by Patrick McGuire ’14
“Why not us?”
This was the motto of the seniors on the Saint Ignatius football team as they prepared to face the St. Edward Eagles last week. They had been doubted all year, and and even Wildcat faithful were wondering entering Saturday’s night game.
At the 2nd annual safety forces game at First Federal Lakewood Stadium, the Eagles started out of the gate hot. 4-Time state champion track star Shaun Crawford put his team on the board 15 seconds into the game with an 80 yard rushing touchdown.
St. Edward would capture the early lead, but the Wildcats were not rattled.
Ignatius quickly responded with a drive of their own. Senior John Thomas led the Wildcats down the field, eating up most of the first quarter, culminating in a 4 yard touchdown run by senior tailback Mike Vitale. 7-7. However, QB Brett Kean and the Eagles soon responded with a touchdown of their own leaving 16 ticks left in the first quarter.
The second quarter was a very different story as the Wildcats gained momentum on seemingly every play. A strong showing from the Saint Ignatius defense held the potent offense in check for the second quarter and the rest of the game. John Thomas hit senior Mike Siragusa in the corner of the end zone for a 7 yard touchdown, tying up the score 14-14. At this point, the Wildcats had the momentum heading into the locker room for halftime.
Coach Chuck Kyle and the Wildcats could feel victory within reach as they started the second half. Saint Ignatius would put up 9 points off 3 difficult Matt Colella field goals, kicking against a swirling wind. This would put the Wildcats up 23-14 , when St. Edward would answer with a Matt Ramser field goal of their own.
The score was 23-17 with less than a minute left. Matt Colella came on to attempt an essentially game-ending 4th field goal, when Saint Edward incurred a fatal running into the kicker penalty. This gave the Wildcats an automatic first down, and since Saint Edward used all of their timeouts, the Wildcats had clinched the game. Your Saint Ignatius Wildcats defeated their cross-town rival and the number 1 team in the state of Ohio.
This victory was crucial for the Wildcat playoffs hopes as they earn an enormous amount of computer points that will help to vault them into the playoffs and possibly even a home game at Byers Field. The ‘Cats will try to keep the ball rolling as they will take on a very talented but struggling St. Xavier Bomber team. The Bombers stand at 4-4 and the Wildcats improve to 5-3. The ‘Cats will play this Saturday on the campus of John Carroll University at Don Shula Stadium.
“Why not us?”
