The 7 PM kickoff from First Federal Lakewood Stadium on Saturday will mark the 51st chapter in what is one of the most storied rivalries in Ohio. Saint Ignatius leads the all-time series, 27-22-1.
St. Edward, behind quarterback Ryan Fallon, a graduate of the Class of 2013 and arguably the most underrated player in the area in 2012, and some sound special teams play, defeated the Wildcats,
20-13, last season on Byers Field in Parma’s Robert M. Boulton Stadium. The Eagles were an 11-1 regional semifinalist last fall and Saint Ignatius was an 11-2 regional finalist.
In the last 10 meetings between the Eagles and the Wildcats, Saint Ignatius has won six times, including regular season and playoff victories in both 2008 and 2011.
St. Edward (6-0) enters the game as the top-ranked Division I team in Ohio and the Wildcats (4-3) will take a big school state ranking of 11 into the “Madhouse on Madison.” The game will be broadcast
live over the Saint Ignatius Student Broadcasting Network, with Cole Larson, Patrick McGuire and Carter Spearry on the call, it also will be broadcast live by WHK-AM 1420 with Ed Daugherty on the play-by-play and Bryan Hoffart ’80 lending his astute analysis, and Time Warner Cable SportsChannel will be televising the action.
OHIO CITY – For Saint Ignatius senior starters John Gibbons (middle linebacker), Chris Keane (defensive lineman) and Frank Rolf (center), the Wildcats versus the St. Edward Eagles football rivalry is something they grew up with.
Heck, as West Park residents, Gibbons, Keane and Rolf played their CYO football at Our Lady of Angels under former St. Edward defensive mainstay Mr. Tim Riley.
As Gibbons put it, in his West Park neighborhood it is pretty much split down the middle.
“Half of the guys go to Eds, half go to Ignatius,” said Gibbons. “I have a bunch of kids from Eds who live on my street and I have a bunch of buddies from Eds whom I went to school with (at OLA). For West Siders, it’s (the rivalry) at an extra-personal level, more than it might be for kids (at both schools) who live on the East Side. In our neighborhood, the rivalry is really intense.”
Keane, who lives around the block from Gibbons, said he came close to attending St. Edward. Keane had two cousins who graduated from the Brothers of the Holy Cross Roman Catholic school in Lakewood.
“I was thinking of going there, but then after a couple of weeks I decided to come here (Saint Ignatius),” Keane said. “I have friends from St. Edward in my neighborhood that I hang out with all of the time. We debate over the game every year, and if we win we (Saint Ignatius) have bragging rights throughout the neighborhood.”
Keane said he was “all St. Eds” until he attended the Summer Enrichment Program at Saint Ignatius and heard Wildcats head football coach Chuck Kyle ’69 speak.
“That kind of changed my mind,” Keane said.
For Rolf, growing up included hearing from the older guys at Saint Ignatius and St. Edward just how “intense and crazy” the rivalry is. But those same guys, said Frank, remained good friends.
“In the week leading up to the game, there is always some smack talk,” Rolf said. “But once the game is over, you move on.
"Half of our eighth-grade class (the Class of 2010 at OLA) went to St. Eds and half went to Saint Ignatius,” said Rolf of the friendships he has maintained.
Gibbons emphasized that many of the older residents of Our Lady of Angels Parish tried to convince him and Chris to attend St. Edward, and of course that included their former coach Tim Riley, an Eagle this corner had the privilege to cover and report on during my 37 years at The Plain Dealer. Tim Riley’s nephew, Pat Riley, is a savvy senior cornerback for St. Edward.
For Gibbons, it was a strong family line that lured him to Saint Ignatius, including his dad David ’87 and older brother Patrick ’13. Patrick Gibbons, an outstanding Varsity Manager for Coach Sean O’Toole’s basketball program and the 2012-13 winner of the prestigious Fred DiSanto Award, is currently attending Mercyhurst. Joe Gibbons ’17, a brother to Patrick and John, is a standout on the defensive line for the Wildcats’ freshman football team. Joe played in grade school under former Wildcat great
Mark Ruddy ’90, who is doing an excellent job with the OLA CYO football team.
“The schools being so close, two great teams that close (in traveling distance) to each other,” Gibbons said of another aspect that makes the Wildcats-Eagles rivalry “pretty cool.”
And what will be the keys to Saturday night in the legendary stadium that sits at the intersection of Bunts and Madison and has played host to many of the memorable Saint Ignatius-St. Edward encounters, including one of the greatest games in the history of Ohio High School football – the Wildcats’ 35-34 triple overtime triumph in 1993?
“Being disciplined, especially on the (defensive) line,” said Keane. “They like to pull their guards, but if we do what we’re supposed to we’ll be fine.”
Rolf echoed Keane’s sentiments in referring to the ‘Cats’ offensive line, saying it will be imperative to run the ball strong and hit the hole with authority.
As John Gibbons sees it, it will be about matching the Eagles’ intensity.
“It’s going to be a real battle that comes down to who wants it more,” said the hard-nosed Gibbons.
HERE IS COACH KYLE’S OUTLOOK ON THE 2013 ST. EDWARD EAGLES
“They’ve had it rolling this year, they’ve put up good scores and their defense has been holding people down,” Coach Kyle said of Coach Rick Finotti’s Eagles. “Credit to them, they’re playing some good ball.”
Coach Finotti, who did an outstanding job as Mayfield’s Defensive Coordinator before accepting the head position at St. Edward, is currently 44-11 in what is his fifth season at St. Edward. He guided
the Eagles to a 15-0 state championship season in 2010.
“At the beginning of the year, it seemed like they were running the ball a little bit more and now the passing is kicking in,” said Coach Kyle. “Their kicking game is always good, but besides that it’s the punt block and extra point and field goal blocks. They are always looking to get some momentum with those things. And they do a good job of it.
“For us, were not looking at who got hurt, we’re trying to get ready for the game,” Coach Kyle continued in reference to what has been a rash of key injuries that date back to summer practices and scrimmages. “I like how our kids are really playing hard and that is what a coach has to ask for. We had just a couple of little mistakes that we made in the last two minutes (in last weekend’s 32-29 setback to nationally ranked Maryland Eastern Christian Academy). You have to stay within yourself and we’re working on that. But when you look at the caliber of teams we’re playing, they are really good.”
In continuing to look at St. Edward, Coach Kyle (305 career victories and 11 state titles in what is now his 31st season as the ‘Cats’ head coach), was quick to point to the Eagles’ gifted junior running back, cornerback, wide receiver and kick-return specialist Shaun Crawford. In St. Edward’s recent 41-14 dismantling of Youngstown Cardinal Mooney, Crawford rushed for 184 yards and two touchdowns on just seven carries and amassed nearly 300 all-purpose yards.
“He’s one of the best sprinters in the state,” said Coach Kyle of a young man whose 10.8 100 meters effort helped the Eagles to a second consecutive state track and field championship in the spring. “If he (Crawford) gets a seam, he could be gone. And that’s what their offense does. It spreads you out and tries just to find a little seam for him.”
Coach Kyle also emphasized that although St. Edward has traditionally looked to establish the running game, they have the capability of hurting you with the play action of junior quarterback Brett Kean and that it is vital for the Wildcats to read their defensive keys.
“He’s (Kean) done a nice job, he has a nice release and they have some guys who can catch it,” Coach Kyle said in reference to 6-foot-3 junior wide receiver Alex Stump and the Dowell twins, Andrew and David. Kean operates behind a seasoned offensive line that averages nearly 276 pounds from tackle to tackle. Gage Blair (6-2, 260) is an unsung talent and leader on that line.
Coach Kyle said that defensively the Eagles’ front line looks very good and that teams haven’t run very effectively against that up-front unit.
Among those leading the defensive stand for Coach Finotti are two-way 275-pound senior lineman Tyler King, 235-pound senior linebacker Ralph Nichols, big-game tested senior safety Jack Walz and veteran defensive backs DJ Thomas and the above mentioned Pat Riley.
GETTING HEALTHY – Wildcats senior quarterback John Thomas, who hasn’t played since Week 3, was in full uniform and throwing the ball with authority on Tuesday. Senior tailback Mike Vitale, sidelined since the Week 2 victory at Mentor, also practiced on Tuesday.
Sophomore Dennis Grosel, who did a solid job in his first varsity assignment against talent-rich Eastern Christian Academy, joined Thomas in taking most of the varsity snaps.
PERFORMERS OF THE WEEK: Along with Dennis Grosel’s admirable performance, the corner is going with the solid efforts of senior safety Evan O’Malley, senior place kicker Matt Colella, junior linebacker Joe Conway and sophomore long snapper Jim Berger on special teams, the gritty and
productive running and receiving of senior tailback Kyle Daugenti and senior fullback Stan Elad, and the break ups and hits provided by senior cornerback Scott Arthrell and senior safety Matt McVey.