Ohio City - Let's see, we had a blue-gray sky, some sun showers that had more than a little bite to them, a few brisk wind gusts and a double, yes double rainbow.
Finally, fall or football weather, if you will, arrived on Wasmer Field late Tuesday afternoon/early evening.
Enough of these high 70s or mid 80s temperatures, it's Saint Ignatius versus St. Edward Week. A tradition-rich rivalry that was made for real late October weather.
Now we could say that the double rainbow was a message from up above that Coach Chuck Kyle's Wildcats are going to defeat the state's top-ranked Division I team two weeks in a row - a 28-14 victory over previously No. 1 Cincinnati St. Xavier last Saturday afternoon on Byers Field in Parma's Robert M. Boulton Stadium and current No. 1 St. Edward this coming Saturdaynight at 7 in legendary Lakewood Stadium.
However, the late great Hall of Fame Sports Editor and Columnist Mr. Hal Lebovitz, who hired this old gridiron grinder at the ripe age of 19, would prefer that I keep the objectivity he instilled in me at The Plain Dealer by saying the double rainbow signified that, barring an upset in the playoffs, the Wildcats and the Eagles will meet twice in the same season for the second year in a row and the fourth time overall.
Three-time OHSAA State Champion and three-time State Runner-Up St. Edward (9-0) and record 11-time OHSAA State Champ and two-time State Runner-Up Saint Ignatius (8-1) will enter their 56th Varsity Football matchup ranked first and second, respectively, in this week's Associated Press Division I State Poll. The AP state poll is based on the votes by a panel of sports writers and broadcasters. The Wildcats lead their all-time series with the Eagles, 30-24-1.
Saint Ignatius, in its 2008 10th state-championship season, defeated St. Edward, 34-12, in the regular-season finale and the very next week eliminated the Eagles, 37-0, in the first round of the playoffs. It marked the first time the staunch West Side rivals met in the OHSAA's football postseason.
In 2011, the 'Cats' "11 in '11" state-title season, Saint Ignatius rode the leg of All-Ohio kicker Tim Shenk to regular-season and second-round playoff victories over St. Edward, with both final scores being 20-17. The 2011 Eagles were talent-laden, to say the least.
Last year, it was a tale of two different games between the 'Cats and the Eagles. The winner both times was Saint Ignatius, 34-7 in the Browns' First Energy Stadium and 38-31 in overtime in an OHSAA Regional Final at Bedford Bearcat Stadium.
Talk to any current St. Edward player or longtime Eagles fan, and they won't hedge in telling you that those two losses to Saint Ignatius last season have served as the motivating force to their unblemished record through nine games, a mark that has earned Head Coach Tom Lombardo's team a 21st-place ranking in the nation and a third-place ranking in the Midwest, both by USA Today. In USA Today's National Computer Poll, St. Edward is seventh and the Wildcats are 20th.
Before you snicker and say USA Today, big deal, keep in mind that USA Today was the first to recognize Saint Ignatius' national talents. After completing their 13-0, 1989 state championship season, the Wildcats were selected by USA Today as the nation's No. 1 team and Coach Kyle '69 received USA Today's National Coach of the Year award.
In the preseason of 1993, USA Today, in picking Saint Ignatius to win its second of what are three National Championships (the third coming in 1995), did a front page article on Saint Ignatius and marveled at how the Wildcats could learn such a large playbook that included so many audible calls. Coach Kyle's team, despite the pressure of a preseason No. 1 national ranking, went 14-0 in '93.
That 1993 season included what many still regard as the most memorable game in the Saint Ignatius-St. Edward football rivalry, a 35-34 Week 8 triple-overtime thriller won by Saint Ignatius in, where else, Lakewood Stadium.
While this corner, who along with my longtime friend and colleague, Saint Ignatius Hall of Famer the late Dick "Zip" Zunt '50, had the privilege to provide coverage on that historic 1993 version of Wildcats vs. Eagles, I would also place last year's Regional Final matchup between Cleveland's/Lakewood's perennial Catholic School powers near the top of my list.
As Coach Lombardo told the media this week, the St. Edward-Saint Ignatius rivalry "speaks for itself." Coach Lombardo points to the two great schools, their communities and the young men who play in this game as reasons why it is so special.
Led by senior linebacker Omar Fattah, St. Edward features one of the top defenses in all of Ohio. Fattah left a lasting impression on this old-timer with his gritty all-around performance in last year's Regional Final at Bedford.
The Eagles have an array of skilled players, including big-play wide receiver Quintel Kent, quarterbacks Zach Kincaid and Garret Dzuro, defensive back Michael Dowell and one of the top 1-2 punches in Northeast Ohio - senior tailback Ty Rice and junior tailback Jordan Castleberry. Michael Dowell will be following in his brothers' footsteps, former St. Edward standouts Andrew and David Dowell, by attending Michigan State on a scholarship next year. Andrew (linebacker) and David (safety) are having excellent seasons for the Spartans.
Former Wildcats football great and current Assistant Coach for the 'Cats Mark Ruddy '90 said the Eagles' offensive line really gets after it.
"They're a big-pay capability offense," said Coach Kyle of St. Edward. "I'm sure they've had drives down the field, but there are a lot of times where it's just a big play. They have very good running backs, so if you just give them a seam they can go.
"So that's a big challenge up front defensively, we can't give them seams," Coach Kyle continued. "Last year in the playoff game we gave up some seams and they took advantage of it."
Coach Kyle described the Eagles' defense as being very active. "You snap the ball and they're flying all over the place," said the man who has a record of 342-86-1 in what is currently his 35th season as the head of his alma mater's football program. "They're twisting, turning and changing their coverage as you go. So we really have to have a great week of practice where we're filtering the blitz. They'll corner blitz you and rotate, so we can't get taken by surprise."
While there is no questioning the offensive production that St. Edward has produced this season, St. Xavier's players and coaches will be the first to tell you that Saint Ignatius has a defense that is tough and talented with savvy young men who love to run and hit all day or night.
Showing the way for former Wildcat standout and Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Coach Ryan Franzinger '02 are two of the premier outside linebackers in the state, junior Tommy Eichenberg and senior Logan Joyce.
Eichenberg, who was absolutely fabulous in helping contain St. Xavier's potent offense and its Wisconsin recruit, senior quarterback Chase Wolf, has 46.5 tackles on the season. Tommy has 29 solos, 14 stops for -minus 68 yards and 5.5 sacks for -minus 36 yards. One of Tommy's sacks was a highlight-reel pad rattler on Wolf and he also came up with a key diving interception against Wolf off a perfect read across the middle. Tommy's season stats include five quarterback hurries and four pass breakups.
Joyce comes into the "Madhouse on Madison" Saturday night with 50 tackles on the season, including 31 solos. Logan has made 21 tackles that have resulted in a total of -minus 65 yards, has four sacks for -minus 21 yards, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and nine quarterback hurries.
Complementing Tommy and Logan is senior middle linebacker Andrew Keirn. Keirn has 29.5 tackles, 8.5 for -minus 32 yards, three sacks for -minus 23 yards, a forced fumble and five quarterback hurries.
In the secondary, Coaches Kevin Johnson '10 and Chad Aerni '12 can turn to two of the best the state has to offer, senior cornerback Cam Toppin and senior safety/Penn recruit Justin Sands.
Justin has 28 tackles, including 18 unassisted and two for -minus 9 yards. Easy going and easy to smile off the field, but down to serious business once he steps on the gridiron, Justin has also contributed two interceptions and five pass breakups.
If there is a better coverage/run stopping corner in Northeast Ohio than Cam Toppin, I haven't seen him. Cam will take 37 tackles, including nine unassisted, into Saturday night's headliner, five interceptions that have featured two highlight picks in the end zone, seven pass breakups and a blocked kick.
Another mainstay in the 'Cats' secondary is versatile junior Jett Elad, who has totaled 22.5 tackles, including one for -minus three yards, a 26-yard interception return for a touchdown and seven pass breakups.
Among those providing some solid work up front defensively are senior nose tackle Aidan Gill and senior lineman Bradley Andrich. Aidan, a grade-school teammate of St. Edward's Ty Rice at Our Lady of Angels in West Park, has racked up 17.5 tackles, including seven for -minus 39 yards. A key performer for the Wildcats' State Champion Rugby Program and a member of Coach Mark Sullivan's Wrestling Program, Aidan has five sacks for -minus 36 yards and six quarterback hurries.
Andrich, who has come on strong, has totaled 17 tackles with 3.5 for -minus 15 yards, three sacks for -minus 14 yards, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a quarterback hurry.
SURE-HANDED SAMMY: Continuing his outstanding season, senior wide receiver/punt returner Sammy Snyder leads the Wildcats' always capable air attack with 46 receptions for 850 yards and 10 touchdowns. Sammy also has 16 punt returns totaling 118 yards.
AIR ALEXANDER: Senior quarterback Danny Alexander will enter Lakewood Stadium Saturday night with 735 yards passing, 10 TD passes and four interceptions.
"BO" KNOWS FOOTBALL: After his gritty and gifted performance versus St. Xavier, which was reminiscent of his special Week 2 effort at Mentor, junior tailback Jahadge "Bo" Floyd has rushed for 678 yards and five touchdowns on 103 carries. "Bo" set the tone versus the Bombers, as his 75-yard, highlight-reel touchdown run that featured power, balance, vision and a second- and third-gear of speed, helped Saint Ignatius snap their Jesuit Brothers' 14-game winning streak.
SATURDAY NIGHT WAS "ALRIGHT" FOR DRE'MONT: The last time Saint Ignatius and St. Edward played a Saturday night game in Lakewood Stadium, former Wildcat standout defensive lineman and current The Ohio State University mainstay Dre'Mont Jones '15, then a junior, spent the night causing havoc in the Eagles' backfield. That was the fall of 2013 and the Wildcats left Bunts Road and Madison Avenue with a 23-17 victory.
FOR THE FAITHFUL READER FROM ST. HENRY, OHIO WHO INQUIRED: St. Edward's Junior Varsity Football Team will take an 8-0 record into Friday's 6 pm season finale versus the 7-1 Junior Varsity Wildcats at the Eagles' Brother James Everett Stadium. And yes, Coach Paul Yappel's JV Wildcats have won six in a row.
This corner will never forget having the privilege to do a sidebar feature for The Plain Dealer on St. Henry's three-sport high school standout Bobby Hoying (Ohio State, Philadelphia Eagles and Oakland Raiders quarterback) during the OHSAA State Basketball Finals.
JUST A REMINDER: That Coach Rodney Gallaway's 6-3 Freshmen Football Wildcats will close their memorable season on Thursday at 6 pm versus St. Edward's Freshmen in Brother James Everett Stadium.
We will see you at the Freshmen, Junior Varsity and Varsity games versus the Eagles, as this corner is sad to see the Freshmen and JV seasons coming to an end.