By Mr. Eddie Dwyer

It is a privilege for this corner to congratulate senior football standout Joe Gibbons, who has been selected as the Saint Ignatius Athlete of the Week for his outstanding performance against St. Edward last weekend.

Joe, the man in the middle for one of the premier defensive lines in Ohio, was more than the Eagles could deal with as he helped the Wildcats to a 34-7 victory over their West Side rivals in front of a crowd of more than 18,000 at the Browns' FirstEnergy Stadium.

 Joe, who is also a member of Coach Mark Sullivan's successful wrestling program, made his presence felt from the get-go by playing a key role on the momentum-swinging, goal-line stand during the game's first series.

In what was an effort that stunned the Eagles and their faithful, Joe and his teammates slammed  the door and held St. Edward without a yard on three plays from the 1-yard line.

Joe finished the game with 4 solo tackles, 2 assists, and one forced fumble. He also tipped the pass that was intercepted by senior safety Matt Wiegandt, setting up the Wildcats' first touchdown, and helped make it almost impossible for the Eagles to establish any type of running attack.

Joe's brother John '14 was a captain and standout linebacker on the Saint Ignatius team that "upset" the then undefeated and top-ranked in Ohio St. Edward Eagles, 23-17, on October 19th, 2013 at Lakewood Stadium, and his brother Patrick '13 was the recipient of the coveted Coaches Cup for his endless devotion as a Manager for the Wildcats' Basketball Program. Patrick also received the prestigious Fred DiSanto '80 Award in the spring of 2013.

Congratulations again to Joe, the Gibbons family, Head Coach Chuck Kyle '69, defensive line coaches Dave Cicetti and Mark Sullivan, defensive coordinator Ryan Franzinger '02 and the entire Saint Ignatius Wildcats Football Program.