THE ATHLETICISM OF SENIOR QUARTERBACK ERIC WILLIAMS, THE RUNNING AND RECEIVING OF TIM MCVEY, THE SURE HANDS OF BLAKE THOMAS, TIM MCCOY AND JAKE MOONEY, TIM SHENK'S POWERFUL LEG AND A STAUNCH DEFENSE. IT ALL ADDED UP TO A 29-14 VICTORY OVER BOARDMAN IN REGION 1 PLAYOFF ACTION ON SATURDAY NIGHT.THE WILDCATS AND THE ST. EDWARD EAGLES WILL BE MEETING FOR THE SECOND TIME IN 15 DAYS.
*NOTE: SOCCER STORY ANDS CROSS COUNTRY RECAP FOLLOW THE FOOTBALL STORY.
BY EDDIE DWYER, COPYRIGHT NOVEMBER 2011
In a humble and very calm manner, St. Ignatius senior quarterback Eric Williams said he does like to take advantage of his athletic ability.
Saturday night at Parma's Byers Field, Williams did just that as his strong arm and elusive running and scrambling helped lead the Wildcats to a 29-14 victory over Boardman in a Division I, Region 1 quarterfinal playoff game.
With Williams completing 15 of 25 passes for 174 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 102 yards on 15 carries, Saint Ignatius improved to 9-2 and set up another encounter with West Side rival St. Edward (8-3) on Nov. 12.
Ranked 1-2, respectively, in The Plain Dealer's final Top 25 poll, the Wildcats and the defending state champion Eagles closed their regular seasons with an Oct. 29 meeting at Lakewood Stadium that saw Saint Ignatius come away with a thrilling 20 17 victory. The site of their regional-semifinal game next Saturday is expected to be announced by the OHSAA on Sunday. It will mark the second time in four years that the Wildcats and the Eagles will be meeting twice in the same season. En route to its record 10th state championship in 2008, Saint Ignatius defeated the Eagles in consecutive weeks – the regular-season finale and a first-round playoff match up.
As for the 6-3, 200-pound Williams, his 102 yards on the ground against Boardman are, according to Saturday night's press box gurus, the first 100-plus yards rushing in a game by a Saint Ignatius quarterback since Jon Blevins was tucking the pigskin away for the 'Cats' state runner-up team of 1996.
"A lot of credit to the O-line, first of all, for opening up the holes," said Williams, who is a son of former two-time Notre Dame All-American and NFL offensive lineman Larry Williams. Larry Williams' professional career included a stint with the Browns.
"I was able to fit through some holes that they opened up," Williams continued in his praise of the Wildcats' blue-collar and unsung bunch up front. "And the wide receivers, just them coming back to the ball meant so much because I could either run or pass."
As far as Boardman's faithful are concerned, Williams did too much of both. And what he did was complemented by his gifted receivers and the talent and toughness of junior tailback Tim McVey.
Boardman (7-4), which lost for the 16th time in 19 meetings with Saint Ignatius, surprised the Wildcats by booting a low line-drive kick to open the game and recovering the ball at the Saint Ignatius 49.
Six plays later, the Spartans took a 7-0 lead on a 1-yard touchdown run by their standout senior tailback Devin Campbell and the ensuing extra-point kick by Ian Simmons. Campbell's score was set up by a 34-yard pass from quarterback Ryan Pollifrone to receiver/running back Allen Starkey.
However, just when the Federal League tri-champs were feeling pretty good about themselves, Saint Ignatius, behind a strong kick-off return by McVey, the passing and running of Williams, the running and receiving of McVey and the receiving of senior wideout Tim McCoy and senior tight Blake Thomas, responded with a 7-play, 60-yard march.
On first-and-10 from the 15, Williams hooked up with Thomas on a touchdown pass and the score was tied after senior Tim Shenk kicked the first of his three extra points.
"We talked all week that it's an eight-man front and they're willing to blitz," said Wildcats Head Coach Chuck Kyle of the Spartans' defense. "So if we pick up the blitz, there could be a quarterback draw or, if you see a seam, take it. And Eric's very good at that."
With the Wildcats' defense, led by the charge of senior end Mike Ryan, junior nose tackle David Katusha, junior end Matt Gawlik and senior linebackers Zack Ryan (Mike's cousin), Rustom Khouri and James Sheehan, keeping Boardman under control, Saint Ignatius held a 13-7 lead at halftime. The second-quarter scoring was courtesy of Shenk field goals that covered 32 and 46 yards.
It was more of the same for most of the second half, as the 'Cats' "D"put a lot of pressure on Pollifrone and the offense said thanks by pushing the lead to 20-7 on a 14-yard TD pass from Williams to Thomas and another PAT by Shenk.
Mike Ryan, who was a force all night, planted a Spartan in the end zone for a safety with 3 minutes, 52 seconds remaining in the third quarter and the Wildcats took command when McCoy, displaying sure hands and excellent balance, hauled in a touchdown pass from Williams with 9:30 left to be played.
Boardman would score on a 43-yard pass from Pollifrone to Campbell with 5:01 to go, but Saint Ignatius sealed the deal on an interception by senior safety and Miami of Ohio recruit Mike Svetina.
SOCCER
COACH MCLAUGHLIN'S DEFENDING STATE CHAMPIONS WIN THEIR 15TH CONSECUTIVE GAME AND THEIR THIRD STRAIGHT GOLDEN GOAL OVERTIME.
BY EDDIE DWYER, COPYRIGHT NOVEMBER 2011
He had just scored one of the biggest goals in Saint Ignatius' rich soccer history.
But when you're one of the most complete players in the state, you point to and appreciate every facet that leads to victory.
"Our defense played well the whole game," said Wildcats outstanding senior forward/midfielder Matt Foldesy, after his goal two minutes and 15 seconds into overtime led the defending state champion Wildcats to a 2-1 Golden Goal victory over Mayfield in Saturday's Division I regional championship game at Rocky River High School. "They're (the 'Cats' defense) definitely the MVP.
"We created chances, we just lacked the finishing touch," Foldesy continued after his 18th goal of the season sent Saint Ignatius (20-1) into a record fourth consecutive state final four. The four-time state champion Wildcats, who are seeking an Ohio-best five boys state soccer titles, will face Copley (15-2-4) in a semifinal match up on Tuesday night at Nordonia. Action gets underway at 7 p.m.
"Finally we got a good isolation," Foldesy said of the winning-goal sequence, an effort that ended Mayfield's tremendous season at 16-2-3. "You have to tuck it away and we finally did. You got to give it to the defense, really."
Coach Mike McLaughlin's resilient defense, which entered Saturday's game with four consecutive postseason shutouts and 12 overall, was challenged time and again.
Mayfield finally broke loose and, on the strength of a picture-perfect header off the bounce by its multi-skilled senior captain and forward Joey Wise, tied the score with 18:39 remaining in the 40-minute regulation. It was a nice redeemer for Wise, who missed to the left from close range seconds into the second half.
Coach Sean McNamara's Wildcats nearly walked away with a victory in the final 30 seconds of regulation, but a shot by senior captain and forward Nick Kane just missed to the left.
That set the stage for what was another remarkable effort in Foldesy's highlight-reel career.
"I had it on my right foot on the right side and their (goal) keeper was huge, so I thought about hitting it back post. But I figured I wouldn't get it, so I drove in, cut in back, saw another guy, cut one more back and put it away," Foldesy said of a sequence that saw him outmaneuver three Mayfield players.
A University of Akron recruit, Foldesy had nothing but praise for Mayfield, which was trying to become the first Ohio school since 2009 to defeat Saint Ignatius in soccer. Gahanna Lincoln defeated the 'Cats, 1-0, in a shootout in the '09 state championship game.
In an elite-eight encounter that saw both teams miss opportunities, the goalies – Saint Ignatius' Brendan Cash and Mayfield's Drew Teller – each had some impressive saves.
"Soccer is an amazing game," said Coach McLaughlin, who has also guided his program to two national titles. "It can change in a second, the game of soccer. You can be dominating the game, controlling the game, getting more chances on goal. And then when the other team puts one in the back of the net everything changes.
"What I'm most proud about is what we keep talking about, that the playoffs test you and show you what you're capable of. And I think we keep passing the test. We make it interesting, but we keep passing the test. What is shows me is that these guys want to win something this year."
Coach McLaughlin emphasized that Coach McNamara is a great coach and that Mayfield is a team that has done great things all season.
"Those (Mayfield) kids were ready to play, as they have been all season," McLaughlin said.
CROSS COUNTRY
POSTED BY EDDIE DWYER
Saint Ignatius Coach Mike Gallagher '71 saw it in 2009, when his Wildcats ran "the perfect team race" and brought home the Division I state championship, the third in cross country for the Jesuit Preparatory School's tradition-rich athletics program.
On Saturday afternoon at the National Trails Raceway in Hebron, Ohio, Dublin Coffman took a page from Saint Ignatius' 2009 title book and ran what reporters and veteran observers described as a perfect race in taking home the OHSAA's gold trophy.
The Shamrocks didn't need any luck as they outscored the runner-up Wildcats, 101 to 120. Walsh Jesuit was third at 128.
While it might be tough to swallow right now, the sweet taste of what was an outstanding season for the Wildcats' harriers will eventually return.
Ranked No. 1 in the coaches' state poll, Saint Ignatius improved on last year's third-place state finish. Helping accomplish that mark were junior Jack Miller and senior Mitch Baum, who placed 20th and 21st, respectively.
Jack's time was 15:50.89 and Mitch was clocked at 15:55.96.
Congratulations to Coach Gallagher, his staff and all of the Wildcats' runners for putting together what was truly a fall to recall.