The Football Cats fell to the Mentor Cardinals at Byers Field, 28-7, on Saturday evening.

The Wildcats dropped to 0-2 on the year with the loss. 

The Cardinals’ patented big-strike offense opened up an early lead that the Wildcats offense, in the face of a strong Mentor pass rush, could not overcome. Trailing by 21 points late in the game, the Wildcats did not surrender, but the team could not avoid the program’s first two-loss start since 1987.

“It wasn’t a good game. We struggled offensively,” said Head Football Coach Chuck Kyle '69. "We were hoping to run the ball and setup the pass, but we couldn’t convert a third down for a while. Defensively, we got burned on a long pass. [The wide receiver] got behind the safety when we were in zone. [Mentor] got up 7-0. They started putting together drives. Anyways, they’re a great football team.”

Mentor’s offense moved down the field on its first five plays before hitting a home run early in the first quarter. Ian Kipp lofted a 55-yard touchdown pass to Luke Floriea on a fly route for six points. The extra point sailed true for a 7-0 Mentor lead with 8:41 left in the first.

The Wildcats responded with a couple short runs and an 11-yard third down completion from Patrick Delahunty to Jack Kennedy, but the drive ended with a Pat Otter punt.

Mentor came close to hitting on another homer on the next drive. Kipp found Floriea on a deep ball again, but Floriea was brought down at the 15-yard line. Danny Scelza thwarted the potential scoring drive, stepping in front of a Mentor pass. Scelza roared 46 yards down the field, quickly flipping the field in favor of the Wildcats.

The Cardinals’ defense stepped up to prevent the Wildcats from taking advantage of the great field position. The teams traded punts before the Cardinals made their first big defensive play of the day. Mentor’s Noah Gladish intercepted the Wildcats in the end zone on an impressive play. The score stood at 7-0 Mentor entering the second quarter.

In between the first and the second quarter, the Athletic Department held a special ceremony honoring longtime athletic trainer Hank Gaughan and his 33 years of service on "Thank Hank Night." Gaughan was presented with a keepsake plaque and surprised with a special announcement – the training room at Saint Ignatius will be renamed in honor of Gaughan. A proud Wildcat, Gaughan devoted 33 years of service to Saint Ignatius and the nearly 7,000 student-athletes who passed through the doors of his training room. The Wildcats’ fans in attendance authored a raucous round of applause thanking “Mr. G” for his dedication to Wildcat High. 

Following the wonderful ceremony, the Cardinals started driving down the field on offense. Kipp found Floriea again on the deep ball, this time down the left side of the field. Kipp finished off the scoring drive with a rushing touchdown up the middle from four yards at 9:10 of the second.

An unfortunate bounce for the Wildcats on special teams granted the visitors great field position after a Wildcats’ three-and-out. The Cardinals scored a few plays later, as Kipp scrambled to his left and found daylight. The sophomore scampered 24 yards into the end zone to extend the Cardinals’ lead to 21 near the halfway point of the quarter.

“We made a mistake that’s very rare for us on a punt,” Kyle said. “We mishandle a punt, and they scored a touchdown. We don’t usually do that. We didn’t need it at that point.”

The Wildcats’ offense then showed promise. Junior quarterback Griffin Hanna found Luke Cooper on a 3rd and long completion over the middle. A decisive Noah Potter sack ended the Wildcats’ drive, however, forcing the Wildcats to punt with four minutes left.

Neither team could gain any traction on offense in the final minutes of the half, sending Mentor into the break with a 21-0 lead.

The Cardinals’ offense continued to roll at the start of the second half. Brian Trobel galloped 47 yards down the right sideline for a Mentor touchdown and a 28-0 lead at 9:02 of the third quarter.

The Wildcats found the scoreboard with 6:08 remaining in the third. The Football Cats blocked a Mentor punt, as Danny Scelza and Jack Welcsh each tipped the ball. Welcsh recovered the ball at the Mentor 3-yard line, and on the next play, Delahunty forced his way into the end zone. The clutch plays narrowed the deficit to 28-7. 

Kyle praised Scelza for his hustle plays, as the senior played hard all evening.

“He was out there a lot. He’s a veteran and you could tell, he brought the effort every play,” Coach Kyle said of Scelza. “Those are effort plays you saw – the blocked punt and the interception. On the interception, he cut right in front of the guy. Those are key plays.”

The Cardinals responded on offense with a lengthy, deliberate drive. Mentor converted on a number of third downs and one fourth down, before the Wildcats’ defense responded with a stop early in the fourth quarter.

On the ensuing drive, the Football Cats could not gain much traction, as Noah Potter continued to attack Delahunty with a vicious rush. Delahunty faced a pass rush on many plays, as Potter (an Ohio State commit) and the Mentor defensive line showcased incredible athleticism.

Mentor’s offense ran down most of the clock in the final minutes, sending the Wildcats to 0-2 on the year.

A bright spot for the Wildcats was the play of senior linebacker Tommy Eichenberg. The Boston College commit topped the team with 13.5 tackles, adding a sack and two tackles for loss.

“Tommy Eichenberg had a ridiculous amount of tackles,” Kyle said. “We’re trying to move him around a little bit because all of the teams notice where he’s at and try to do something away from him. We started to disguise where he was at.”

Moving forward, the Wildcats have work to do. As Coach Kyle said, the Wildcats need to learn from the loss and improve. A tough road to November awaits this Saint Ignatius team.

“It’s early, but with two losses, we have to look at ourselves in the mirror,” Kyle said. “They’re two great teams – one is picked to win the championship in Division II and the other reached the state championship game last year. That’s what we’re dealing with, but you look at our schedule, and we have to do a serious turnaround because there are some excellent teams to play. That’s a good thing, because they’ll come in with a good record, so if you beat them, you get those points. The key is to beat them and play a complete game. We are not complete right now.”