THE WILDCATS WERE STRONG UP FRONT ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BALL IN THE 20-17 TRIUMPH, AS THE SERIES NOW STANDS AT 26-21-1 IN FAVOR OF THE 'CATS. A STANDING-ROOM CROWD OF MORE THAN 11,000 WAS ON HAND AT LAKEWOOD STADIUM.
SAINT IGNATIUS (8-2) WILL FACE BOARDMAN (7-3) ON SATURDAY NIGHT AT 7 IN A DIVISION I REGIONAL QUARTERFINAL MATCH UP FROM BYERS FIELD.
****THE WILDCATS' CROSS COUNTRY TEAM RACES TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP AT THE TIFFIN REGIONAL AND INTO NEXT SATURDAY'S STATE MEET AT THE NATIONAL TRAILS RACEWAY IN HEBRON, OHIO. SENIOR MITCH BAUM (16:05.11) AND JUNIOR JACK MILLER (16:06.41) FINISH FIFTH AND SIXTH, RESPECTIVELY, AS SAINT IGNATIUS OUTSCORES MEDINA, 69 POINTS TO 121. THE WILDCATS' OVERALL TIME WAS 1:21:59.44, WITH AN AVERAGE OF 16:23.89.
BY EDDIE DWYER, COPYRIGHT OCTOBER 2011
Saint Ignatius' gifted junior defensive lineman Kevin Kavalec referred to Saturday night's 20-17 victory over a talent-rich St. Edward team as "very satisfying."
And not only because it came against the Wildcats' long-time West Side rival, but also after what happened last season.
Saint Ignatius, after finishing 4-6 against a 2010 who's who schedule, failed to qualify for the Division I playoffs for the first time since 1987.
After a season-ending loss to eventual Division I state champion St. Edward, some members of the local media asked Coach Chuck Kyle '69 what went wrong and what was wrong with the football program at the Jesuit Preparatory School.
This past summer, a few of the national websites were jumping on the bandwagon in saying that Saint Ignatius' postseason prominence was over.
Don't think for a minute that Kavalec and the rest of the 2011 Wildcats weren't aware of the kick them when they're down criticism.
"It's the best," Kavalec said after his OUTSTANDING play up front helped lead Saint Ignatius to an 8-2 regular season, a second-place finish in the Region 1 playoff picture and a match up with Boardman (7-3) in next Saturday's regional-quarterfinal playoffs at Parma's Byers Field. "Yeah, it's so satisfying. Last year after games it hurt so much."
While both the Wildcats and the Eagles (7-3) will be hurting physically on Sunday after another pad-cracking encounter, Saint Ignatius can take satisfaction in qualifying for the OHSAA postseason for the 23rd time.
And no matter what the playoffs bring, Coach Kyle's record 10-time, state-champion program is just fine thank you.
In defeating nationally acclaimed St. Edward for the 20th time in the past 27 meetings, including five of the past six, the Wildcats had to overcome a 10-3 halftime deficit.
After field goals by Saint Ignatius' Tim Shenk and the Eagles' Jake Wilhelm had the score knotted at 3-3 with 9 minutes, 38 seconds remaining in the first half, St. Edward took advantage of an interception at its 37-yard line and put together a 15-play march.
Eagles junior tailback Dwayne Aaron, the game's leading rusher with 103 yards on 20 carries, scored on a 7-yard sweep and, following Wilhelm's extra point, St. Edward led, 10-3, with 47 seconds to go in the first half.
While the Eagles, who also qualified for the playoffs in the sixth spot in Region 1, were riding the first-half momentum, the Wildcats refused to let this one get away.
Saint Ignatius' defense and special teams, which have been playing sound and aggressive football for the past seven weeks, helped turn the tide in the second half.
With standout senior outside linebacker/punter James Sheehan getting off a soaring punt that St. Edward couldn't handle, Wildcats junior linebacker Kevin Smith pounced on the football for a recovery at the Eagles' 37.
On the next play, Saint Ignatius senior quarterback Eric Williams dropped back and, under heavy pressure, got off a pass down the middle.
Wildcats senior wide receiver Tim McCoy, displaying the skills he brings to the baseball field as a crafty center fielder, made a great adjustment on the ball, soared over the defender and came down with the reception at the St. Ed's 2.
After a procedure penalty on Saint Ignatius, Wildcats gritty junior tailback Tim McVey, off nice blocks by senior tackle Trevor Herak and senior tight end Blake Thomas, powered his way into the end zone from 7 yards and Shenk's extra point tied the score at 10-10 with just over 10 minutes left in the third quarter.
The 'Cats' "D" came to the fore again, as savvy senior cornerback Adam North, reading the play from the get-go, intercepted Eagles junior quarterback Ryan Fallon at the St. Edward 42.
Behind the passing of Williams, the receiving of junior wideout Conor Hennessey and Thomas, a heads-up fumble recovery by Hennessey and the running of McVey, Saint Ignatius took a 17-10 lead on a 10-yard touchdown strike from Williams to Thomas and another extra point by Shenk at the 7:24 mark of the third quarter.
"Give the defensive coaches and the defensive players credit," Coach Kyle said. "We had to use our quickness and get our reads (against the Eagles' massive offensive line). You try to be disciplined, quick and find your seam. It was a battle, they're good and we're good."
And St. Edward showed just how good it is by taking advantage of one of eight exceptional receptions by record-setting wide receiver Chris Connors off a third-and-9 play and tying the score on a 1-yard keeper by Fallon and Wilhelm's second extra point.
The night belonged to Saint Ignatius, however, as Coach Kyle's team got a strong kickoff return by McVey, a perfectly executed catch and run by senior wide receiver Jake Mooney, another sure-handed grab by McCoy and a 24-yard scramble by Williams, all of which showed the way to the game's final points - a 35-yard field goal by Shenk with 11:56 left in the fourth quarter.
Over the final 11 minutes, the Wildcats' defense, which got a remarkable 11-player effort led by Kavalec and All-Ohio senior strong safety Mike Svetina, turned the Eagles away on a quick-reaction play by junior corner Tommy Fanning, a sack that featured the Ryan cousins, Mike, a senior end, and Zack, a senior linebacker, a pass deflection by senior middle linebacker Rustom Khouri and pressure on the outside from Sheehan.
The victory wasn't sealed, however, until Saint Ignatius made a gutsy call on a third-and-9 in its own territory.
With 2:24 remaining and St. Edward out of timeouts, Williams dropped back, connected with Thomas for a first down and the Wildcats ran out the clock.
"We got a big push up front for the whole game," said Ohio State recruit Thomas of the performance by the 'Cats' offensive line. "As for the final pass, I was pretty sure it was coming to me. I had to get off the line, I felt I was open a little bit and Eric put it where it needed to be."
Williams, who was selected as the Great American Rivalry Series MVP after completing 16 of 28 passes for 194 yards and making several key scrambles, gave all of the credit to Thomas on the game-sealer, saying that the pass to Blake was actually a little behind him. Williams described his first experience with the St. Edward rivalry as "an awesome atmosphere."
"It's something we had to do after last year," said Thomas of Saint Ignatius' 23rd trip to the playoffs in 24 seasons. "We worked extremely hard the entire off season."