David Shibley, Jaylin McDonald, Christian Klink and Evan O'Malley help fuel a strong second half and a fourth quarter rally, but Mentor wins in the final minute on a 53-yard touchdown pass, 34-29.
****Saint Ignatius' varsity football team is ranked No. 1 in the AP state poll and Eric Williams '12 gets the starting nod as Yale's quarterback (see after JV game story).
By Eddie Dwyer, Copyright September 2012
With an impressive September sun setting behind Jerome T. Osborne Sr. Stadium, Saint Ignatius’ head junior varsity football coach Ryan Franzinger ’02 talked about the pride he walked away with from Monday night’s last-minute loss at Mentor.
“We did make mistakes, but it wasn’t because of a lack of effort,” Coach Franzinger said, after the Wildcats’ junior varsity was defeated by the Cardinals’ jayvees, 34-29, on a 53-yard touchdown strike with 50 seconds remaining to be played.
“The kids fought really hard,” Coach Franzinger continued. “We lost, and I’m disappointed. But at the same time, I’m proud of the team for fighting, for making a comeback, for taking a lead.”
Saint Ignatius certainly did all of the above in rallying from second-half deficits of 21-7 and 28-21.
Trailing, 7-0, with 2 minutes and 10 seconds remaining in the first quarter, the Wildcats took possession at the Mentor 47 after tight end/running back Dre’ Mont Jones alertly recovered the ball off an onside kick by the Cardinals.
Following a hard-nosed 7-yard run by tailback Enzo Cannata and two pass completions off rollouts by starting quarterback Jake Kucia, Saint Ignatius was in business with a first-and-goal at the 1.
From there Jones did the honors, as he powered his way into the end zone.
Mentor held a 14-7 lead at halftime and moved to a two-touchdown advantage when 6-foot-6 quarterback Kade McClure scored on a 3-yard keeper over the right side midway through the third quarter. McClure’s score was set up by a 58-yard run by Brenden Parker.
However, just when the Cardinals appeared to have Mr. Momentum on their wings, the Wildcats responded with a passionate effort on both sides of the ball.
End/linebacker Mike Profancik, who had a solid game defensively for the ‘Cats, recovered a pooched kick by Mentor at midfield and three plays later quarterback Christian Klink hit 6-5 wide receiver Jaylin McDonald along the right sideline. In one motion, Jaylin caught the ball, spun out of a tackle and outran the pursuit into the end zone for a 38-yard scoring play with 4:09 left in the third quarter.
The Wildcats knotted the score on another touchdown pass by Klink that was set up by a pass interference penalty in the end zone. Corbett Griffith’s third extra point was high and true, and the score was tied at 21 with 8:23 to go in the fourth quarter. Klink replaced Kucia late in the first half after Jake experienced stiffness and pain in his left shoulder, the result of a hit under heavy pressure.
Mentor, taking advantage of a strong return on the ensuing kickoff, needed just 1 minute and 18 seconds to regain the lead, 28-21.
Keeping its composure, Saint Ignatius (1-2) rode the relentless play of linebacker/safety Evan O’Malley, a clutch 3-yard gain by tailback Chavez Perez off a swing pass from Klink on a fourth-and-2 from the Mentor 41 and a pass-catching highlight film by David Shibley to a 29-28 lead with 1:09 remaining.
Shibley made a great leaping catch for a touchdown that cut the deficit to 28-27 and then he and Klink hooked up for the 2-point conversion, as Shibley made a diving catch in the right corner of the end zone. Shibley’s TD reception came off a fourth-and-goal from the 6.
In what was an emotional roller-coaster for 40 minutes (JV quarters are 10 minutes), the final 64 seconds seemed like an eternity for the Wildcats’ faithful.
Taking over at its 33-yard line with 1:04 on the clock, Mentor needed just two plays to go back on top – a 14-yard completion and the perfect 53-yard game-winning toss by McClure. More than one Saint Ignatius coach thought the Cardinals were not set when the ball was snapped on the game-winning TD.
After Mentor misfired on a 2-point conversion attempt, Saint Ignatius rode another big-time catch by Shibley to a first down at the Cardinals' 37. But on second-and-10, Mentor turned the Wildcats away by coming up with an interception inside its 20.
“It can’t be about just winning games,” said Coach Franzinger. “We know that because we win more than we lose. If it is just about winning the game, then we’re not coaching well, we’re not doing things the right way. But I think we are and I’m proud of them.”
ERIC WILLIAMS, A.K.A. “E WILLIE,” TO START FOR YALE: Eric Willliams, whose talent, composure and grit helped Saint Ignatius to its memorable “Eleven in ’11" state championship last fall, will be barking the signals when the Yale Bulldogs open their season on the road against Georgetown (2-0) on Saturday.
Eric won the starting nod over John Whitelaw, who threw just four passes for Yale last season. Bulldogs coach Tony Reno told the media that Eric and Whitelaw both had excellent camps, but that it came down to some "little things."
Eric, who will become the first freshman to start at quarterback for the Bulldogs since Mike McClellan opened the 1997 season against Brown, teams with his older brother Scott at Yale. Scott is a linebacker.
WILDCATS GARNER OHIO'S NO. 1 SPOT IN DIVISION I: Coach Chuck Kyle's varsity football team, which is off to an impressive 3-0 start, is the top-ranked big-school program in the Associated Press' first state poll for the 2012 season.
A savvy state-wide pannel of sports writers and broadcasters gave Saint Ignatius 190 points and 15, yes 15, first-place votes. The Wildcats are also ranked No. 1 in The Plain Dealer's Top 25 seven-county poll.
Rounding out the AP's top five in Division I are Cincinnati Colerain, Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller, St. Edward and Pickerington North.
The all-important poll - the OHSAA computer playoff ratings - will be released next week after the fourth game of the season. Computer playoff guru Joe Eitel has the Wildcats in the top spot in Region 1 after three weeks.
Rounding the corner, heading to football practice on Tuesday and reminding you that we will post our preview on Saturday's game between the Wildcats and Strong Vincent Tuesday night or Wednesday morning, depending on which hours you consider night.