DUBLIN, OH - The Saint Ignatius Wildcats (1-2) journeyed to Dublin on Friday night to take on the Coffman Shamrocks (1-2). Coming off a tough 20-14 loss against Mentor last week, the Wildcats were hungry for their first victory. They took on a team in Coffman, who, coming into the game, was 1-1 and ranked #62 in Ohio. This would be the inaugural match up between the two teams.
Beating Coffman was a challenging task for the Cats. A lightning delay set kickoff for 7:55 when it was initially scheduled for 7:00, and there were scattered showers throughout the game. This made it tough to throw the ball, which allowed both teams' rushing attacks to carry the offense. For Coffman, tackling senior quarterback Amari Valerio-Hudson was even more complex with the rainy conditions. Valerio-Hudson was coming off a 214-yard rushing performance against Miamisburg the week prior, which displayed his athleticism and why he's committed to Army as a WR.
The Shamrocks won the coin toss and elected to defer, meaning the Wildcats would receive the opening kickoff for the third straight week. 4.5 Star kicker Brady Magyar sent the kick through the back of the end zone, and the Cats set up shop from their 20-yard line. After a two-yard run by senior
Grant Washington, quarterback
Daniel Chalhoub kept it on an RPO for a 25-yard pickup. A short pass to
Marcus Tekancic and a 25-yard rip by
Owen Colwell later, the Cats found themselves on the Shamrocks' 23-yard line. Short gains by Colwell and Washington brought a third and long for the Wildcats, which Washington just barely picked up after catching a pass in the flat. Washington got the Cats to the five-yard line with another carry, and then Colwell powered into the endzone for the Cats, sending a statement on the opening drive with 7:04 remaining in the first.
The Wildcats' defense came out with the same energy as well. The Shamrocks rushed for a first down on the first two plays from scrimmage, but big tackles from
James Conrad and
Nick Rivera forced an opening drive punt, the first opponent opening drive without a score for the Cats this season. The Cats got the ball back inside their own ten, but Washington, Colwell, and Chalhoub quickly moved the Wildcats into Coffman territory. More rushes took us to the end of the first quarter, with the Cats up 7-0 over the Shamrocks.
The Wildcats entered the second quarter with the ball inside the red zone. On the first play from scrimmage in the period, Washington took it to the house for a 16-yard rushing touchdown to put the Cats up by two scores. The scoring drive included exclusively rushing plays, whether a designed run or a scramble.
Jackson Schaffer's kickoff was once again returned to the 35-yard line by Coffman, and they started their drive with good field position. Valerio-Hudson overthrew his wide-open tight end on first down, and after a nine-yard scramble, the Shamrocks committed a false start, moving them back to a third and six. The Cats swallowed up the screen, and forced their second straight punt.
Marcus Tekancic returned the punt to the 36-yard line of Saint Ignatius. A couple of
Jake Bobinski first downs put the Cats into Rocks territory. Then, Colwell ran through the defense, putting defenders on skates and marching into the end zone for a 36-yard touchdown run, putting the Cats up by three scores.
The ensuing Coffman drive was a long, methodical one. The Rocks took a lot of time off the clock at the beginning of their drive, and then Valerio-Hudson threw a deep ball to Cameron Hairston, which put the Shamrocks in the Wildcats' red zone for the first time in the game. The Wildcats forced a fourth and goal, but Valerio-Hudson threw a touchdown to Daven White, making the score 21-7 in favor of the Wildcats with 3:04 left before half.
Colwell took the next kickoff into Coffman territory with a monster return. Two short gains brought the Cats to a third down, where Chalhoub found
Luke Simms for a 45-yard gain, bringing them to the two-yard line. One play later, the Cats got the lead back to 21 with a Chalhoub QB sneak.
The Shamrocks had the ball from their 20-yard line, and the clock worked against them at the end of the half. They marched down the field into the Cats' red zone with under 30 seconds left. They used all of their timeouts and had a first down from the Cats' 15 with 8 seconds left. Coffman could've elected to take the points, but they gambled and had the clock run out on them during a busted play. The Cats led the Shamrocks out of the half, 28-7.
The Shamrocks received the second half and marched straight down the field. With 9:26 in the third quarter, White punched in a two-yard touchdown, bringing the Shamrocks within two scores, 28-14.
The story of the second half for the Wildcats – penalties. After a clean first half, the Cats were riddled with flags throughout the entire half, which didn't allow them to get anything going on the offensive side of the ball in the third quarter.
Both teams traded punts in the third quarter, and the Cats had possession entering the fourth. But they quickly punted, and Coffman took over. Coffman gained yards on the ground, and then Valerio-Hudson connected with Hairston for a touchdown, bringing it within one score with 9:51 remaining in the ball game.
The Cats got the ball back in the middle of the fourth, looking to run the clock down and put the game away. They rediscovered what had been so good with them in the first half: the run game. Washington and Colwell combined to carry the Cats into the Coffman red zone. Then,
Jake Bobinski broke two tackles and powered it forward for a 15-yard touchdown, the first of his varsity career. The rest of the game was played out, and the Cats forced a turnover on downs on the next Coffman drive. The Wildcats lined up in victory formation for the first time during the 2024 campaign.
Colwell had a career night for the Wildcats. The junior would rush for 147 yards on 15 carries and find paydirt twice.
The Wildcats' season record is 1-2. Next week, they will travel to Walsh Jesuit to take on the Warriors. The SIBN will provide audio and video coverage.
