The defense turns in a solid and opportunistic performance en route to the JV 'Cats' fifth consecutive victory. Enzo Cannata, Kyle Daugenti and the O-Line fuel a potent ground attack, Mike Profancik comes up with a "huge" blocked punt and Mike Zupan puts the star seal on the night with an "unbelievable" hustle play.

By Eddie Dwyer, Copyright October 2012

Ohio City – Saint Ignatius High School’s hard-nosed sophomore safety Derek Smith said he and his teammates knew they had to start strong against what was yet another big and athletic Glenville junior varsity football team.

That mission was accomplished as the Wildcats jumped on the Tarblooders early and then rode a defense that pursued with passion and created some big-time takeaways to a 23-6 victory on Wasmer Field Friday night.

It marked the fifth consecutive triumph for Coach Ryan Franzinger’s JV ‘Cats, who now stand at 6-2 heading into next weekend’s game at Cincinnati St. Xavier.

“They had strong backs and a good running game,” Smith said of the Tarblooders, who like their varsity counterpart have developed a solid rivalry with Saint Ignatius. “But I think we did a good job of stopping most of those runs. They’re great players, but we knew to protect the outside, make them cut in, breakdown and make the tackle. And if someone is holding them (the running backs) up, you go after that ball and try to strip it. That’s what we did tonight.”

Before the defense got around to its job, the Wildcats’ offense made its mark.

After Glenville won the toss and deferred to the second half, Saint Ignatius took the opening kickoff and drove 63 yards in six plays. Tailback Enzo Cannata followed some strong blocking up front and darted through the hole for a 4-yard touchdown with 8 minutes and 30 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

The key play in the scoring drive was a leaping catch by 6-foot-5 wide receiver Jaylin McDonald off a 35-yard pass from quarterback Jake Kucia, an effort that came off a third-and-9 and gave the Wildcats a first down at the 12-yard line.

A fumble recovery by Smith appeared to lead to another early touchdown for Saint Ignatius, but the six-pointer was wiped away by a block-in-the-back penalty.

Leading, 6-0, entering the second quarter, the Wildcats’ defense came to the fore as Smith stripped the ball away from the running back and defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones was there to pounce on the loose football at the Glenville 43.

Behind some strong, quick and good-balance running by tailback/defensive back Kyle Daugenti, Saint Ignatius marched to a first-and-10 at the 13. Following an off-sides penalty on the Tarblooders, Daugenti fired through a hole over the right side and powered his way into the end zone from 8 yards out. Toby Leahy’s ensuing extra-point kick extended the Wildcats’ advantage to 13-0 with 7:03 left in the first half.

Late in the first half, Coach Franzinger’s special teams took center stage.

With Glenville pinned deep in its territory, defensive end Mike Profancik blocked a punt and the ball was recovered in the end zone by linebacker Brady Wells for a touchdown with 59 seconds to go in the first half. Leahy’s extra point made it 20-0.

“That blocked punt was huge,” said Coach Franzinger '02. “My old coach Jim Tressel (at Ohio State) would always say the punt is the most important play and a punt block and return can be the most devastating. And I think that was true tonight.

“To hold Glenville to six points is a pretty nice accomplishment,” Coach Franzinger continued. “We shut them out for most of the game (the Tarblooders scored with 17 seconds remaining to be played). In the first half we had some big takeaways and that was really the difference because they had some success running the ball. But those couple of times we got out of there and gave our offense good field position.”

With Profancik, Jones, Wells, defensive end Michael Penn and defensive back Valiant Freeman helping the Wildcats maintain their defensive pursuit and containment for most of the second half, and Daugenti adding an interception to his productive night, Saint Ignatius settled the issue on a 32-yard, line-drive field goal by Leahy and a play by safety Mike Zupan that Coach Franzinger described as “unbelievable.”

As a Tarblooder was sprinting to the Lorain Avenue end zone for what appeared to be a long TD gallop, Zupan, who never gave up on the play, actually outran the Glenville player to the goal line, stripped the ball away and it was recovered by defensive back Ryan Alexander in the end zone for a touchback.

Zupan’s hustle defined what Coach Franzinger described as another solid effort by his team.