Pat Hopkins, on a vote by his senior teammates, learns before Monday's Mini Camp 7 that he will help lead the 2013 Wildcats.

Three of Coach Chuck Kyle's four captains are now set, as Patrick joins his first cousin, Jim Byrne, and his former grade school teammate at St. Christopher, Jack Hyland, in the leadership roles.

Byrne, an All-Ohio offensive tackle and a University of Notre Dame recruit, and Hyland, a gifted wide receiver, were announced as 2013 captains during last winter's annual postseason Football Banquet. A fourth and final senior captain will be selected by Coach Kyle and his staff during two-a-days, which get under way next week.

Ohio City - Jim Byrne, an Associated Press All-Ohio and All-Northeast Lakes District offensive tackle, a Plain Dealer seven-county All-Star and one of the top recruits by the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame from the graduating Class of 2014, has had plenty to smile about during his stellar football career at Saint Ignatius.

That said, I don't think this corner has ever seen a wider smile on the face of the 6-foot-4 1/2, 290-pound Byrne than the one he wore after Coach Chuck Kyle '69 announced prior to Monday's mini camp that senior linebacker Patrick Hopkins has been voted (by his senior teammates) as one of the Wildcats' captains for 2013.

"It's definitely awesome," said Byrne. "Going back to fourth grade, me and Pat were ball boys for Saint Ignatius. We were here when Pat's brother (Kevin) was a captain. We were like, God, one day we want to be out there. We kind of got a taste of it (the leadership role) JV year, but to be actually doing it on the varsity level is very exciting."

For Pat Hopkins, joining Byrne, his first cousin, as two of the traditional four senior captains for Coach Kyle's storied program is an honor he dreamed about as a little kid. And when that dream became a reality on Monday, even more emotion flowed from a young man who smiles as easily as he runs down a ball carrier.

"It definitely means a lot, coming from very influential brothers who helped pave the way for me," said Hopkins, in reference to his brother Kevin '10, who as a standout safety and special teams player helped captain Coach Kyle's 11-1 Wildcats of 2009, and Brian Hopkins '07, who was an outstanding student and multi-skilled athlete for the 'Cats. Kevin Hopkins also served as a captain for Coach Brad Ganor's varsity baseball program in the spring of 2010.

"It's a great feeling to have the opportunity to come out and lead the Saint Ignatius football team," Pat Hopkins continued. "There have been a lot of great players who have played here, but only a few were captains. I feel so honored to be one of those captains."

One of the first to congratulate Pat after Monday's mini camp, was Kevin Hopkins, who will be entering his senior year at Miami of Ohio.

"It's something special, he has worked his butt off ever since he came to Saint Ignatius," Kevin said of his little brother. "These are the times when things have paid off. I am very proud of him and very happy for him, as my parents (Jim and Ann) will be. I know my older brother (Brian) will be giving him a call from New York."

Brian Hopkins is in the finance business in the Big Apple and Kevin is a Business Management Major at Miami of Ohio with a Criminology Minor.

As the Wildcats embark on another demanding schedule in 2013, Jim Byrne and Pat Hopkins shared with the corner the approach they will bring to their very special roles.

Jim Byrne: "I'm not going to come out here and yell at people, I like to lead more by example. I will say something if I need to, but ever day it is my goal to come out, work my hardest and be focused the entire practice. I think that starts to rub off on guys. People notice, and I think they buy into it."

Pat Hopkins: "Coach Kyle mentioned that the third captain was going to be the one that stepped up in the off season. And no question, I definitely made a lot of mistakes last year. I grew from those mistakes and I corrected them over the course of the off season. I think learning by failure is a great way of leading. When you have responsibilities as big as those that go hand in hand with being a captain, it just shows where you come from and what school you go to."

HERE ARE SOME TIDBITS FROM MONDAY'S MINI CAMP 7

JUST CALL THEM COACH CANNATA AND COACH BOYLAN: With veteran coaches Terry Fergus and Jim Cahill fulfilling business responsibilities, Wildcats senior running backs Enzo Cannata and David Boylan stepped up and put the junior varsity running backs through their early drills on Monday. Now that is versatility at its finest.

SHOWING THE WAY: And speaking of running backs, Cannata and fellow senior tailbacks Mike Vitale and Kyle Daugenti led the way in the first 1,200 meters of Monday's running and sprinting drills.

SOLID REACTION: A tip of the corner's cap went out to junior linebacker Geoff DiMassa, who came up with a solid interception and return during the no-huddle offense versus defense drills.

PASSING GAME CONTINUES TO IMPRESS: Senior wideouts Mike Siragusa and Jack Hyland were razor sharp off a variety of routes, senior quarterback Pete Mahoney threw some impressive deep balls, Siragusa and senior wideout Jake Helton turned long seam patterns into physical receptions and junior tight end Dre'Mont Jones made his presence felt across the middle.

HE SAID IT: Saint Ignatius quarterbacks coach Elvis Grbac, a former St. Joseph High School and University of Michigan standout, and an All-Pro QB in the NFL, said his son Cal, a very promising sophomore receiver for the Wildcats, has the one thing he never had - very quick feet.

As someone who was privileged to cover and report on Elvis during his high school days, I think he stood just fine on the feet God gave him.

See you at Wasmer Field on Tuesday.