The Wildcats trailed, 26-10, with just over seven minutes remaining in the third quarter, but came storming back and rode the leg of senior kicker Matt Colella to 29-26 lead with 4:26 left. However, after the Honey Badgers stopped the 'Cats for no gain on a fourth-and-1 from the ECA 12 with 2:38 remaining to be played, storied junior quarterback David Sills used his legs and arm in keying the winning drive.
Eastern Christian Academy, which is based in Elkton, Maryland, improved to 6-1. Saint Ignatius will now take a record of 4-3 into next Saturday's (Oct. 19) annual match up with West Side rival St. Edward, the area's top-ranked team at 6-0. The kickoff from First Federal Lakewood Stadium is scheduled for 7 PM. It will be the 51st meeting between the Wildcats and the Eagles, with Saint Ignatius leading the series, 27-22-1. St. Edward prevailed last season, 20-13, at Byers Field.
St. Edward's undefeated junior varsity team turned back Saint Ignatius' jayvees, 49-33, at Wasmer Field on Saturday morning. It was the first loss in six games this fall for the JV 'Cats.
HERE IS THE VARSITY GAME STORY. THE JV FOOTBALL RECAP AND SATURDAY'S SOCCER RECAP FOLLOW THE VARSITY FOOTBALL GAMER.
PARMA, OHIO - After you tip your cap to Eastern Christian Academy's gifted junior quarterback David Sills, you look back on Saint Ignatius' 32-29 loss to Sills' Honey Badgers and shake your head thinking about how so many of Coach Chuck Kyle's Wildcats were called on to assume new or extra roles on Saturday afternoon at Byers Field in Robert M. Boulton Stadium.
Talented senior wide receivers Nick Fabian and Mike Siragusa were asked to double as defensive backs in order to try to offset the height, speed and skill of ECA's big-time receivers. Because of injures to the running game, senior tailback Kyle Daugenti was not only counted on for his steady punt and kick off returns, but given a regular diet of the tailback chores. Also contributing to the ground game was senior fullback Stan Elad, who is better known as one of the area's premier blocking backs.
Then there was sophomore Jim Berger, who was called up from the junior varsity team to handle one of the most important, but often taken for granted roles there is in football - the long snapper. Senior defensive back and holder Jack Lavelle praised the young Berger for the job he did.
The most significant role change, however, was given out to promising sophomore quarterback Dennis Grosel.
After leading the Wildcats' junior varsity team to a 5-0 start, Grosel was named the starter for Saturday's game, his first assignment on the varsity level. Saint Ignatius started the week with just three healthy varsity quarterbacks - juniors Jake Kucia and Simon Vadas and Grosel, who was moved up to the varsity on Monday.
Although Grosel had some growing pains, especially going up against an ECA team that is laden with major-college recruits, he was, in the words of Coach Kyle, "just fine, composed."
The numbers weren't overwhelming, 192 yards passing, a touchdown pass and two interceptions. But for the most part, Grosel made good decisions, including a 9-yard touchdown pass under heavy pressure to Daugenti. Daugenti caught the ball in stride and dove past the pylon in the left corner of the video scoreboard end zone at Byers Field. The Grosel-to-Daugenti combination enabled Saint Ignatius to close to 26-16 with 4 minutes and 25 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
In what was a roller coaster of emotions, the Wildcats started strong and led, 10-0, with 6:50 left in the first quarter. Saint Ignatius' early lead featured a fumble recovery by standout senior defensive lineman Chris Keane on the second play of the game. Keane's recovery put Saint Ignatius in business at the Honey Badgers' 16-yard line and senior tailback Enzo Cannata provided the game's first points on a 1-yard touchdown run with less than a minute gone in the opening quarter. Senior kicker Matt Colella, a 2012 All-Ohio selection, followed with the extra-point kick and Matt made it a 10-0 game on a 43-yard field goal that was set up by smooth receptions from Siragusa and Fabian.
Behind strong pressure by hard-nosed senior middle linebacker John Gibbons and some tight coverage by veteran senior cornerback Scott Arthrell, Saint Ignatius took that 10-0 lead into the second quarter.
It was in the second quarter, however, that Sills and Company began to flash some of their nationally ranked credentials.
Taking possession at their 40-yard line, the Honey Badgers rode a 21-yard completion by Sills and the running of junior tailback Jahmee Ballard to a 9-yard touchdown keeper by Sills with 10:44 to go in the first half. Sills' 35-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver and Michigan recruit Freddy Canteen and his 1-yard quarterback keeper for a TD, along with a 2-point conversion pass to senior wide receiver Nieko Creamer, enabled ECA to take a 20-10 lead to its locker room at halftime. Sills' 1-yard keeper and 2-point conversion pass capped off a 10-play, 90-yard drive.
The momentum the Honey Badgers built at the end of the first half grew larger after Sills fired an one-the-money, 60-yard touchdown strike to Canteen with just over seven minutes remaining in the third quarter. Canteen finished the day with five receptions for 139 yards.
However, just when the handful of Honey Badger loyalists in attendance began to feel comfortable in Robert M. Boulton Stadium, Coach Kyle's Wildcats answered with an emotional surge that was fueled by the above-mentioned Grosel-to-Daugenti TD and a huge special teams play by gritty senior safety Evan O'Malley that saw Evan block a punt as ECA was kicking from deep in its territory and then hustle after the ball and recover it for a touchdown in the end zone. After another PAT by Colella, it was game on again as Saint Ignatius trailed, 26-23, with 3:45 left in the third quarter.
And no one was more game that Colella down the stretch as his 52-yard field goal tied the score with 7:52 remaining to in the fourth quarter and his 42-yard effort with 4:26 to go gave the 'Cats a 29-26 lead. Matt surpassed the 51-yard field goal that he kicked against Glenville last season at Byers Field. The Wildcats' record for the longest field goal is 55 yards by Tim Shenk (now at Air Force) in 2011.
"We were up by three with just over two minutes to go, what else could you ask?" Coach Kyle said of what he described as an admirable effort by Grosel. Coach Kyle also pointed out that Sills threw "some beauties," passes that were almost impossible to defend.
Although Saint Ignatius turned in some exceptional special teams and defensive play in the second half, including a fumble recovery by junior linebacker Joe Conway off a pooched kickoff and some pad-rattling stops by senior safeties Matt McVey and Dameon Willis Jr., Sills still had a few "beauties" up his sleeve down the stretch. And they were the difference makers.
After the Wildcats were unable to convert a fourth-and- 1 from the ECA 12, the young man who was offered a scholarship from the USC Trojans when he was just 13 directed the game-winning, 88-yard march. Sills' near masterpiece started with 2:38 remaining on the clock and ended with 10 seconds left after a cool and calm Sills, off some nice footwork, found freshman wide receiver Jordan Swan open in the middle of the end zone for the 4-yard game winner. Sills spiked the ball before tossing the winning TD, so the decisive play started with 14 ticks on the clock.
The key plays in Sills' sealer were his 43-yard pass to junior wide receiver Isaiah Esdale that saw Esdale make an impressive yards-after-the-catch gallop to the Saint Ignatius 45 and a 23-yard scramble by Sills off a fourth-and-14, an effort that drew a "You got to be kidding me" from Coach Kyle.
Sills' 287 yards passing helped the Honey Badgers overcome 16 penalties for 150 yards.
"It was a full team effort," said Fabian, who added an interception to another solid day of receiving. "We got the loss, obviously. But I think this game, more importantly than the loss or the win, which could have potentially happened, will help us in building toward the St. Ed game, the biggest game of the season. Guys were stepping up and a lot of heart came out this afternoon. I really think it's going to carry over to the St. Ed game."
ST. EDWARD JUNIOR VARSITY 49, SAINT IGNATIUS JUNIOR VARSITY 33: Ohio City - The first of what will be two games this season between the Eagles' and the Wildcats' jayvee programs, started on a solid note for Saint Ignatius.
After a fumble recovery by defensive end Tito Vazquez on the game's second play from scrimmage, sophomore tailback James Norris took the handoff from quarterback David Welcsh and, in a blur, raced 21 yards down the visiting team sideline and into the scoreboard end zone of Wasmer Field. Ryan Berger kicked the extra point and the 'Cats led, 7-0.
St. Edward (5-0), behind the passing combination of quarterback Jim Kief and receiver Antonio Butler, got its offense on track.
Following a touchdown pass from Kief to Butler and TD run by Frankie Geib, the Eagles led, 14-7, with 4 minutes and 38 seconds remaining in the opening quarter.
Saint Ignatius (5-1) would came back to tie the score on a 54-yard touchdown pass from Welcsh to gifted wide receiver Cal Grbac and another PAT by Berger.
Saint Edward took a 28-14 lead into the halftime break, however, as wide receiver Carl Jones hauled in two touchdown passes.
Coach Ryan Franzinger's Wildcats closed to 28-21 on a highlight-reel punt return for a touchdown by tough and talented wide receiver/defensive back Jack Cook and Berger's third PAT with 6:15 left in third quarter.
After 'Cats defensive back Clarence Moore took a fumble out of mid air and raced for a touchdown, Saint Ignatius trailed by just one point with 2:05 to go in the third quarter.
St. Edward would respond with a short touchdown run from hard-nosed tailback Cole Gest, but the Wildcats made it a 35-33 game with another second- and third-effort score by Grbac.
Gest was the difference down the stretch, however, as he scored two more times on efforts of 1 and 38 yards.
"We made too many mistakes and gave up too many big plays," said Coach Franzinger, who will also guide his Wildcats against St. Edward on Oct. 30 in what will be a freshman-junior varsity doubleheader at St. Edward. The Wildcats and the Eagles freshmen will play at 5 PM, followed by the second JV match up at 7.
"Both teams played real hard and that is how it should look," Coach Franzinger continued. "The kids are exhausted, the kids are hurting and that is how it should be. We gave up way too many points. It's a little reminder where we have to get better. It's good that they reminded us, because jayvee games are about getting better. When you lose, you figure out how to get better."
SOCCER RECAP: Coach Mike McLaughlin's varsity soccer team wrapped up its regular season on Saturday by playing to a 0-0 tie at Gahanna Lincoln. The Wildcats (7-3-6), the top seed for the area Division I district tournament, will face the Parma-Rhodes winner in a sectional final on Saturday (Oct. 19) at 3 PM on Wasmer Field.
Congratulations to Coach Jim Brennan's junior varsity soccer team, which defeated Gahanna Lincoln's jayvees, 2-0, on Saturday and completed a 13-0 season.