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Pyramids, Progress, and Pleasant Surprises: Wildcats Complete Week 2 of Camp

By Joe Ginley, 08/12/18, 8:45AM EDT

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Grant Abbott poses during video day on Friday.

In the final week before the start of school, the Saint Ignatius football team worked hard from noon to dusk each day in preparation for the 2018 season.

The Wildcats worked hard in the weight room, in the classroom, and on the field to get stronger, smarter, and better for the season. By all accounts, the Football Cats are making strong progress.

Following Tuesday's Solon scrimmage, the Wildcats went back to work for the remainder of the week, concluded by an intrasquad scrimmage on Saturday on Wasmer Field.

Here are some notables from a busy week for the Wildcats. 

The Competition Continues: With two very good quarterbacks competing for the starting job in Week 1, all eyes have been on senior Patrick Delahunty and junior Griffin Hanna. 

Both quarterbacks have performed well during camp. Delahunty and Hanna have each shown flashes and an ability to run the offense effectively. The members of the offense have displayed confidence and trust in both signalcallers, as both are hard workers and students of the game. 

"We have two quality quarterbacks fighting it out," Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks Coach Nick Restifo said. "Patrick is a little more experienced, being a fourth-year guy with us. Griffin is athletic, plays basketball, but he just needs little more seasoning. I have total confidence in Patrick's and Griffin's ability to lead this team. 

The competition will continue, as the Wildcats' coaching staff will name the starter entering Week 1. In the meantime, Restifo is looking for 4 things in his starter: 1. Consistency; 2. Accuracy; 3. Leadership; and 4. Decision-making.

"We're looking for consistency and accuracy out of both guys. With leadership, when you have a senior, obviously Patrick has a little bit of an edge there," Restifo said. "As far as experience, Griffin didn't play as a freshman due to injury, and for all intents and purposes, as a junior, Patrick didn't play much. So, experience-wise, they're kind of in the same spot. With Patrick being in his fourth year in the same system, same terminology, same reads, I think he's done a good job of figuring out what his reads are and his progressions. Griffin is just a tad behind because he doesn't have the four years of experience. We'll see what happens. It ultimately comes down to who can move the ball and get us to score touchdowns, and make the right decisions."

Plenty of skill: A position of strength for the Wildcats will be at running back this season.

The Wildcats have Jahadge "Bo" Floyd as the probable starter, with Jack Welcsh and Michael McNamara highlighting a deep spot for the blue and gold. Floyd's ability to run both inside the tackles and on the perimeter should scare opponents. Welcsh and McNamara will play both on offense and defense, providing depth at multiple spots for the Cats. 

The Wildcats also have lots of talent and speed at the wide receiver position.  

As Coach Restifo mentioned before Friday's practice, the Wildcats' quarterback will have fast targets this season. Nigel Drummond II leads a loaded crop of wideouts, with breakout speed at the X and the ability to grab passes across the middle. Drummond has been a standout at camp thus far.

Jack Kennedy, Luke Cooper, and Connor Cmiel are all other playmakers to watch, with others primed for potential breakouts next week and beyond.  

"We have a number of guys who we can put out there who will do an outstanding job, and we have speed out there this year, as well," Restifo said.

Tough Sledding: Thursday's practice saw the Wildcats push the sled around Wasmer Field under the direction of Offensive Line Coach Paul Yappel. Not an easy task with the sun beaming down.

The Wildcats' offensive line has shown solid progress since the start of camp. Having to replace all five starters is not an easy task, but Yappel and fellow line coach Adam Rini '99 are working to prep the unit for action.

Hitting and History: A highlight of practice this week was "Pyramid Pop'ems" with Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers Coach Ryan Franzinger '02. 

Coach Franzinger mixed in a lesson on the pyramids and Egyptian history with the hitting drill, which has several defenders with pads form a pyramid for the linebacker to hit before tackling a donut. Senior Tommy Eichenberg completed the drill well, setting an example for the rest of the 'backers.

With Eichenberg as the only returner at linebacker, Franzinger has focused his efforts on finding the other two starters. Seniors Caden Campoleti and Kyle Sullivan are vying for the gigs, as are juniors Aidan Crummie, Connor Francz, Jake Lang, and McNamara.

"Besides Eichenberg, the other spots are open. We have two seniors and all of those juniors," Franzinger said. "Typically in the past, if guys have been good enough to play, they'll play. Not everyone can start, but if you're good enough to play, you will play some, it helps to keep people fresh and get players experience."

As sophomores, "The Aidan's," Aidan Conway and Aidan Hubbard, have also forced their way into the conversation. 

"Hubbard is a playmaker and Conway is a plugger at the middle 'backer," Franzinger said. "Both of those guys have studied the defense and make few mental errors. I would be confident in them to have varsity snaps."

Regardless of the position, Franzinger expects two things from each starter. 

"Each player needs to demonstrate that you know what to do, then can you execute it well," said Franzinger. "You always have some guys who know the whole playbook but don't execute well, and then you have other guys who are tremendous athletes but don't follow the playbook well. It's the coach's job to figure out who puts the team in the best position. You have to balance coaching with not overcoaching. A guy like Jake Ryan I didn't overcoach because he was such a natural."

First line of defense: The Wildcats' defensive line is coming along well early on in camp. Zach McMahan and Aidan Wells have established themselves as mainstays at ends, with a host of other Cats fighting for the nose tackle job and playing time at defensive ends. 

As Franzinger and Defensive Line Coach Dave Cicetti have noticed, many defensive linemen have impressed the coaching staff. 

"Juniors Max Waters and Anthony Gerace are two of our pleasant surprises at defensive line," Franzinger said. "Seamus Cooney is willing to do whatever it takes for the team, be it on offense, defense, or leadership. Nick Schwitzgabel has played at nose tackle, and if he didn't play offense, he would have a lot more snaps on defense."

Depth at DB: The Wildcats have a crazy amount of depth at defensive back this season.

Here are some of the talented players the Wildcats have at cornerback and safety (in no particular order):

Cornerback: Jett Elad, Jack Kennedy, Connor Cmiel, Nigel Drummond II, Dominic DeVengencie

Safety: Danny Scelza, Chris Velotta, Mitch Puhalsky, Merick Hartley, Jack Welcsh, and John Wetula

As Franzinger emphasized, the Wildcats are very comfortable with the depth at secondary, along with the blazing speed present. Kennedy and DeVengencie, in particular, have special speed from running with the 4x100 relay team last spring.  

One superstar of camp thus far has been Merick Hartley. Franzinger and Co. have been pleased with the junior's aggressiveness in the run game, along with his ability to react well to the run. The lacrosse star has proved his ability as a free safety for the Wildcats and will see time this season. 

Another unheralded player in the secondary is senior cornerback Aidan Rechin. 

Return of a Familiar Face: The Wildcats' coaching staff brought a familiar face back into the fold this season: John Pieschalski '89.

A teammate of QB Coach Jim Cahill '89 on the 1988 State Championship team, Pieschalski brings a wealth of experience and knowledge of safeties to the team. 

"John is great, we love having him on the team," said Franzinger. 

Unsung heroes: Two young players who have stood out during camp are Bennett Adler at defensive end and Michael Simcak at running back. The two sophomores have played with passion and skill, sometimes to the chagrin of the first-teamers. Both Adler and Simcak have forced the starters to work harder, which always makes a football coach happy. 

Video Day: Eight of the Wildcats' seniors participated in the annual pumpup video shoot on Friday. The Wildcats posed for the camera in the Strength and Conditioning Center for the video, which will be shown on the scoreboard at Byers Field and shared on social media leading up to the Archbishop Hoban game. 

Special thanks to North Water Partners for helping with the video shoot.