Jake Kucia, David Shibley, Chavez Perez and the guys up front fuel the offense and the defense produces some solid efforts, including timely plays in the secondary by Ian Ryan and Michael Mathews. The JV Wildcats improve to 5-2 heading into Friday's home game against the Glenville Tarblooders. The kickoff from Wasmer Field will be 6 p.m. The SIBN will provide live audio and video on the game and the corner will have game coverage.
*As we projected this afternoon, the Wildcats varisty football team remains No. 1 in The Plain Dealer area Top 25 poll and the Associated Press Division I state poll. The corner will preview the Wildcats-St. Francis (Athol Springs, N.Y.) Week 8 game on Tuesday night.
Here is the corner's story on last night's JV game versus Holy Name.
By Eddie Dwyer, Copyright October 2012
Parma, Ohio - As an outstanding state champion football and shot and discus competitor for Saint Ignatius, Ryan Franzinger '02 accepted nothing less than the best from himself every time he competed.
So when Coach Franzinger says he is pleased with the improvement his junior varsity football team has made through seven games, you know he is being sincere.
Simply put, Coach Franzinger is not one to throw out trite expressions or patronizing compliments. As the JV 'Cats will tell you, you have to earn that praise.
"The kids played hard, they gave a good effort," said Coach Franzinger after his team set the tempo with two first-quarter touchdowns Monday night and went on to defeat Holy Name, 20-7, on a muddy field adjacent to St. Bridget's Church.
The Wildcats, who won for the fifth time in seven games this season, are, as the coaching staff will tell you, not just improving as a team, but as individuals who have learned to appreciate the game more and their roles in making the team successful.
That was evident in the early going against Holy Name, as the 'Cats took the opening kickoff and drove 60 yards to paydirt. Quarterback Jake Kucia combined with sure-handed wide receiver David Shibley on an 8-yard touchdown pass, an effort that saw Shibley make a nice move in the left corner of the end zone and Kucia deliver the ball on time. Kucia's passing and some Good-Hands-Club receptions by 6-foot-5 wideout Jaylin McDonald helped fuel the drive.
Saint Ignatius' defense, which was opportunistic and aggressive, came up with a big interception by safety Ian Ryan, who read the play, picked off the pass just inside the Wildcats' 20 and returned the ball down the left sideline to the Green Wave 12. Ian is the brother of former Saint Ignatius football greats Connor Ryan '09, Jake Ryan '10 and Zack Ryan '12.
Two plays later, Kucia and Shibley hooked up again on an almost identical route, only this time Shibley hauled in an 11-yard TD strike from Kucia in the right corner of the end zone.
With defensive linemen Dre'Mont Jones and Michael Penn coming up with key sacks, cornerback "V" Freeman, as his teammates insist on calling him, making a sure tackle in pursuit and reacting with a tough one-on-one deflection on a deep ball, and safety Michael Mathews reacting to the ball and batting down a pass in the end zone on a fourth-and-goal at the Saint Ignatius 4, the Wildcats were able to keep Holy Name off the scoreboard in the first half.
After the first two quarters ended with Saint Ignatius at the Green Wave 29, defense and the heady play of Kucia continued to show the way for most of the second half.
A Mathews interception and a hard-nosed stop by linebacker Brady Wells helped prevent Holy Name from making any significant waves in the third quarter, and the offense followed suit.
Behind a picture-perfect pass and catch down the seam from Kucia to multi-skilled wide receiver/tight end Bennett Kinzel, Coach Franzinger's team was in business at the Green Wave 20.
From there, it was a quick-hit reception in the right flat by Shibley and the tough-as-nails running of tailback Chavez Perez that had the 'Cats knocking on the door again.
On first-and-goal from the 5, Kucia rolled right, looked to throw but thought better of it, tucked the ball away and fought his way across the goal line and into the end zone. Jake is the nephew of former Wildcats All-Ohio and All-American quarterback Scott Mutryn '94.
Leading, 20-0, Saint Ignatius continued to get some big plays from its defense, including a pad-rattling stop by linebacker Bob Zavagno and a diving interception by Brendan Novak.
Holy Name closed to 20-7 with 2 minutes and 20 seconds remaining to be played, but the Wildcats sealed the deal when linebacker Joe Conway recovered an onside kick and Perez chewed up the final two-plus minutes with gritty second-effort runs.