At long last, high school football has returned to Northeast Ohio.
A challenging 10-game season lies ahead of the Saint Ignatius Wildcats. The men of Chuck Kyle ’69 will stay close to home this year, with eight games in Northeast Ohio and only two lengthy road trips, but tough teams fill the slate for the Wildcats.
The first obstacle is Archbishop Hoban. Three-time defending state champs, the Knights have talent and speed galore on both sides of the ball. Nearly every state and regional ranking has the Knights ahead of the Wildcats.
Saint Ignatius and Archbishop Hoban met on the gridiron to start the 2017 season in an anticipated matchup. Last season, the Wildcats beat the Knights, 17-3, limiting the hosts to 33 rushing yards and 137 yards overall. The Wildcats’ defense will need to limit the Knights’ ground game again to win the contest.
The Knights have two deadly weapons at running back – Tyris Dickerson and DeaMonte Trayanum. Dickerson, an Eastern Kentucky commit, galloped for 1,703 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2017. Trayanum, a junior, has a host of offers after flashing his speed and strength as a sophomore. Hoban utilizes a gap scheme with plenty of pulling from the guards and center, something the Wildcats will look to
neutralize. Left tackle Nolan Rumler, at 6’4, 300 pounds, anchors the Hoban offensive line.
Hoban’s passing attack is also dynamic, with a focus on getting the playmakers the ball. Sophomores Shane Hamm and Jordan Mick anchor the offense at quarterback. Hamm started last year, using his arm and legs to guide the Knights to a title. Mick can also sling the ball and may earn the start.
Senior wideout Mason Tipton and junior transfer wideout Caden Clark (an Alabama commit) will be the top two targets for whoever gets the nod at signalcaller. Keep an eye out for how the Knights line up on offense – unbalanced lines could play a part.
The Wildcats’ traditional 3-3-5 defense will meet the Hoban attack. Tommy Eichenberg is the heart of the defense as a playmaking, rush-stuffing, quarterback-attacking outside linebacker. Defensive ends Aidan Wells and Zach McMahan will look to push the rush inside to Seamus Cooney and Rico Levert at nose tackle and Kyle Sullivan at middle linebacker. Caden Campolieti will also make his first varsity start at outside ‘backer.
The Wildcats’ secondary is one of the team’s top strengths. Jett Elad and Jack Kennedy serve as fast, shutdown corners. Danny Scelza, Jack
Welcsh, and Chris Velotta, Jr. will cycle in as the strong safeties, with Mitch Puhalsky serving as the field general at free safety. As a unit, the Wildcats will switch between man and zone.
On the offensive side, the Wildcats will start
Patrick Delahunty at quarterback, mixing in junior Griffin Hanna to get him reps and experience.
Running back Bo Floyd is the team’s most prominent returning playmaker, and will look to help the Wildcats establish the run early.
As for weapons, look no further than Nigel Drummond II and Connor Cmiel. These two smart, speedy wideouts will open the field for quick wide receivers such as Luke Cooper, Ethan Biacsi, and Kennedy. At tight end, Jake Lang and Aidan Wells will block and see a few passes.
The offensive line was the big question entering the offseason, but is now solved. Grant Abbott (center) and Xavier Everett (left tackle) will be the heart of the offensive line.
On the flipside, Hoban brings an aggressive front four with linebackers ready to charge forward to defend the run. The secondary can play man or zone, or a cloud combo.
As a whole, Kyle and his men are ready to play.
“They have a lot of motivation for this game. We were the only team to beat them last season,” Kyle said. They cleaned the table after us. They have motivation for that, we have to handle that. For us, there are certain veterans we’re relying on, because it is a major, playoff-caliber game. We need them to step it up, because we have some guys getting their first real varsity action on this level.”