
Faced with a second-and-10 from the 20, Wildcats senior quarterback Andrew Holland fired a perfect strike on a rope to senior wideout Connor Ryan for an 18-yard gain and a first-and-goal at the 2. On the next play, standout senior safety and part-time running back Pat Hinkel powered his way over the left side and into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown.
Hinkel singled out his offensive line and the “escort block’’ by McVey, who lined up in the backfield, and Ryan described the 18-yard laser from Holland that set up Hinkel’s TD as possibly the best pass he and Holland have ever combined on in their four years at Saint Ignatius.
''It was a crisscross route, where I cross in front of Frank (senior flanker Frank DeSico),’’ said Ryan, who had six receptions for 76 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown that helped the Wildcats to a 10-7 lead with 6:02 remaining in the first half. ''We knew Andrew would put it right on the money. That was the fastest thing he has ever slung to me. He threw it right into me. I knew I had to catch it, to hang on to it, because I knew they would try to rip it out right away.’’
Saint Xavier (4-5), which is in danger of not qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since 2003, outgained Saint Ignatius, 264 to 153. The Bombers took the opening kickoff and marched 71 yards in 11 plays, scoring on a 13-yard run by Heard. They converted a turnover into a 1-yard run by Lees that knotted the score at 13-13 with 3:28 left in the third quarter.
The Wildcats (8-1), who have won eight consecutive games, got field goals of 42 and 27 yards from senior Seamus Hennessey. The defense, which was sparked by two first-half interceptions by Fox and a sure-handed, deflected pick by Hinkel in the fourth quarter, also got solid performances from senior cornerback Tommy Hunt, senior linebacker Seamus Siefring and senior safety Sean Fisher. Saint Ignatius limited Bombers senior quarterback Joe O’Toole to 11 completions in 28 attempts for 89 yards. Fox’s first interception set up the Holland-to-Ryan TD strike in the second quarter.
“We have to get right back to work,’’ Fox said, referring to Saturday night’s annual showdown with longtime rival Saint Edward (6-3). The kickoff at Parma’s Byers Field will be 7 p.m. “We’re thinking about nothing else.’’
OVERTIME MEMORIES, GOOD AND BAD: Fox, who is bound for Notre Dame on a football scholarship, and Hinkel, a Miami (Ohio) recruit, said last season’s triple overtime loss to Saint Xavier at Byers Field played a huge motivational role on Saturday. ''That, and the opportunity to bring back a victory for Northeast Ohio football,’’ said Fox.
Hinkel also pointed out that Saturday’s triumph marked the second time his class ('09) won an overtime game at Saint X, the first one coming on the junior-varsity level in 2006.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T: “The kids we competed against today, the seniors, they’re unbelievable, unbelievable athletes,’’ said Ryan of the high regard he has for the Bombers.
STREAK ENDER: Saint Ignatius became the first team since Cincinnati Elder in 2003 to defeat the Bombers on their home field. Saint X had won 26 consecutive games in its friendly confines.