By Mr. Eddie Dwyer, Copyright Credit October 2016
Parma, Ohio - The Saint Ignatius Football Wildcats know what the business at hand is all about, as they strive to return to the OHSAA Division I playoffs after not qualifying for the postseason in 2015.
Standing in their way on Saturday night was one of the area's Cinderella teams, if you will, the Parma Senior Redmen.
Only time will tell if Parma Senior's surprising start this season is for real.
One thing was very clear on Saturday night, however. The Redmen were thoroughly overmatched on Byers Field in Parma's Robert. M. Boulton Stadium by a program that has been the real deal on the gridiron for decades.
The record 11-time OHSAA State Champion Saint Ignatius Wildcats, dominating from the opening kickoff until the final second of a second-half running clock ticked away in the fourth quarter, overwhelmed the Redmen, 49-0, in the storied facility that serves as the home field for the Parma Public Schools and Saint Ignatius.
Parma Senior, which took a four-game winning streak into Saturday's opening kickoff, now stands 4-2 with aspirations of a Great Lakes Conference championship and a possible playoff spot still alive.
Saint Ignatius, a three-time national champion in football (1989, 1993 and 1995), will now gear up for a demanding four-game stretch that, if successful, will lead the now 5-1 Wildcats to their 27th playoff appearance since 1988.
The stretch includes a trip to GlenOak this coming Friday night, a matchup with Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller on October 14 at Otterbein University, the battle for the Cannon Bell at Cincinnati St. Xavier on October 22, and the annual West Side showdown with St. Edward on October 29 in the Browns' FirstEnergy Stadium.
As for last night, Hall of Fame Head Coach Chuck Kyle '69 watched his 'Cats bring Parma Senior back down to earth early and often.
Following a strong punt return by junior wide receiver Sam Snyder to the Redmen 42-yard line, senior quarterback Patrick Ryan needed just one play to get his team in the end zone as he fired a rope down the seam to junior wide receiver Connor Kennedy, who never broke stride in the 42-yard scoring hookup. Standout senior punter/kicker Colin Goodfellow sent home the extra point and Saint Ignatius led, 7-0, with less than three minutes gone in the opening quarter.
After another impressive punt return, this time by Kennedy, the Wildcats were in business again at the Parma Senior 28-yard line.
Five plays later, gifted senior tailback Jimmy Andrews took a quick flip pass from Ryan, bolted to the outside and into the right corner of the scoreboard end zone in Boulton Stadium for an 8-yard touchdown. Goodfellow was high and true on his extra point, and it was 14-0 with 6:47 to go in the first quarter.
The Redmen were on ropes and never got off of them, as Saint Ignatius continued to stagger the home city team with telling blows on both sides of the ball.
After tough and talented senior defensive linemen Mike Chime and Joe Gibbons took the Parma quarterback on a trip to sack city, the Redmen had to punt from deep in their territory.
Kennedy struck with yet another impressive punt return to the Parma 37, and from there the running of hard-nosed junior tailback Mark Bobinski and Ryan set up a first-and-goal at the 6-yard line.
Bobinski did the honors from 6 yards out by galloping over left guard and tackle, cutting inside and into the scoreboard end zone. Goodfellow added the PAT and it was a 21-0 game with 2:47 remaining in the first quarter.
With the Wildcats' outstanding defensive and offensive fronts becoming the nightmare on Ridge Road and Day Drive, the Parma Senior faithful watched Saint Ignatius push its lead to 35-0 by halftime and force the OHSAA deficit rule of a running clock to come into play for the entire second half.
Senior tailback Dean Stowers took over where Andrews and Bobinski left off, as the young man nicknamed "The Dream" led an 8-play, 57-yard drive and capped it with his 2-yard touchdown run. The 'Cats' fifth TD of the first half came courtesy of a 4-yard keeper by Ryan.
Ryan was flawless through the air while displaying exceptional field generalship, going 9-for-9 for 115 yards. Patrick played just the first half.
The second half saw junior quarterback Daniel Alexander combine with Snyder on a 57-yard touchdown pass and gritty and skilled junior running back Aidan Gill run over half of Parma Senior's defense on a second, third and fourth-effort 15-yard touchdown run into the Day Drive end zone.
Goodfellow, who garnered All-Ohio recognition last season, kicked six extra points, had a 54-yard punt and sent seven kickoffs deep into the end zones for touchbacks.
The final numbers for Saint Ignatius were as dominant as the scoreboard.
The 'Cats had 20 first downs to Parma Senior's 3 (all 3 came in the second half), outrushed the Redmen, 181-34, and had 172 yards passing to zero for Parma Senior.
FROM COACH KYLE: "I thought Pat (Ryan) did a wonderful job of managing the game, but sometimes that term isn't clear. Offensively we'll call a play, but several times there is an option where the quarterback can throw or hand off. It depends on the defense. He has to look around and make a decision, and he was making wonderful decisions. I thought he managed that part very well.
"Both of our lines are very good and the kids on the special teams did a real nice job of handling the line drive punts, looking for the first hop, fielding it and get moving. They did a great job, we were excited. That was good composure in terms of reading the ball."