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A HUGE WEEKEND AWAITS THE 'CATS' ATHLETIC TEAMS. COACH KYLE'S VARSITY FOOTBALL TEAM REMAINS SECOND IN THE EITEL RATINGS AND MOVES UP TO 2ND PLACE IN THE PLAIN DEALER'S TOP 25. THE OUTCOME OF SATURDAY'S GAME VS. ST. XAVIER WILL BE A REAL BELL RINGER.

By Eddie Dwyer, 10/17/11, 12:00AM EDT

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After a runner-up finish in 2010, Coach Terry Hopkins' varsity golf team will be pursuing the program's first state title since the back-to-back championships of 2001 & '02 when the Wildcats' linksmen tee it up at The Ohio State University's Scarlet Course on Friday morning.

Led by district champion and Oklahoma recruit Beau Titsworth and sectional medalist and Xavier University-bound Matt Gerard, Saint Ignatius has a tee-off time of 9 A.M. The 'Cats' fifth player will swing first and the 4th, 3rd, 2nd and 1st golfers will follow in eight-minute intervals.

Just a reminder that Coach Mike McLaughlin's defending state and national champion soccer team will begin postseason play on Thursday night at 7 on Wasmer Field. The Wildcats (15-1) will face Midpark (4-12) in what will be a Division I sectional final.

The varsity cross country team, the top-ranked team in the state's coaches poll, will be competing in the Strongsville High School District on Saturday. Coach Mike Gallagher's harriers begin their postseason in pursuit of a fourth state championship and the second since the great "team race" by the 'Cats' runners of 2009.

And the varsity and junior varsity football teams face major tests on Saturday, as they take on their Jesuit brothers from Cincinnati St. Xavier. The junior varsity game is at Wasmer Field at 10 A.M., and the varsity match up will take place at John Carroll University's Don Shula Stadium with the kickoff at 2 P.M.

After their will-testing 21-20 overtime victory at St. Francis on Saturday night (see story below), the Wildcats' varsity football team remains in second place in the Division I, Region 1 computer-playoff ratings by guru Joe Eitel. Joe's top eight are Mentor (which has already clinched a playoff spot), Saint Ignatius, Solon, Cleveland Heights, Willoughby South, St. Edward, Boardman and John F. Kennedy. Mr. Eitel has St. Xavier in the fourth spot in the Division I, Region 4 ratings.

Under the OHSAA Harbin playoff system, the top eight teams in each of the state's 24 regions at the end of the regular season qualify for the regional quarterfinals and the top four are awarded a home game.

The Wildcats, despite being tested by St. Francis and Mother Nature, moved from fourth to second place in the weekly Plain Dealer Top 25 seven county poll.

As always, the corner will post its preview on the Saint Ignatius-St. Xavier varsity football game Tuesday night, along with the corner's Players of the Week from the ride-like-the-wind St. Francis game.

****FROM THE CINCINNATI ST. XAVIER HOME PAGE WEB SITE

A Bell by Any Other Name
The relationship between St. Xavier and Sant Ignatius high schools is as close as their patronal namesakes might suggest. Yet they are as different as Cincinnati and Cleveland, caught in a friendly rivalry of peers separated by the length and width of Ohio.

When the teams meet on the football field every year, the respective presidents – Fr. Tim Howe S.J. of St. Xavier and Fr. Bill Murphy S.J. of Sant Ignatius – conduct a wager on the outcome. The president of the winning school celebrates a post-game Mass for both communities; the loser must offer the homily.

A new wrinkle enters the equation for the 2011 renewal of the rivalry – a victory bell to serve as a traveling trophy awarded to the victorious squad following their Oct. 22 meeting at John Carroll University.

The bell trophy is the brainchild of Fr. Murphy, who served St. Xavier as a teacher during his Jesuit regency and again after ordination in the Bomber development and business offices.

While rumors swirl concerning Fr. Murphy – who may or may not have climbed the tower of the cathedral in Loyola, Spain, and liberated the bell from the Jesuit founder’s home during the 2008 Ignatian Pilgrimage - the fact remains the trophy has no official name.

As a result, a contest is under way to name the bell. The name must be Jesuit appropriate and should incorporate a Jesuit or Ignatian theme. The winner of this contest will receive a prize. The winning name will be revealed at the game at Don Shula Stadium on October 22.

St. Xavier students may submit entries to name the bell by clicking here. Deadline for nominations is noon Thursday, Oct. 20, two days before the inaugural presentation of the trophy.

Nominations will be reviewed by a panel of judges from both Saint Ignatius and St. Xavier.