Coach Chuck Kyle's Wildcats will face Coach Dan Reardon's Canton McKinley Bulldogs on Thursday at 7 PM in the annual Preseason Jamboree at Canton Central Catholic's Lowell Klinefelter Stadium. The Jamboree will be played under game conditions and the OHSAA does permit an admission charge for Jamborees.

A 5 PM split-field scrimmage between the Junior Varsity and Freshmen programs from Saint Ignatius and McKinley will precede the Varsity Jamboree. The Bulldogs, who finished 7-4 last season after qualifying for the first round of the playoffs, return a solid nucleus from 2015.

McKinley has the returning Inland District Defensive Player of the Year in senior linebacker Reggie Corner (an Akron recruit). The Bulldogs also return Division I commits in linebacker Kadeem Trotter (Syracuse) and QB Dominique Robinson (Miami of Ohio).

Following Thursday's Jamboree the Wildcats will focus on the August 26 season opener versus the Normandy Invaders. The kickoff from Byers Field in Parma's Robert M. Boulton Stadium will be 7 PM. The corner will preview the matchup with Normandy early next week.

CLOSING OUT TWO-A-DAYS: After Mother Nature sent her showers down on Wasmer Field in Tuesday's first session, the 'Cats went to work on special teams and closed out the second session with an emphasis on the running game, a drill that saw some nice work by Coach Adam Rini's and Coach Paul Yappel's offensive line.

In what was one of the top defensive efforts on the day/early evening, lineman Kevin Ward came with passion and quickness off a rush, went airborne and deflected a pass that popped up in the air and into the sure and alert hands of Dan Ruddy for a diving interception.

A single practice will take place on Wednesday (today) at 2:30 PM as the 'Cats prep for the Bulldogs.