ONE, TWO, THREE!
WITH COACH MIKE MCLAUGHLIN'S STATE AND NATIONAL CHAMPION SOCCER PROGRAM LEADING THE WAY, THE 'CATS' FALL SPORTS PROGRAMS ARE HONORED FOR AGAIN FINISHING AMONG THE BEST OF THE BEST IN OHIO.
By Eddie Dwyer
COPYRIGHT, Nov. 2010
After Saint Ignatius' cross country, golf and soccer teams broke bread with their teammates, classmates, friends and families in the Rade Dining Hall on Thursday night, Wildcats Athletic Director Rory Fitzpatrick '88 presented a special moment for the seniors associated with those programs.
In what was the first emotional applause from the annual banquet honoring the achievements of fall sports, Rory asked the seniors to come to the stage in the Rade Dining Hall, where he presented each one of them with a commemorative pin. The seniors, before breaking up into separate rooms for their team's awards, combined on an excellent presentation of the Alma Mater.
Rory and Saint Ignatius Principal Peter H. Corrigan, Jr. each made reference to the impressive 1-2-3 finish in state competition by the soccer, golf and cross country teams and they also paid tribute to the endless devotion of the parents, the coaches, the best athletic trainer in the nation in Hank Gaughan, team Chaplin Fr. Jack Murphy and Mike Watts '11, Mark Szwejkowski '11, Sean Hegarty '11 and Moderator Jeff McCormick '83 of the Wildcats' award-winning Broadcasting Network and Sports Information Department.
“SIMPLY THE BEST”: Although most of the many outstanding accomplishments by Coach Mike McLaughlin's state and national champion soccer team have been documented on the corner, we wanted to present some of those special moments and awards that took place in the Sullivan Atrium on Thursday night, where Coach McLaughlin '85 and his staff honored their 23-0 Wildcats.
Before he announced the individual awards, Coach McLaughlin emphasized that he was blessed to have players who come from “great families.
In what was a fall laden with greatness, those players brought home the program's fourth state championship and the second in three seasons, and the second national championship. And that was accomplished with only four starters returning from last year's 22-1 state runner-up team.
Among Thursday's early honorees was sophomore Nate Fahey, he of the memorable goal at St. Edward, a player Coach McLaughlin described as maybe the hardest working forward/defender in the entire state.
There was Fahey's classmate, Tyler Sanda, and his two pivotal goals at Strongsville and relentless efforts every night out. Sanda's accomplishments were followed by the introduction of a “special player,” in the words of Coach McLaughlin.
Junior forward Matt Foldesy, who made his mark in a hurry with four goals on opening night against University School, finished with a team-leading 22 goals and added 13 assists. In the 35-year history of the 'Cats' soccer program, there have been only eight players who have scored 20 or more goals.
Senior Greg Kurtz, a player this corner described as someone whose tremendous impact on the game doesn't always show up in a line score, was labeled by his coach as “flat out one of the best center-backs in Ohio, a great battler who really didn't know how good he was.''
Senior Cody Dawson was introduced as a dominant game-changing player and a tremendous defender, juniors Zach Martin and Max Pathroff and senior Matt Petrella were recognized for their hard-nosed defense and hustle, Coach McLaughlin fondly recalled the Hat Trick by junior forward Noah Toumert against Padua and the late-game skills of junior Preston Spurrier, and junior Brendan Cash received a strong ovation for his near flawless work in goal.
And then there is senior co-captain and Davidson recruit Luke Blades, who sacrificed many of his brilliant individual skills so the Wildcats could operate like the well-oiled machine they are.
A first-team All-Ohio selection, Luke joined his older brothers, Gavin and Mark, as Wildcat standouts who, in their senior season, earned All-Ohio, All-Academic All-Ohio and played on a state-championship team. Gavin, as Coach McLaughlin said, got it all started as a mainstay on the first state-championship team of 2004 and Mark, now an assistant coach for McLaughlin, was a catalyst on the 2005 state and national-championship team. Mark is the first to both play and coach on a national-championship team.
After Coach McLaughlin presented the prestigious Coach's Cup to senior defender Nick Bashour, he payed tribute to his staff – the eye-popping success on the junior-varsity level and the eloquent and dramatic pregame speeches by coach Jim Brennan '85, the All-Ohio credentials of Mark Blades and Dan Crew '99, the brilliant development work on the freshman level by Paul Kobe '79 and Tara Henderson, and the unmatched scouting and pregame preparation by Joe Popelka '84. McLaughlin also applauded the tireless efforts of team Videographer Zachary Zvosecz '11 and Team Managers Owen Johnson and Johnny Powell.
The Captains Awards went to Luke Blades, gifted first-team All-Ohio senior midfielder Yianni Sarris and standout senior midfielder Ryan Ivancic. The Magis Award, which is based on the Latin word for giving more or to a greater extent, was presented to both Dawson and Kurtz.
Lukes Blades took home the Most Valuable Defender Award, Ivancic was chosen as the Most Valuable Midfielder and the Most Valuable Players Awards went to Foldesy and Sarris (18 goals and 7 assists).
Ivancic, Sarris and Luke Blades are the only three players in the history of Division I Ohio high school soccer to play in three consecutive state finals. Ivancic totaled 30 goals and 24 assists in his memorable high school career and Sarris, a Florida Gulf Coast University recruit, racked up career marks of 30 goals and 17 assists.
The night also included a special video presentation, which was highlighted by the Wildcats' uncanny ability to know when to turn on the intensity and when to have fun. It concluded with some of the most heart-warming and humorous moments along the road to the top, moments that were accompanied by Tina Turner's hit song, “Simply the Best.''
And that they were, from the warmth of late August through the brisk chill of mid-November, “better than all the rest.”