Parma, Ohio - After his Wildcats improved to 6-0 on a crisp fall Saturday night at Byers Field in Parma's Robert M. Boulton Stadium, Saint Ignatius' nationally acclaimed Head Football Coach Chuck Kyle '69 talked about the early flurry provided by senior quarterback Danny Alexander and senior wide receiver Sammy Snyder.
"The first one was just a little pass play, Sammy got behind them and Danny put it right there," Coach Kyle said of the 'Cats' first six points in what was a 38-7 triumph over Mississauga, Ontario, Canada's Clarkson Football North. "The next one was really a read, it could have been a run play. It was one of those where the quarterback has the option to do either one. As everybody saw, Danny pulled the ball out, stepped up and Sammy was open. It was a little flurry there of running our offense and the quarterback taking what he saw.
"You have to give Danny a lot of credit," Coach Kyle continued. "He saw some things and got us right in to what we needed to do."
The Alexander-to-Snyder flurry was a three-punch combination that resulted in touchdown passes of 34 and 24 yards, both coming off 1-play scoring drives, and a 17-yard TD strike that Sammy caught in full stride on the fifth play of a 47-yard drive. All three of the Alexander and Snyder combos were finished off in the Day Drive end zone of Byers Field.
After standout senior kicker Mattthew Trickett sent home the third of his five extra points on the night, Saint Ignatius led, 21-0, with still 5 minutes and 11 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
A tip of the cap goes out to the Wildcats' defense and Trickett's end zone kickoffs for the roles they played in the quick-strike air barrage.
Clarkson Football North, now 2-4 on the season, was forced to punt from deep in its territory in the early going. Those punts fell victim to the 'Cats' front-line, special-teams pressure and the tricky winds of Robert M. Boulton Stadium, giving Saint Ignatius' offense excellent field position.
The third Alexander to Snyder score was set up by a leaping interception from ever-present junior defensive back Danny Scelza. Scelza, quick and powerful senior safety Matthew Viancourt, sure-tackling senior middle linebacker Andrew Keirn and hard-nosed senior defensive lineman Aidan Gill, the pride of Our Lady of Angels, made their presence felt early and often.
As for Snyder, Sammy now has 37 receptions on the season for 682 yards and eight touchdowns.
Alexander, whose arm and decision-making was as crisp as the last night of September's winds, finished with an 8-for-12 performance through the air for 148 yards and the three touchdowns.
After an Alexander swing pass to junior tailback Jahadge "Bo" Floyd resulted in a first-and-goal at the 9, Floyd took over from there and scored on a run via the left side. Trickett's PAT was money and the state's top-ranked Wildcats led, 28-0, with 8:57 left in the first half.
As it has done all season, Saint Ignatius' offensive line, under the tutelage of Coaches Adam Rini '99 and Paul Yappel, provided the time for the offense to excel.
Clarkson Football North, whose victories this season have come at Cleveland Heights and at Erie (Pa.) McDowell, got on the scoreboard thanks to a field goal attempt by the Wildcats that was blocked. Clarkson defensive back Tristan Hudson scooped up the loose football deep in Chargers territory and returned it to the Saint Ignatius 36-yard line.
Two plays later, quarterback Connor Irwin-Lewis combined with running back Brendon Barrow on a touchdown off a screen pass that saw the fleet of foot Barrow outrun the 'Cats into the right corner of the Day Drive end zone. Chris MacLean's extra-point kick was high and true, and it was a 28-7 game with 4:09 left in the first half.
It stayed that way until Trickett, off a perfect snap by junior Sean Wracher and a quick and sure-handed hold by senior Nicholas Szubski, kicked a 40-yard field goal with 9:45 left in the third quarter.
Saint Ignatius' special teams, which also produced a blocked field goal by standout senior cornerback Cam Toppin, helped close out the scoring when, off tremendous pressure from senior safety/Captain Justin Sands, senior outside linebacker Logan Joyce, junior safety Chris Velotta and Scelza, to name a few, produced a "team" blocked punt that was recovered in the scoreboard end zone by Scelza for a touchdown. Trickett's ensuing extra point accounted for the game's final point with 8:17 to go in the third quarter.
"We have work to do, but the defense played pretty well tonight," said a smiling Velotta after he got a piece of the pigskin on the blocked punt.
The Wildcats ran 45 plays for 243 yards and Clarkson totaled 129 yards off 46 plays.
The work Velotta referred to will continue next Saturday night, when Saint Ignatius, also ranked No. 1 in the all-important OHSAA Division I, Region 1 Computer Playoff Rankings, will face the Golden Eagles from GlenOak (2-4). The kickoff from Byers Field in Parma's Robert M. Boulton Stadium will be 7 pm.
Have a wonderful and blessed Sunday and we will see you at Ben S. Stefanski, II Stadium on Monday at 5 pm for the Junior Varsity Football matchup between the Wildcats and the Ironmen from Cleveland Central Catholic.