BROOKLYN, OH - After their international tour in Spain, the Wildcats were back in action in the States as they hosted their jesuit rivals, the St. Xavier Bombers, from Brooklyn Memorial Stadium.
The squad for the A-Side match saw a mix of the Varsity B squad and members of the B-Side as they kicked off against the Bombers. This included the first start on A-Side for senior Chris Perez.
Junior Hank McGowan kicked it off, and the Wildcats and Bombers were underway. After a penalty on a lineout from St. Xavier, the Wildcats received possession through a maul. The Wildcats went on the offensive attack, moving the ball down near the try line. Senior Connor Bender would put the ball a meter away from the try line, and senior Mason Hartley would score the opening points for the Cats. With a Levi Hoffman conversion, the Wildcats led the Bombers 7-0 with 32 minutes remaining in the half.
At the 10-minute mark of the half, Mark French had a pair of tremendous runs that got the ball 13 yards out from the try-line. With a strong run and breaking tackles, Hartley would get the possession and had his second try of the afternoon. The Wildcats would have a 14-0 advantage.
St. Xavier would answer with 19 minutes remaining in the half when Nate Hodapp made a perfectly timed play to intercept a Wildcat pass and take it the distance for a try and cut the Wildcats' lead to seven.
The Wildcats' play became sloppy near the end of the first half as they committed a knock-on penalty by the try-line that waved potential points off the board, and on the following possession for the Bombers, would commit a penalty that gave a line out ten yards away from the try zone.
Like a defensive back in football, senior Tommy Passerallo made a perfect break on a Bomber pass and intercepted the ball at the 25-yard line. Passerallo would score from 75 yards out for a team-high 11th try of the season. At the 26th mark of the half, the Wildcats led the Bombers 21-7.
With a Bomber penalty, the Wildcats would have a kick-for-touch opportunity ten yards away from the try line. French would restart play and execute a perfect pass to Bender, who lowered the shoulder for a try. The Cats now led 28-7 with minutes before the break.
A tough break by the Wildcat defense led to a five-meter scrum for the Bombers. St. Xavier's Mikey Ealy extended for the Bombers second try of the afternoon, making it 28-14 Wildcats at half time, leaving a bad taste in the mouth of the Blue and Gold.
The second half was much prettier for the Wildcats as they began to dominate their Jesuit rival. Junior Alex Werner started the scoring avalanche for the Wildcats. A last-second pass from Passerallo allowed a score from James Coughlin. Junior Rowan Lobozzo would add a score to make it 47-14.
The highlight of the second half came from Chris Perez. He received a pass from French, immediately put a foot on the ball, and used his speed down the sideline to beat multiple bombers. He would repossess the ball 25 yards downfield and head in for a magnificent try.
Senior Braedan Oddi would check-in for the first time in an A-side game. After a St. X penalty, he would have a kick-to-touch opportunity. Using his speed and some quick thinking, Oddi added to the score with a try of his own, making it 59-14 in favor of the Cats.
Senior Raphael Gabrovsek would round out the scoring for the Wildcats.
The Varsity Gold (a-side) extends their record to 6-0 on the season with a 64-14 victory over St. Xavier. Hoffman would go 7-of-10 with his conversions.
It will be an entertaining end of the month for the Wildcats. On Saturday, April 12, the Wildcats will face the country's top-ranked high school team, Xavier (NY), at Tiger Stadium in Hollidaysburg, PA. They will turn around to have Senior Night on Wednesday, April 16, against St. Edward at Brooklyn Memorial Stadium.
They will round out this month with a 2024 National Championship rematch against Gonzaga on Saturday, April 26, from Mylan Park in Morgantown, WV.
Gallery: (4-7-2025) Saint Ignatius vs. St. Xavier
