The Wildcats' athletic teams will hold their state of success this Presidents’ Day Weekend with the OHSAA sectional bowling and wrestling competition and the Northwest, yes Northwest, District swimming meet.
What is a four-day weekend for the student body gets started on Thursday night with a big-time varsity basketball match up at Cleveland Heights. Coach Sean O’Toole’s basketball Wildcats have another headliner on Saturday night as they take on the talent-rich Vikings from Villa Angela-St. Joseph in Sullivan Gymnasium (see the corner’s basketball preview story below).
It all wraps up on Monday, Presidents’ Day, when Coach Pat O’Rourke’s varsity hockey team, which finished No. 1 in the final coaches’ state poll, puts its top seeding in the Brooklyn District on the ice against the Shoremen from Avon Lake. The puck will drop in the John M. Coyne Recreation Center at 6 bells.
Coach Mark Sullivan’s varsity wrestling program, which finished its regular season with impressive victories over North Canton Hoover and Lake Catholic, will be competing in this weekend’s 12-team Division I sectional tournament at North Royalton High School. Action gets underway on Friday evening at 6 and resumes on Saturday at 11 a.m. Saturday’s finals are slated for 6 p.m. Admission is $4 per session for students and $6 per session for adults.
Coach Jeff Ridler’s gifted swimmers will be competing in the Northwest District at Bowling Green State University. The timed swimming finals are Saturday at 3 p.m.
*Cleveland area teams have been moved from the Northeast District to the Northwest District this year, in order to increase the fields in the Northwest. The top two individuals/relays automatically qualify for the state meet. The remaining 16 at-large individuals/relays qualifiers will be determined by times from all of the district sites.
Saint Ignatius won the Northeast District last season. Despite putting forth record-setting performances, the Wildcats finished third during last weekend’s sectional competition at Cleveland State University, with Strongsville and St. Edward finishing 1-2. Strongsville's depth came to the fore again.
Wildcats senior All-American Derek Hren has state's top time in the individual medley and breaststroke.
Saint Ignatius also features a gifted tandem in the 50 free - junior Nathan Christian and senior Charlie Pophal - and junior Peter Simcox will be right there in the buttefly.
And last, but certainly not least, Coach John Kastanis' varsity bowling team will be among the 25-team field at Sunday's Lorain sectional tournament on the Rebman Recreation lanes. Rebman Recreation is located at 5300 Oberlin Avenue in Lorain, Ohio. The matches begin at 2 p.m., sharp.
Here's hoping the pins are flying for the Alley Cats, who are coming off an exceptional regular season.