Senior quarterback John Thomas makes some impressive throws, senior tailback Mike Vitale leaves his mark on Solon's beautiful new turf surface, the Wildcats' receivers continue to perform as advertised and there was some serious pad rattling applied from both sides.
Solon, Ohio - Saint Ignatius head football coach Chuck Kyle '69 was pleased with the results of his team's first go of it against an opponent who wasn't wearing a Wildcats practice uniform.
Wildcats veteran offensive coordinator Nick Restifo was also happy, for the most part, with Saint Ignatius' flow on Tuesday and the throws made by senior quarterback John Thomas.
Tuesday marked JT's first full day as the 'Cats' offensive leader, following the season-ending ankle injury that senior Pete Mahoney suffered during Saturday's practice on Wasmer Field (See the corner's stories from SUNDAY and Monday). JT and Pete were competing for the 2013 starting role.
Yes, all in all it was a good day, as Saint Ignatius and Coach Jim McQuaide's Solon Comets took part in their traditional preseason encounter of drills that included blocking, tackling, punting, kicking, inside running, passing and one-on-one pass coverage. There was a little 7-on-7 thrown in and the day wouldn't have been complete without the usual spirited and highly competitive 11 versus 11.
"You did some real nice things today and the best part is that you are just going to get better and better," said Coach Kyle to his Wildcats before they boarded their buses and headed back to Ohio City.
Not everyone on the Saint Ignatius staff was totally pleased on Tuesday. The Wildcats' outstanding varsity linebackers coach and head junior varsity coach Ryan Franzinger '02 said that on a scale of 1 to 100, with 100 being the best, he thought his part of the defense was about a 48.
One thing this old-timer observed is that Coach McQuaide's Comets, a perennial playoff team that failed to qualify for the OHSAA postseason in 2012, appears ready to make another November charge.
Among the Comets making an impression on this corner were wide receiver/tailback/defensive back Kollyn Crenshaw, running back/defensive back Antwain Hamilton and running back/linebacker Braxton Alexander.
Solon's All-Northeast Lakes District and All-Northeast Ohio Conference linebacker John Sensibaugh certainly has the blood lines, as John is the grandson of former Ohio State standout Mike Sensibaugh, who played safety in the National Football League for the Kansas City Chiefs and the then St. Louis Cardinals.
With the always strong and physical Twinsburg Tigers visiting Wasmer Field on Friday at 10 AM for the first official preseason scrimmage of 2013, we thought we would whet your pigskin appetite by taking a look at some of the Wildcats' highlights from Solon.
DEFENSE
Standout senior safety Dameon Willis Jr. was pursuing from the time he got off the bus, senior nose tackle Daniel Cartolin made a strong stop in which he stood up the ball carrier and senior linebackers John Simeone and Michael Ferry came up with hard-nosed tackles near the line of scrimmage.
Senior safety Matt McVey dislodged the ball from a receiver with a pad-rattler, senior defensive back Nick Malarik and junior defensive back Kyle Adler were among those with interceptions, promising junior lineman Dre' Mont Jones was going after it with passion and All-Ohio senior linebacker Kyle Berger and senior linebacker and captain Patrick Hopkins were firing from the get-go.
OFFENSE
John Thomas wasted little time in impressing the coaching staff as he rolled left away from the pursuit and on the run unleashed a deep ball into the soft hands of senior wide receiver Jake Helton. The perfect throw and catch gave the Wildcats a first down at the Solon 16, and two plays later Mike Vitale sliced and powered his way over the right side for an 11-yard touchdown.
JT also had a couple of other nice long tosses, including one to senior defensive back/wideout Jack Lavelle, who played solid on both sides of the ball.
Juniors Jake Kucia and Christian Klink, who are now the backups to Thomas, had their moments. Klink combined with junior wide receiver Jaylin McDonald on a long touchdown pass down the left sideline and Kucia appeared calm and confident in the pocket.
FOR THOSE WHO HAVE INQUIRED: Wildcats gifted senior wide receiver Mike Siragusa currently has scholarship offers from Eastern Michigan, Buffalo, Cornell, Penn, Hampton and Bucknell.
And yes, the Athlon Sports High School Football 2013 Preview has St. Edward ranked No. 1 in Ohio and 15th in the nation.
Defending big-school state champ Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller is second in the Athlon state rankings and the Wildcats are third. St. Vincent-St. Mary and Glenville at 4 and 5, respectively, are the other area teams in the Ohio Top 10. Athlon selected Kyle Berger as Ohio's Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
Two-a-days resume at 2 PM on Wednesday at Wasmer Field.