The Freshmen 'Cats turn it up on both sides of the ball and walk off Wasmer Field Thursday night with their sixth victory in seven games this fall.
St. Vincent-St. Mary's Irish, who had plenty of fight in the early going, lost for the first time in six games.
Ohio City - Saint Ignatius' head freshman football coach Rodney Gallaway said it is all about how you respond to those things that don't go your way.
For the first five minutes of Thursday night's game against a talented group of ninth graders from Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, things were heading south for the Freshmen 'Cats.
Trailing, 13-0, with 4 minutes and 50 seconds remaining in the first quarter (freshman quarters are 10 minutes), Saint Ignatius' freshmen responded in the manner the Wildcats' coaching staff has come to expect and went on to wear down the Fighting Irish, 27-13, on a clear and crisp fall evening at Wasmer Field.
With its defense refusing to allow any further damage, Saint Ignatius got its offense in gear and, behind the passing of quarterback Patrick Ryan, the hard-nosed running of tailback/linebacker Jimmy Andrews and the sure hands of wideout/tight end Michael Lehto and running back/wide receiver Dean Stowers, put the first mark in the loss column on SVSM's 2013 record.
"The one thing that I noticed about our team is that we were down, 13-0, and it was still standard operating procedure," said Coach Gallaway after the young 'Cats improved to 6-1. "We weren't out of sorts, throwing helmets or goofy stuff like that. We were focused and we knew the task at hand.
"We had to stop them," Coach Gallaway continued. "Their No. 5 (Fighting Irish quarterback Donte Taylor) is a great player, he's excellent. He's going to be something to watch in the future."
With Taylor showing the way, SVSM took the opening kickoff and marched 62 yards in six plays. Taylor capped the march by scoring on an 8-yard burst up the middle with 7 minutes and 51 seconds to go in the first quarter.
The Irish (5-1) pushed their advantage to a two-touchdown lead when safety/linebacker Ryan Farris ripped the ball away from a Wildcat and rambled down the left sideline and into the scoreboard end zone of Wasmer Field.
With its offense turning to Ryan's arm, Andrews' will, Lehto's soft hands and concentration, Stowers' versatility and Colin Goodfellow's leg, Saint Ignatius came storming back and went to the halftime break leading, 21-13.
First it was a perfectly executed crossing pattern from Ryan to Lehto that resulted in a 17-yard touchdown, then it was one of Andrews' many second - and third-effort runs on the night, this time for a 12-yard touchdown up the gut. Andrews' 17-yard scoring display of power and balance was followed by Goodfellow 's third extra-point kick of the first half.
Sparked by a strong kickoff return by Stowers to start the second half and a big-time catch and run by Lehto, the young 'Cats grab some breathing room on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Ryan to Stowers. The smooth sideline pattern came off a fourth down-and-7 play.
Linebackers James Leyden and Johnny Velotta, lineman Joe Gibbons, cornerback Jefferey Chonko and safety Travis Pot were among several Saint Ignatius defenders who played lock-down defense from the second quarter on.
In what was an exceptional effort, Chonko came up with the second of his two interceptions on the night by going up in the air with receiver, batting the ball away and, in one motion, catching the ball before it hit the ground and making a healthy return.
"All facets, we (the coaching staff) were really happy with just about everything," said Coach Gallaway, who emphasized that he hopes the Saint Ignatius-St. Vincent-St. Mary football rivalry will continue for years to come.
With Dan Boarman, one of the premier coaches in Ohio, doing an outstanding job with the Fighting Irish varsity program, this old-timer would love to see that rivalry extended to the higher levels as well.
A BELATED HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Wildcats savvy freshman Quarterbacks Coach Jim Cahill was treated to a chorus of Happy Birthday from the players following Thursday night's game. Jim turned 43 on Wednesday. Ouch, didn't I just cover and report on Jim as a player a few years ago?
Just a reminder that Saint Ignatius' 5-0 junior varsity team will face St. Edward's jayvees on Saturday at 10 AM on Wasmer Field and the Wildcats' 4-2 varsity team will take on the 5-1 Honey Badgers from Eastern Christian Academy (Elkton, Maryland) on Saturday afternoon at 2 on Byers Field in Parma's Robert M. Boulton Stadium. For a look at Eastern Christian Academy, see the corner's preview that was posted on Tuesday night.
Along with the live broadcast by Saint Ignatius' Student Broadcasting Network, Saturday afternoon's game will be broadcast live on WHKW-AM 1220 (from kickoff until the start of University of Michigan football game at 4 p.m.). The game will be aired on tape/digital delay in its entirety on WHKW-AM 1220 starting at 10 p.m. Ed Daugherty will provide the play by play and Bryan Hoffart '80 will give you his candid analysis.
FOR THOSE FAITHFUL ALUMS around the country who e-mailed the corner on Thursday night and asked if there was any update on the health of Saint Ignatius' quarterbacks, all we can tell you is that it (Thursday's practice) was the same as earlier in the week, with sophomore Dennis Grosel and juniors Jake Kucia and Simon Vadas taking the reps for Saturday's game.