Canton, Ohio - With senior Matthew Trickett sending home three field goals, including a career-best 52-yard effort and a pair of triples from 44 and 30 yards out, relentless junior linebacker Tommy Eichenberg coming up with momentum-killing, back-to-back sacks and junior defensive back Danny Scelza making a key interception, Saint Ignatius turned away a talented and big-play McKinley team on Friday night in the annual preseason Jamboree at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
Coach Chuck Kyle's Wildcats will now have five days to prepare for Thursday's 2017 season opener versus the Archbishop Hoban Knights. The kickoff on the Knights' Monsignor Richard A. Dowed Field will be 7 P.M.
Archbishop Hoban, which has moved up to Division II this season, won consecutive OHSAA Division III State Football Championships in 2015 and 2016. The corner will preview on Tuesday what will be only the second meeting on the gridiron between Wildcats and the Knights. It was in 1958 that the football programs from Saint Ignatius and Archbishop Hoban met for the first and only time, and the Knights came away with a 13-12 victory on their home field.
Here is a look at Friday night's Jamboree, which was a three-quarter matchup played under game conditions.
A strong and smooth scoring run up the gut by gritty and gifted junior running back Jack Kennedy and the ensuing extra point kick by Trickett put the 'Cats in front, 7-0, with nine minutes and seven seconds remaining in the opening quarter.
McKinley, which is definitely a playoff-caliber team, wasted little time in knotting the score.
Bulldogs wide receiver John Mack hauled in a pass in the right flat, broke a tackle, turned on the jets and outraced the pursuit into the open end zone of Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. The point after touchdown was high and true, and we had a 7-7 Jamboree with 7:22 left in the opening quarter.
Saint Ignatius, the big-school State Runner-Up last season, responded in a manner one associates with a record 11-time OHSAA Division I State Football Champion.
The Wildcats, fueled by some strong work by an offensive line that is under the tutelage of veteran Coaches Adam Rini '99 and Paul Yappel, and the second - and third-effort running of junior tailback Jahadge "Bo" Floyd, put together a nine-play, 70-yard drive. Trickett finished off the march with his 44-yard field goal at the 4:31 mark of the first quarter.
After McKinley's outstanding senior linebacker/running back Josh Chandler blocked a 30-yard field goal attempt, Scelza, playing the ball perfectly, came up with an interception that put Mr. Momentum back on the visitor's sideline.
Trickett was the ticket once again, as this time he kicked a 30-yard field goal that only the high clouds of Canton could greet and Coach Kyle's Wildcats led, 13-7, with 10:01 to go in the second quarter.
The Bulldogs were barking again, however, as Chandler, a West Virginia recruit, displayed his skills on the other side of the ball by rambling 39 yards for a touchdown off a power sweep. McKinley's special teams were money on their PAT and Coach Dan Reardon's "Pups" clung to a 14-13 lead with 6:10 remaining in the second quarter.
Just when the Bulldogs' faithful were putting together a well-deserved boisterous frolic, Saint Ignatius spoiled the party once again.
Covering the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium turf with another 70 yards of offense that saw "Bo" Floyd take advantage of the holes provided by his offensive line and senior quarterback Danny Alexander and senior wide receiver Max Pike hook up on a highlight-reel throw and catch off a fourth down and five yards to go from the McKinley 41, the Wildcats asked Trickett for one more big kick.
Calling on his career-best effort, Trickett sent the pigskin through what were NFL uprights from 52 yards and the score read Saint Ignatius 16, Canton McKinley 14 with 1:49 left in the second quarter.
From there, the Wildcats' defense, under the direction of Coach Ryan Franzinger '02, thwarted the Bulldogs' offense behind a clutch open-field tackle by junior cornerback Jett Elad and two overpowering sacks from Eichenberg that deserve to be on any highlight reel.
Saint Ignatius' offense also had its closing moments, including the running of junior quarterback Patrick Delahunty, a clutch reception by senior Nicholas Szubski and the running and receiving of senior tailback Drew Phillips Jr.
FROM COACH KYLE: "He also had a couple of nice punts in keeping field position," Coach Kyle said of Trickett. Coach Kyle also pointed out how Trickett was sending kickoffs into the end zone, but under the Jamboree format the ball was brought out to the 30-yard line.
"We can score from various places on the field and that's a weapon," Coach Kyle continued. "We've become accustomed to being able to kick like that and we work at it. Defensively, we graduated in some areas, but looking at the Solon scrimmage, what we have done in practice and certainly a quality team like McKinley, I think they (the defense) are coming along nicely as a unit.
"There are things we can work on, there is no doubt about that," said the man who has also guided his alma mater to three national championships (1989, '93 and '95) and a national runner-up in 2008. "But Tommy Eichenberg looks like a young man who can make plays, and we're certainly encouraged by that."
FROM SAINT IGNATIUS' FRESHMEN HEAD COACH RODNEY GALLAWAY, WHO WATCHED HIS YOUNG WILDCATS HAVE SOME NICE MOMENTS VERSUS MCKINLEY'S NINTH GRADERS, INCLUDING THE RUNNING OF TAILBACK MICHAEL SIMCAK AND A TOUCHDOWN PASS FROM QUARTERBACK JP TIJANICH TO WIDE RECEIVER JACK DUNSTAN.
"It was fun to get out and play some other competition besides ourselves," said Coach Gallaway. "This is a real nice stadium and I think the guys enjoyed seeing the new facility here (Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium).
"On the first series, both sides of the ball looked pretty good," Coach Gallaway continued. "From there, it was just being consistent and maintaining that on both sides of the ball. Overall we looked pretty good."
Coach Gallaway pointed to the exceptional vision Simcak possesses, saying that when it looks like there is no running room, Simcak finds it.
The Freshmen Cats open their season on Wednesday evening, August 23rd, versus Archbishop Hoban's Freshmen Knights on Wasmer Field.
THE JUNIOR VARSITY 'CATS GOT SOME STRONG RUNNING FROM SOPHOMORE TAILBACK NAJEE LOCKETT. JV HEAD COACH PAUL YAPPEL PREFERRED NOT TO COMMENT ON WHAT WAS A SPLIT-FIELD SCRIMMAGE WITH THE MCKINLEY JAYVEES. PAUL IS AN OUTSTANDING COACH WHO HAS ALWAYS TREATED THIS REPORTER WITH CLASS AND KINDNESS, AND THIS CORNER WILL ALWAYS RESPECT HIS WISHES. IT IS A PRIVILEGE TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH COACH KYLE AND HIS STAFF.
The JV Wildcats open their season on Saturday afternoon, August 26th, versus the Junior Varsity program from Archbishop Hoban on Wasmer Field.