By Mr. Eddie Dwyer, Copyright Credit November/December 2016
Back where they belong.
The record 11-time OHSAA Division I State Champion Wildcats (13-1) will face the two-time State Football Champions from Cincinnati St. Xavier (9-5) in Friday night's big-school state championship game at Ohio Stadium, the home of Coach Urban Meyer's The Ohio State University Buckeyes.
Friday's kickoff, which is scheduled for 8 PM, will mark the third time that Saint Ignatius and St. Xavier are meeting for Ohio's Division I football championship. The Wildcats won the previous two title showdowns with the Bombers, 24-14 in 1992 and 37-6 in 2001. Both of those games were played in Canton's legendary Fawcett Stadium, now Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
Saint Ignatius will take the field at Ohio Stadium riding a 10-game winning streak that includes a 31-14, Week 9 regular-season triumph over St. Xavier on the Bombers' Tom Ballaban Field. St. Xavier leads the all-time Jesuit School gridiron rivalry, 12-11.
Here is a look at the Wildcats' pursuit for No. 12 , with comments from Saint Ignatius' Hall of Fame Head Coach Mr. Chuck Kyle '69.
Cleveland, Ohio - As the Wildcats and their faithful were celebrating the 24-14 victory over previously undefeated Olentangy Liberty in last weekend's State Semifinal on Mansfield's Arlin Field, the man who has directed one of the greatest postseason runs in the nation talked about going back to another State Championship Game.
"It's great to be going back," said Coach Kyle of what will be his 13th appearance in the OHSAA Division I State Championship Game, a run that started in 1988 and, along with the record 11 state titles, includes a state runner-up finish in 1996.
"I looked over at Nick Restifo on the sidelines after we kicked the field goal and there were only a few seconds left and said, 'We're not that old, are we? We can do this.'
"I just think a coach's job is actually trying to help these kids win a game," Coach Kyle continued. "Honestly, you're out there facing a good defense (from Olentangy Liberty) and you're not thinking about what happened in the past. You're thinking about coming up with a good blocking scheme or a pass pattern. Honestly, that's what it's really about."
Coach Kyle and the man who has been by his side throughout Saint Ignatius' magical ride on the gridiron, veteran Offensive Coordinator Nick Restifo, have consistently found those schemes and patterns.
Accompanying the 27 OHSAA playoff appearances, 11 state championships and a state runner-up are three national titles (1989, 1993 and 1995), a national runner-up in 2008 and an amazing string of five consecutive state titles from 1991 to 1995.
Coach Kyle, whose has 334 career victories in what is his 34th season as the head of his alma mater's football program, will take a postseason record of 70-15 into "The Horseshoe" on Friday night.
HERE IS COACH KYLE'S LOOK AT COACH STEVE SPECHT'S BOMBERS, WHO HAVE WON FIVE CONSECUTIVE GAMES (FOUR IN THE POSTSEASON) SINCE THEIR 31-14 REGULAR SEASON SETBACK TO THE WILDCATS IN THE QUEEN CITY. SAINT XAVIER IS MAKING ITS 23rd PLAYOFF APPEARANCE.
"The young Wolf is a very good quarterback," Coach Kyle said of the Bombers' 6-foot-2, 185-pound junior Chase Wolf, who recently was offered a scholarship from the Badgers of Wisconsin and enters Friday's title game with 983 yards through the air and 11 touchdown passes.
Saint Xavier, which brought home its state football championships in 2007 and 2005, and was a state runner-up 2001,1998 and 1992, has been bolstered by the return to health of 6-3, 210-pound senior quarterback Sean Clifford, a Penn State recruit.
In the Bombers' last three games (playoff victories over Colerain, Sycamore and Pickerington Central), Clifford has completed 45 of 77 passes for 526 yards and four touchdowns, and has rushed for 360 yards and five TDs on 65 carries.
Coach Specht, who is proud of the way his team stayed the course and "earned" its way into Friday's State Championship matchup with the Wildcats, has employed Wolf's and Clifford's skills together. No offense to St. Xavier's other backs, but Clifford appears to be the Bombers' most productive ball carrier.
"He's a strong runner," said Coach Kyle of Clifford. "We knew he could throw, we played against him last year. In the playoff films that we've exchanged, his running has been very good. They have specific plays where he is clearly running the ball.
"In the Sycamore game (a 35-28 Regional Final victory), they were trailing 14-0 and wow, he came in and brought them back," added Coach Kyle in reference to Clifford. "He made it 14-7 with a broken tackle and a beautiful run, and woke the Bombers up. There is no doubt that he has been their key guy in the playoffs. They've had some tight games, and he's the guy who has come through for them."
The Bombers' last three playoff games resulted in overtime victories over Colerain and Sycamore, and a fourth-quarter comeback victory over Pickerington Central.
Coach Kyle also pointed to St. Xavier's receivers as being a solid and experienced group, singled out the special-teams work of junior Cameron Specht (Coach Specht's son) and of course paid his dues to the Bombers' defense.
Cameron Specht totaled more than 100 yards in punt and kickoff returns during the Week 9 loss to Saint Ignatius and, in the words of Coach Kyle, "Defensively, they're always good. You take every point you can get against Xavier."
Leading the Bombers' receiving corps are Cameron Specht with 44 receptions for 415 yards and senior Micah Farrar with 367 yards on 43 catches.
As for the progress of a St. Xavier running game that appeared limited in its Week 9 encounter with the Wildcats' outstanding defense, senior tailback Quinn Earley was a huge factor in last weekend's 29-27, state-semifinal victory over Pickerington Central.
Earley rushed for 120 yards on 18 carries as the Bombers' offense totaled a season high 234 yards on the ground. Clifford finished with 22 carries for 111 yards and two touchdowns, and was 16 of 29 for 166 yards passing. St. Xavier solved Pickerington Central's defense for 431 yards of total offense.
Coach Kyle added that Clifford has the hot hand right now, but doesn't really see the Bombers changing much of what they traditionally do on both sides of the ball.
"That's what has gotten them here, and we have to be on our A game against them," Coach Kyle said.
Saint Ignatius' A game offensively features the leadership, athleticism and grit of senior quarterback Patrick Ryan and junior tailback Mark Bobinski.
Arguably the most underrated signal-caller in Northeast Ohio, Ryan has passed for 1,763 yards and 16 touchdowns, and has rushed for 581 yards and 11 TDs, including a crucial 69-yard scoring run in the down to the wire victory over Olentangy Liberty.
Bobinski, "Bo Bo" to his teammates, has rushed for 1,016 yards and 20 touchdowns off 202 carries and has totaled 159 yards and a touchdown off 17 receptions.
There is not a better defense in the area than Coach Ryan Franzinger's passion-plus Wildcats and what they bring to the field.
Putting the A stamp on that defense are All-Ohio and All-District honorees Adam Shibley and James Leyden at linebacker, All-District middle linebacker Johnny Velotta, All-District and All-Ohio lineman Mike Chime, and All-District lineman Joe Gibbons.
SIBN! - If you can't make it down to Ohio Stadium on Friday night, be sure to check out the play by play and commentary by junior Matt MacKenzie and senior Brendan DeVenney over the Saint Ignatius Broadcast Network. Matt and Brendan usually hit the air waves with their pregame a half hour before kickoff, which is 8 PM.
Have a safe and wonderful rest of the week and we will see you on the sideline at the home of the Buckeyes.