By Mr. Eddie Dwyer, Copyright Credit August 2016

Canton, Ohio - Saint Ignatius' first-team defense was as advertised by this corner all summer and the offense, with senior quarterback Patrick Ryan taking charge of the huddle and fueling a strong passing game, was a bit too much for the Canton McKinley Bulldogs to deal with through two quarters on Thursday night at the campus of Canton Central Catholic.

However, in a game-conditions scrimmage that consisted of three quarters, McKinley, benefiting from a few miscues by the Wildcats, including a fumble into the Bulldogs' end zone that McKinley recovered for a touchback, closed to 17-10 with 6 minutes and 10 seconds remaining to be played and knotted the score at 17 with 4:03 left.

Saint Ignatius' fumble into the end zone, which came off a first-and-goal at the 5-yard line, was disappointing at the time, but the Wildcats would actually shake it off and move to a 17-3 lead in the second quarter on a 2-yard touchdown run by junior tailback Matt Viancourt and the ensuing extra-point kick by junior Matt Trickett.

The Matt Viancourt TD was set up by two outstanding throws by Ryan that were complemented by two exceptional routes and receptions by junior wide receiver Connor Kennedy.

Keying a first-team defense that kept McKinley off-balance and under fire through two quarters were senior linebacker/captain Adam Shibley, who lived in the Bulldogs' backfield, senior defensive linemen Joe Gibbons and Mike Chime, senior linebacker Johnny Velotta, who also serves as a captain, and senior linebacker Ben Delhees.

McKinley, shaking off a picture-perfect deep pass from 'Cats junior quarterback Daniel Alexander to junior wide receiver Michael Drobnick, put together its late rally behind the all-around play of Aligha Curtis and the running of Quovatis Young.

THE EARLY GOING

The Wildcats stuck on their first offensive series, as a highlight-reel pass from Ryan to senior wide receiver Michael Daugenti off a third-and-11 from the Saint Ignatius 43 had Hall of Fame Head Coach Chuck Kyle's team in business with a first and 10 at the Bulldogs' 21-yard line.

From there, Saint Ignatius turned to the double-threat athleticism of Ryan and the running of junior tailback Mark Bobinski, and took a 7-0 lead courtesy of a 2-yard TD run by Bobinski and Trickett's PAT.

Coach Kyle's 'Cats would put together a 14-play drive that was capped by a 41-yard field goal by Trickett, an effort that pushed Saint Ignatius' lead to 10-0 with 11:36 left in the second quarter.

THE DREAM RUNS TO DAYLIGHT

Also helping fuel Saint Ignatius' offense on Thursday night was senior tailback Dean "The Dream" Stowers, who turned in a highlight-reel run of speed, balance and vision that covered 40 yards.

DEFENSE, DEFENSE!

Along with the pursuit and passion of its linebackers and defensive linemen, Saint Ignatius was also the recipient of a big momentum-changing interception by junior safety Justin Sands, who came up with his leaping pick right after the 'Cats fumbled away a punt on the Saint Ignatius side of the field.

GAME WEEK!

After Wednesday's practice on Wasmer Field, Coach Kyle reminded his Wildcats to go out Thursday night, play like they are capable of and have fun.

"Then at about 9 o'clock on Thursday night, I am going to ask, 'You know what time it is gentlemen? It's Game Week!'"

Yes, the preseason came to an end Thursday night and now Saint Ignatius will begin preparing for the August 26th season opener with the Normandy Invaders. The kickoff from Parma's Byers Field in Robert M. Boulton Stadium is 7 PM and, as always, the corner will preview the game early next week.

Coach Kyle was pleased that his first team controlled most of the Jamboree and was very happy with Ryan's take-charge leadership, the veterans on defense and the depth displayed by his receiving corps. The fumble into the end zone and the fumbled punt have to be addressed, but some of the problems the second and third units experienced are, said Coach Kyle, "coachable things."

OTHER IMPRESSIVE BULLDOGS

Along with the above mentioned Curtis and Young, this corner was also impressed with McKinley's standout outside linebacker Kadeem Trotter, who is bound for Syracuse, and the size and athleticism of quarterback Dominique Robinson, who is headed for Miami of Ohio. Yes, there is a chance we could see Coach Dan Reardon's Bulldogs again this season - in the OHSAA playoffs.

ALTHOUGH THE SCORE WASN'T OFFICIALLY KEPT IN EITHER SCRIMMAGE, THE CORNER WANTED TO GET THE REACTIONS OF WILDCATS HEAD JUNIOR VARSITY COACH PAUL YAPPEL AND HEAD FRESHMEN COACH RODNEY GALLAWAY ON HOW THEY FELT THEIR TEAMS PERFORMED ON THURSDAY EVENING VERSUS THE JV AND FRESHMEN PROGRAMS FROM MCKINLEY.

COACH YAPPEL: "We did start well and we did well offensively," said Coach Yappel of the long pass and catch put together by sophomore quarterback Patrick Delahunty and sophomore wide receiver Nigel Drummond, a play that led to a 4-yard touchdown run by sophomore tailback Jahadge "Bo" Floyd.

The 'Cats also struck on a long TD strike from sophomore quarterback Mike Sarko to sophomore wide receiver Luke Cooper.

"I also thought we played pretty smart defensively," Coach Yappell said, who watched his hard-nosed sophomore linebacker Chris Velotta come up with a text-book tackle for a loss, sophomore defensive back Mitchell Puhalsky make a perfectly timed and aggressive pass breakup, and sophomore linebacker Griffin Sheehan, seeing the flow of the play, come up with an interception that would make any secondary coach happy.

"Like I said, sophomore year is a process, it's about getting better," continued Coach Yappel. "It's coming together, I think we're in a good place right now. This is a tough year to play football, your sophomore year. In this program it's tough because now you're part of Varsity football, you're practicing with the Varsity and it's much faster than freshman year.

"It's just about getting better and they'll get better," said Coach Yappel. "It's a tough year, but it's worth it if you do the right things and are committed to the program."

FROM COACH GALLAWAY: "I like that we sort of adjusted to the physicality, actually being able to hit somebody that is not ourselves," Coach Gallaway said. "In addition, I thought we ran the ball well at times. The running backs were seeing the holes real well and obviously, the linemen were opening those holes.

"There are still things we have to work on, like minor missed assignments and stuff like that," Coach Gallaway continued. "Just things we have to button up. In a week's prep we'll be okay. When we made the adjustments (versus McKinley), the guys were able to adjust. If there in the right spot, the physical part will take care of itself.

"Defensively, I thought we looked good," said Coach Gallaway. "The coverage was fine. It's really just about making sure we tackle."

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WISHES TODAY (FRIDAY) GO OUT TO WILDCATS DEAN OF STUDENTS AND OUTSTANDING LINEBACKERS COACH RYAN FRANZINGER '02.