TIM SHENK'S 32-YARD FIELD GOAL AS TIME EXPIRES SENDS THE WILDCATS INTO NEXT WEEKEND'S REGION 1 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME AGAINST THE MENTOR CARDINALS.

SHENK, BLAKE THOMAS, TIM MCVEY, JAKE MOONEY, ERIC WILLIAMS, AN OPPORTUNISTIC DEFENSE AND A RESILIENT O-LINE LEAD THE WAY AS SAINT IGNATIUS DEFEATS THE 2010 STATE CHAMPION EAGLES FOR THE SECOND TIME IN 15 DAYS.

BY EDDIE DWYER, COPYRIGHT NOVEMBER 2011

BRUNSWICK, OHIO - Wearing a smile that was as big as his third-quarter touchdown reception, Saint Ignatius' strong and athletic tight end Blake Thomas said it came down to the persistent drive and confidence that are the essence of Wildcats football.

Saturday night, in front of a crowd of nearly 10,000 at Judy Kirsch Stadium, Saint Ignatius was never more persistent and never more poised.

The Wildcats, trailing by 14 points with 3 minutes and 32 seconds remaining in the third quarter, stormed back to defeat West Side rival St. Edward, 20-17, in an OHSAA Division I, Region 1 semifinal playoff game.

Saint Ignatius, which defeated the Eagles by the same score in Week 10 of the regular season at Lakewood Stadium, advanced to the Region 1 championship game behind a game-winning 32-yard field goal by outstanding senior kicker Tim Shenk as time expired.

It was Shenk's 16th field goal of the season, which is now an all-time, single-season record at Cleveland's Jesuit Preparatory School. The previous mark was 15 field goals by Jesse Milligan in 1997.

The Wildcats (10-2), who now lead their all-time series against St. Edward, 27-21-1, will face the top-seeded Mentor Cardinals (11-1) in what will be the Wildcats' 16th regional-final appearance. Mentor defeated Saint Ignatius, 38-24, in a Week 3 match up at the Cardinals' Jerome T. Osborne Sr. Stadium. The site of the Nov. 19th game will be determined by the OHSAA on Sunday.

While there is no question that Saint Ignatius has played many heart-pounding games in its rich football history, Saturday night's victory over St. Edward was reminiscent of the Wildcats' 31-30 regional- final triumph over the Robert Smith-led Euclid Panthers in 1989. In that game, Saint Ignatius trailed by 11 points with 10:01 left to play.

In what was a physical and tense encounter from the get-go, the Wildcats and the Eagles went to their respective locker rooms at halftime tied at 3-3.

St. Edward (8-4), which won its first state football championship last season, came out strong in the third quarter and took a 17-3 lead on touchdown runs of 64 yards by junior tailback Dwayne Aaron and 45 yards by junior quarterback Ryan Fallon. Aaron was the heart and soul of the Eagles' offense, rushing for 220 yards on 32 carries.

"The wind was becoming a factor," said Saint Ignatius head coach Chuck Kyle '69, who has guided his program to 13 regional titles, a record 10 big-school state championships and three national titles. "Their game plan was to send pressure and go one-on-one with our receivers. They were sending, I don't know, it seemed like 15 guys some times. They were forcing us to one-on-one blocking and that was throwing us off. We just had to hit a couple of passes and settle down."

Wildcats senior quarterback Eric Williams, despite being under constant pressure all night, displayed the calm and confidence every coach looks for from his signal-caller.

Williams directed an 11-play drive that was capped by a 15-yard touchdown reception by Thomas and the ensuing extra point by Shenk with 48 seconds left in the third quarter. An Ohio State recruit, the 6-4, 245-pound Thomas made an exceptional adjustment on the ball in putting his team back in the game.

"Down two touchdowns, we knew we had to make something happen and make it happen fast," said Thomas, who was competing in his fourth Saint Ignatius-St. Edward match up. "It was third down, I knew I had to make a play on it and Eric made the throw. We did what we had to do. We never felt we were out of it. We always knew we had a shot and that's what it comes down to, the persistence."

With Saint Ignatius' defense, fueled by the pressure and pursuit of senior linebacker Zack Ryan, keeping Aaron and Co. under control, the Wildcats tied the score on an impressive 34-yard touchdown run by gifted junior tailback Tim McVey and another PAT by Shenk with 9 minutes to go. McVey's run was a combination of God-given talent and toughness, as he powered inside, bounced outside, put it in another gear down the right sideline and juked a would-be tackler on his way to the end zone.

"I saw it open up in the middle and all I had to do was hit the middle and kick it outside," said McVey of a run that had both Saint Ignatius' faithful and neutral fans on their feet. "The offensive line did a great job of opening up the hole and Jake Mooney had a great block down field."

The final 7 minutes were wild, to say the least.

Wildcats senior end Mike Ryan, Zack's cousin, forced a fumble near the St. Edward sideline and the ball was recovered by junior cornerback Tommy Fanning .

The Eagles, who were also 0-2 (regular season and playoffs) against Saint Ignatius in 2008, appeared to be in business after an interception gave them possession at the Wildcats' 39.

But on the very next play St. Edward fumbled again and the ball was recovered by 'Cats senior safety Dan Jones at the Saint Ignatius 38.

From there, Mooney, a senior wide receiver, made a smooth catch and run off a slant pattern and then came up with an outstanding leaping catch along the left sideline that gave the Wildcats a first down at the Eagles' 27. It was an effort that, along with a clutch reception by junior wideout Conor Hennessey and a keeper by Williams, helped set up Shenk's game-winner.

"I knew the kick was good as soon as I hit it," said Shenk, who is bound for the Air Force Academy next summer. "It's a good feeling to know your coach has that much confidence in you."

Mooney, who has been a model of consistency all season, finished with seven receptions for 90 yards, McVey rushed for 73 yards on 14 carries and Williams was 16-of-32 for 190 yards.

"We wanted to practice on Monday," said Mike Ryan, who battled the Eagles' massive offensive line. "It definitely feels good, but we don't look at it as like beating them is the big deal. Moving on (in the playoffs) is more important. They're the best offensive line we've gone up against. Props to them (the Eagles' O-Line), they worked their butts off."

Speaking to his players just before they boarded the buses back to Saint Ignatius, Coach Kyle emphasized to them that they had just competed in a "Saint Ignatius classic."

"Promise me you'll get together 50 years from now and talk about this night," said the man they call "Chico."