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Weekend Preview 5/12-5/14: Playoffs Arrive in Force for the Wildcats

By Joe Ginley, 05/12/17, 2:00PM EDT

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The Crew Cats head to Zanesville for a big weekend. (Photo Credit Alex Barni '12)

Hard as it might be to believe, the month of May is here, and so are the playoffs. 

The postseason is here for all but two of the seven Saint Ignatius spring sports, bringing a busy weekend to Wildcat High.

Here's what to expect this weekend. 

Baseball

Perhaps no Saint Ignatius team has caught fire down the stretch like the Baseball Cats. 

The Wildcats have won five straight, including four games in the last four days. The Baseball Cats dramatically defeated Benedictine on Wednesday and Solon on Thursday in walk-off fashion, setting the stage for the Sectional Final today.

Manager Brad Ganor's Wildcats will host the Valley Forge Patriots at Baldwin Wallace at 4:30 p.m. 

The No. 7 Patriots defeated No. 10 Lutheran West on Thursday, 18-0, to clinch the spot in the Sectional Final. Last year's Wildcats defeated the Patriots in the 2016 Sectional Final, 14-0. 

Connor Adams will start on the mound for Saint Ignatius, sporting a 3-0 record and a 0.00 ERA. 

The SIBN will have live coverage from BW with an audio-only broadcast. 

The Wildcats were also supposed to face North Royalton on Saturday, but the varsity contest was canceled. The Baseball Cats will still celebrate Senior Day at noon with an intrasquad scrimmage. 

The Freshman Gold team also faces the Freshman Blue team at 10 a.m., with the JV squad taking on Royalton at about 2 p.m.

Crew

Following a roaring performance at the St. Mary's Prep Laddie Cup, the Saint Ignatius rowing team heads to Lake Dillon in Zanesville, Ohio for the Midwest Scholastic Rowing Championships.

The Wildcats won a horde of gold medals last weekend, showing the resiliency and determination. 

The Crew Cats will need a boatload of both, as the competition will be steep this season. Look for juniors Griffin Fox, John Pacholski, and David Turk to lead the way again this weekend after earning Student-Athlete of the Week honors. 

Lacrosse

Before the OHSAA Tournament begins next Wednesday, the Lax Cats will take part in the MSLCA Tournament this weekend. 

The Wildcats currently stand at 8-6 heading into a Friday matchup with 10-6 Western Reserve Academy. The Wildcats will play at WRA at 5:30 p.m. 

The contest represents a rematch, as the Wildcats defeated WRA earlier this season, 10-4. However, the Pioneers are red hot. Before falling to Olentangy on Tuesday, WRA had won six straight. 

Depending on the result, the Wildcats will play the winner of Mount Lebanon and Olentangy from the other side of the "B" bracket on Saturday morning at WRA.

Whatever the result, the Wildcats will host Cleveland Heights on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in the first round of the OHSAA Tournament.

Rugby

The regular season concludes on Saturday, as Archbishop Moeller visits Ohio City.

The Wildcats carry a nearly unblemished 16-2 record into the contest, having defeated some of the best competition in the state and the country. The senior-laden squad defeated Avon on Wednesday on Senior Night. 

The Crusaders have a 7-2 record coming into the weekend, having defeated Walnut Hills on Sunday, 34-15. 

The SIBN will have live video coverage of the regular season finale. 

Tennis

The postseason is in full swing for the Tennis Cats. 

The Wildcats, enjoying a great season, face an important weekend. The team will face No. 1 University School on Monday in the Ohio Tennis Coaches Association (OTCA) Team Tournament. The 13-2 Tennis Cats need to defeat the Preppers to advance to Division I final. 

Regardless of the result on Monday, the Tennis Cats will take part in Sectionals on Saturday for seeding purposes. All of the Wildcats have advanced to Districts. Oberlin College will host Sectionals, which begin in the morning at 9 a.m. 

Look for seniors Josh Hsia and Andy Siciliano to make some noise this weekend for the Wildcats.

Track & Field

The regular season ends for the track and field squad today.

The men of Chuck Kyle '69 will host the Olympic Challenge at Wildcat High on Friday afternoon at 4 p.m.

The meet will bring in some of the best programs from the area to face off with the best the Wildcats have to offer. 

Wildcats such as CJ Ambrosio, Andrew Szendrey, and Darian Kinnard look to lead the squad to a top spot in the meet heading into Districts. 

Volleyball

The season continues for the Saint Ignatius volleyball squad on Friday. The Wildcats will host Walsh Jesuit at 7:30 p.m. in Sullivan Gym. 

Guided by Head Coach Casey Marcelo, the Wildcats have rolled to a 13-3 record this year, notching consecutive wins over Westerville South and Massillon Jackson.

The ever-tough Warriors will present a challenge for the Wildcats. The Warriors have a 10-8 record entering the contest. However, the Wildcats did win the first matchup this season on April 1, 3-1. 

After the match, the Volleyball Cats take a trip down to Columbus on Saturday. The Wildcats will face Columbus St. Francis DeSales and Olentangy Liberty on Saturday morning, each of which should pose a formidable challenge for the blue and gold.

Best of luck to all of the Saint Ignatius teams in action this weekend!