By Eddie Dwyer, Copyright Credit August 2016
From Byers Field in Parma's Robert M. Boulton Stadium - "We really did," said Saint Ignatius' Hall of Fame Head Football Coach Chuck Kyle '69, after this old timer said it appeared that Coach Kyle's Wildcats did just about everything they set out to do in opening the 2016 season with a 45-point shutout over the Invaders from Normandy on what was a picture-perfect late August Friday night on Ridge Road and Day Drive.
"Normandy has a lot of young kids and those kids are playing hard," Coach Kyle said after he picked up his 322nd career victory in what is his 34th season as the head of his alma mater's football program. "They're really believing. That's a good group of kids at Normandy. It was good, clean football and I think our kids had a very good attitude towards it.
"It's more about how each of us (Normand and Saint Ignatius) can improve," Coach Kyle continued. "The scoreboards take care of themselves. You walk out on a football field and there's an opponent. All week, we challenged each of the kids on how do we improve a little bit more from what we did against Canton McKinley (the final preseason tune up on August 18th). Especially the second and third groups that were not as sharp versus Canton McKinley. And I thought we did a fine job tonight."
The Wildcats' first team took care of its responsibility from the get-go, as under the direction of senior quarterback Patrick Ryan Saint Ignatius turned to the running of junior tailback Mark Bobinski and the work of its big and seasoned offensive line, and took a 7-0 lead on a 1-yard touchdown run by Bobinski and the ensuing extra-point kick by junior Matthew Trickett.
With All-Ohio senior kicker/punter Colin Goodfellow booming kickoffs into the end zone and Saint Ignatius' defense being more than Normandy could deal with, the Invaders played the first half pinned deep in their territory on every possession.
The Wildcats pushed their lead to 14-0 on their second offensive series, as senior tailback Jimmy Andrews bolted 12 yards over the left side for another score off the ground game. Trickett added his second extra point with 4 minutes and 34 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
Ryan helped set up Andrews' TD with two smooth completions to senior wide receivers Travis Pot and Michael Daugenti, and a 10-yard run off a quarterback keeper.
Saint Ignatius' defense then set the table with a fumble recovery by junior cornerback Cameron Toppin at the Invaders' 19-yard line and on the very next pay Pot hauled in a touchdown strike from Ryan. Trickett's extra point was high and true, and the 'Cats' led, 21-0, with 2:51 left in the opening quarter.
Following another three-and-out by the Normandy offense and a punt by the Invaders that rolled out of bounds at the Normandy 37, Saint Ignatius hit the quick-strike button again.
Senior tailback Dean "The Dream" Stowers took the handoff on first down, swept the left side and in a blur covered the 37 yards into the Day Drive end zone. Trickett's PAT made it a 28-0 game with 22 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
"We weren't looking to roll a score up or anything like that," said Coach Kyle. "What we wanted to do was execute. The first group, we were running and throwing, and the defense was doing a great job. It's an option team (Normandy's offense), so you have to be very disciplined."
Clearing his bench early and often, Coach Kyle watched his Wildcats stretch their lead to 31-0 on a 32-yard field goal by Trickett with 8:29 remaining in the first half. The gifted Trickett will get some rest tonight and then gear up for Saturday's 1 PM soccer match versus Toledo St. John's Jesuit in the Ohio Jesuit Cup at Walsh Jesuit.
After a 43-yard touchdown run by Andrews was wiped out by a penalty, the undaunted 'Cats scored on an 8-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Kyle Hall to junior wide receiver Michael Drobnick. Another PAT by Trickett made it a 38-0 game with 4:57 to go in the first half.
A 1-yard keeper by senior quarterback Luke Baker and an extra-point kick by junior Drew Allessandro closed out the scoring with 52 seconds left in the third quarter. Under the OHSAA deficit rule, the entire second half was played with a running clock.
BY THE NUMBERS: The Wildcats totaled 22 first downs to Normandy's 3. Saint Ignatius rushed for 233 yards and passed for 97 yards, completing 8 of its 10 throws. The Invaders rushed for 36 yards and were 0 for 7 passing the football.
UP NEXT: The 'Cats will host the Mentor Cardinals on Saturday, September 3. The kickoff in what will be a huge game in terms of OHSAA computer playoff points will be 7 PM on Byers Field in Parma's Robert M. Boulton Stadium. Coach Steve Trivisonno's Cardinals opened their season with a 57-31 victory over the Massillon Tigers on Friday night in Mentor's Jerome T. Osborne Sr. Stadium.
"It's going to be a packed house next week," said Coach Kyle of what this corner has labeled as one of the finest Public School versus Catholic School football rivalries in the nation. "It will be a playoff-caliber game and we certainly want to come out and do a better job defending than we did last year (a 63-56 Mentor victory in Osborne Sr. Stadium)."
The corner will preview what will be the 20th meeting between Saint Ignatius and Mentor on the gridiron Wednesday night. The Wildcats lead the all-time series, 11-8, but the Cardinals have won the last three meetings, including a third-round playoff victory in 2013.