Ohio City - The last time the storied football programs from Saint Ignatius and Euclid met twice in the same season was the fall of 1996.
Coach Chuck Kyle's Wildcats won their 1996 season opener over the Panthers, 41-7, and, before finishing as the Division I State Runner-Up to Lima Senior, also defeated Euclid in the first round of the '96 OHSAA playoffs, 23-2.
In Saint Ignatius' first State Championship season of 1988, the 'Cats defeated Euclid, 21-12, in Week 2 of the regular season and 17-0 in the first round of the playoffs.
The Wildcats' State and National Championship season of 1989 saw the 'Cats dominate Euclid, 55-26, during Week 2 at legendary Lakewood Stadium in what was the first regular season high school football game to be televised live to a national audience. SportsChannel America did the honors.
In what was a much different game, to say the least, the '89 Wildcats rode an 85-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by running back/linebacker Tim Kennedy, a remarkable 30-yard reception by tight end John Jaeckin, a 7-yard touchdown run by Hall of Fame tailback Pete Fitzpatrick and a game-sealing interception by safety/wide receiver Patrick Friend with 42 seconds remaining to an amazing comeback versus the Robert Smith-led Panthers, 31-30, in the second round of the playoffs. The game was played in Baldwin Wallace University's Finnie Stadium, then known as Baldwin-Wallace College.
Jaeckin's diving catch, which came off a third-and-19 from deep in Saint Ignatius territory, saw John haul in a pass from All-American quarterback Joe Pickens that deflected off the hands of one defender and bounced off the helmet and pads of another Panther.
That little walk down memory lane now leads us to the 2017 Wildcats, who rallied from a four-point halftime deficit and defeated Euclid, 34-20, in the Week 3 Home Opener on September 9th. The game was played at Byers Field in Parma's Robert M. Boulton Stadium. It marked the first meeting on the gridiron between Saint Ignatius and Euclid since the Wildcats' 28-14, first-round playoff victory in 1999, when most of the current 'Cats were not even born or a few were maybe just infants.
With that Week 3 victory, Saint Ignatius currently leads its all-time gridiron series with Euclid, 12-1, including playoff victories in 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1996 and 1999. The Panthers' only triumph came in Week 2 of 1987, 30-7.
Friday night at 7:30 on Stewart Field in Bedford High School's atmosphere-rich and newly turfed Bearcat Stadium, the 10-1 and top-seeded Wildcats and the 9-2 fourth-seeded Panthers will meet for a second time this season in what will be an OHSAA Region 1 Semifinal. If you can't make it out to the game, Saint Ignatius' Broadcast Network will bring it to you live from Northfield Road.
Eleven-time State Champion and three-time National Champion Saint Ignatius enters Friday's game as the top-ranked team in the final Associated Press Division I State Poll for 2017, the No. 1 team in Cleveland.com's final seven-county area Top 25 poll and the fourth-ranked program in the Midwest this week by USA Today. Coach Kyle's Wildcats are making their 28th OHSAA playoff appearance.
The Wildcats have a past and very recent playoff history in Bedford's Bearcat Stadium, as in 2003 Josiah "Juice" Kedzior, John Haneline, Brian Hoyer, Mike Massey, Brian Parris and Tom Fritsch, to name just a few, helped Saint Ignatius to a 24-21, first-round playoff victory over the Ted Ginn Jr.-led Glenville Tarblooders in Bearcat Stadium.
Kedzior, labeled as the 'Cats' "Difference Maker" by The Plain Dealer High School Staff, hauled in a strong and on the money throw from Hoyer for a touchdown that Nov. 1st, 2003 night in Bearcat Stadium and "Juice" also kicked a field goal and three extra points. Haneline, Massey and Parris helped make a case for the defense against one of the most talent-laden offenses in the state, and Fritsch provided some powerful efforts on the ground, among other things.
Haneline, an All-Ohio linebacker, had a monster game versus the Tarblooders, including a key scoop and score off a fumble recovery. A graduate of Bowling Green State University in sociology, Haneline played linebacker for the Falcons from 2004-08. He was a starter in his final three seasons and helped lead BG to the 2007 MAC East Co-Championship and the 2004 GMAC Bowl title. John is an assistant football coach for Mississippi State University as a Defensive Quality Control Specialist.
Last season, Coach Kyle led his Wildcats back to Bearcat Stadium for an OHSAA Regional Final matchup with rival St. Edward. After defeating the Eagles three weeks earlier, 34-7, in the regular season finale at the Browns' FirstEnergy Stadium, Saint Ignatius had to survive an overtime thriller, 38-31.
THE 2017 PANTHERS ARE LEE- FUELED: Senior tailback Ronald Lee, the Northeast Lakes District's Division I Offensive Player of the Year, broke the single-season rushing record at Euclid during last weekend's 49-29 Regional Quarterfinal victory over fifth-seeded Massillon Jackson.
The 5-foot-7, 170-pound Lee enters Friday night's game versus the Wildcats with 2,202 yards on the ground this season, the key factor in the Panthers' ability to drive for what is their 17th OHSAA playoff appearance. Euclid legend Robert Smith, a former Ohio State standout in football and track, and an All-Pro tailback for the Minnesota Vikings, ran for 2,042 yards as a senior at Euclid in 1989. Robert, a two-time Ohio Mr. Football, finished his high school career with 5,038 yards and 67 touchdowns on 548 carries. He is currently an outstanding College Football Analyst for the Big Ten Network and Fox Sports.
Lee finished his night against the Jackson Polar Bears with 221 yards and three touchdowns on just 15 carries, including 159 yards and two touchdowns on seven first-half carries. Panthers veteran Head Coach Jeff Rotsky told the media shortly after the Jackson game that Ronald is "a total back" with great humility.
THE COMPLEMENTARY PARTS: Along with Lee, the Panthers' mainstays are offensive lineman Ashawn Berry (6-2, 245); defensive lineman Larenz Wright (5-10, 250); defensive back Arquon Bush ( 6-1, 170); linebacker Sean Jackson (5-11, 190); wide receiver Dre' Von Lindsay (6-1, 173); offensive lineman Darrius Johnson (6-4, 315) and defensive back Job Rand (5-9, 165). All of these young men garnered All-District recognition.
FOR A BREAKDOWN ON SAINT IGNATIUS' 2017 ALL-DISTRICT HONOREES, SEE THE CORNER'S STORY FROM TUESDAY NIGHT.
LOOKING BACK AT WEEK 3: After the Wildcats outscored the Panthers, 24-6, in the second half and went on to their 34-20 victory, Saint Ignatius' standout senior offensive guard /Captain Jack Jamieson said all of the conditioning and all of the reps during the summer and into the regular reason came to the fore in that second half when the Wildcats' offensive and defensive lines took control up front and helped show the way.
THE COMEBACK BEGINS: After Saint Ignatius senior Matthew Trickett, one of the premier kickers/punters in the Midwest, connected on a 36-yard field goal in the final minute of the first half, the Wildcats, trailing 14-10 at halftime, began to play like they are capable of.
"They appeared to be a little gassed in the second half," said Jamieson of the Panthers. "It's hard to get tired when you love the guy playing next to you," Jamieson continued in referencing to the fellowship and respect the linemen have for one another, and the conditioning the O-Line receives from outstanding Assistant Coaches Adam Rini '99 and Paul Yappel, and one of the top Directors of Strength and Conditioning in the nation, Anthony Rubino.
The second half definitely belonged to Coach Kyle's Wildcats, who played with pride and passion over the final two quarters.
With senior tailback/Captain Mark Bobinski, whose heart is bigger than Robert M. Boulton Stadium, running with powerful authority and balance, Saint Ignatius put together a five-play, 75-yard march that was capped by Bobinski's 10-yard touchdown run and the ensuing extra point by Trickett.
Playing with the same fire the offense brought to the table in the second half, the 'Cats' defense began to harass and disrupt the Panthers' offensive flow.
Sparked by two money receptions by one of the most underrated receivers in Northeast Ohio, senior Sammy Snyder, and more tough yards from Bobinski, the gridiron rich Wildcats covered 54 yards in seven plays. The drive, which pushed Saint Ignatius' lead to 24-14 with 6:21 to go in the third quarter, featured a 17-yard touchdown reception by one of the top pass catchers the area has to offer, senior Michael Drobnick, and another high and true extra point by Trickett.
Trickett was the ticket once again, as Matthew ripped a 42-yard field goal through a brisk late night in Parma that started with blue skies and sunshine. The Wildcats then closed out their scoring on a 9-yard TD run by Bobinski (PAT Trickett) that was set up when relentless senior nose tackle Aidan Gill ripped the ball loose and ever-present senior linebacker Logan Joyce fought for the fumble recovery. Bobinski totaled 143 yards on 32 carries and Snyder had six receptions for 73 yards.
Euclid would score off a late touchdown reception by Dre'Von Lindsay, who finished with 7 receptions for 151 yards.
COACH KYLE ON FRIDAY'S SECOND ENCOUNTER WITH THE GIFTED PANTHERS: "Now that he is getting all of the reps, he's getting better each week," said Coach Kyle of Aubrey Shabazz, who took over for Panthers starting quarterback Cee Jay Hale after Hale suffered an injury in a Week 7 victory over Solon. Shabazz had also been part of Euclid's receiving corps and defensive unit
"He is tough to bring down and along with the slants and hitches, he has been hitting the long ones," Coach Kyle continued in reference to Shabazz, a former quarterback at Villa Angela-St. Joseph. Shabazz substantiated what Coach Kyle said in the Panthers' 61-59, down to the final minute loss to Mentor by firing five touchdown passes past the Cardinals' secondary. "He seems to have fallen into the flow of what is needed out of quarterback in their offense. A lot of credit to him."
Coach Kyle pointed out that the Wildcats' defense made the multi-skilled Ronald Lee earn his yards during the 'Cats' Week 3 victory.
"But he got yardage," said Coach Kyle. "He's very explosive with good vision. He'll bounce and take off. I thought we did a pretty good job at the point of attack, but he created and ended up getting a nice gain. You jut have to tip your hat to him, because he saw it and reacted. He's been on a tear."
Defensively, Coach Kyle said Euclid works out of a four-man front, but with a 6-1 and a blitz from the outside with six coming after you.
"They are working some zone and man (in the secondary)," Coach Kyle said. "I think we'll see some man situations, where they will try to lock on and create some pressure. I think we'll see more pressure than we did the last time. Certainly against Massillon Jackson they were bringing pressure. Their basic philosophy is still the same, they're just getting better at it."
Coach Kyle emphasized that all anyone has to do is look at the four exceptional teams left in Region 1 heading into the semifinals to appreciate how strong the region is. The Wildcats-Panthers winner will face the winner of Friday night's other Regional Semifinal between second-seeded St. Edward (10-1) and third-seeded Mentor (10-1), which will kick off at 7:30 on Byers Field in Parma's Robert M. Boulton Stadium. Like Euclid, the Eagles and the Cardinals were defeated by Saint Ignatius during the regular season. The Wildcats' only setback occurred in Week 8 to Archbishop Moeller at Otterbein University.
"You have to play four great quarters and that is something I have talked to the kids about," said the man who carries a 71-16 record in OHSAA postseason play. "When I look back on the season, a lot of times we've had a quarter that wasn't very good. We're at that time of the year when that's not going to fly. We have to have four good quarters. That's playoff caliber football. This week is all focused on four great quarters."