Ohio City - After arriving home from the Dominican Republic shortly after midnight on Tuesday morning, Saint Ignatius' gifted wide receiver Jack Hyland grabbed some rest and was ready to put forth his usual all-out effort at the second day of the Camp of Champions. The elite quarterback/wide receiver football academy will wrap up with a 1:15 PM to 4 PM session on Wednesday at Wasmer Field.
No, Jack wasn't vacationing. One of the Wildcats' senior captains for the 2013 season, Hyland returned to the game he loves after taking part in one of the Jesuit Preparatory School's annual summer Mission Trips.
While Jack's gritty and all-out approach was evident throughout Tuesday's COC drills, it was after camp, as Mother Nature was cooling everyone off with a late afternoon downpour, that he sat in the Murphy Field House and shared what was a true "Men For Others" experience.
"We were there for 13 days," Jack said of the Mission Trip. "We stayed at this place that is almost like a dormitory, called ILAC in the City of Santiago. It's an acronym for Institute of Latin American Concerns. It is set up by Creighton University and it taught us about Dominican culture. We stayed there for four days and then they sent us out into the countryside, which is up in the mountains."
Jack said each Saint Ignatius student stayed with a family in the countryside, a stay that included an introduction to three Dominican meals a day.
"It was like a 25-minute walk from our house to the other side of the village, where we would eat," Jack said. "In between meals we would dig latrines. They were outhouses, because they really don't have sewer systems there. We ended up digging 12, I believe."
When asked what accompanied him home from such a humbling and learning experience, Jack never hesitated.
"Being grateful for everything I have here," he said in reference to his family, his home, his friends, the outstanding educational opportunities at Saint Ignatius High School and the Wildcats' state and nationally acclaimed football program.
"It's probably a community of about 40 people," Jack said of the area countryside where he stayed, emphasizing that he will always remember how hospitable those with so little were to him and his classmates. "You would be just walking through the village and they would invite us into their home, get out plastic chairs and give us cups of coffee and what not.
"I don't speak Spanish very well," Jack continued. "But it was a little heartbreaking and emotional saying goodbye to the families, especially with how well they treated seven American people they didn't even know. There was a huge connection, despite the language barrier.
"I will remember it for the rest of my life."
WHAT LIES AHEAD: After fine tuning his pass routes in Tuesday's COC drills that were directed by John Carroll University Head Football Coach Tom Arth '99 and members of his Blue Streaks staff, Wildcats head coach Chuck Kyle '69, Saint Ignatius' veteran offensive coordinator Nick Restifo and quarterbacks coach Elvis Grbac, Jack Hyland said he is very excited about the Wildcats' 2013 schedule.
Along with perennial powers Mentor, St. Edward and St. Xavier, the schedule includes match ups with defending state champions from Michigan (Brother Rice), New Jersey (Paramus Catholic) and Indianapolis (Lawrence Central). Games against the Keystone State's Erie McDowell and Strong Vincent are also included.
Jack describes the senior class for 2013 as one that is hungry and has an edge to it. Those are great traits, my friends.
AND SPEAKING OF THE 2013 SLATE: Wildcats Athletics Director Rory Fitzpatrick '88 shared with the corner on Tuesday that everything is now official for the Week 7, Oct. 12 match up with Eastern Christian Academy from Maryland (see the corner's story from June 20). The contract is in place and the kickoff will be 2 PM from Parma's Byers Field. That leaves the 'Cats with just one open date - Week 10.
In another note of interest concerning Eastern Christian Academy, the school is now officially on the approved non-member school list from the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association.
BIG JOHN IN OHIO CITY: Taking in Tuesday's COC was John McCallister, the veteran author of the highly respected McCallister Scouting Report. It is always a privilege to talk football with Big John.
COURAGE, COMMITMENT, DOING IT THE RIGHT WAY: Those were the key words in Coach Kyle's Tuesday message to the athletes taking in this year's COC. And when the clouds set in and it started to thunder over Wasmer Field, Coach Kyle said: "See, even the gods agree."
See you at Wednesday's closing chapter of the 2013 Camp of Champions.