OHIO CITY, OH - This past Friday, Saint Ignatius (5-5) returned to Wasmer Field and the campus of Saint Ignatius High School for the third time this year, looking to head into the postseason with some positive momentum by picking up a win in the final week of the regular season against Football North (ONT) [3-4]. Saint Ignatius had dropped three straight heading into Friday Night's action, and was still jockeying for position in the regional standings, sitting at the ninth seed heading into Week Ten. Football North, on the other hand, was 3-3 heading into Friday night's matchup, and they had dropped back-to-back games against Massillon Washington and St. Edward, although they had some time off since their last game against St. Edward, in which they lost 63-46.
Both teams were looking to get back on track, and Football North got it started early with a big return, which got them into Saint Ignatius territory at the 40. However, in what would become a common theme for Football North, the drive proved a missed opportunity: they were turned away on fourth down deep in Saint Ignatius territory, putting an abrupt end to a promising start to the game. The Cats would immediately pounce on the missed opportunity, as
Dane Donovan, who got the start tonight for Saint Ignatius, led a long touchdown drive with a good mix of run and pass, including a huge third-down completion to
Charlie Blasko, that was eventually capped off by a ten-yard touchdown run by Donovan himself, giving the Cats an early 7-0 lead.
On North's next drive, quarterback Brandon Bailey was intercepted by
CJ McLean, giving McLean two interceptions in as many weeks, and setting the Cats up with prime field position. However, the Cats were not able to muster much on the drive, and the drive ended in a missed 46-yard field goal by
Griffin Roberts, and the score remained 7-0. Football North again worked the ball into Ignatius territory, Bailey was intercepted for the second time in the game, and for only the second time all season, as he was picked off by
Mike Velotta, who registered his first varsity interception. An eventful first quarter came to an end with Saint Ignatius leading 7-0.
The Cats got it going early in the second quarter, as on third-and-seven, Donovan connected with
Billy Cole on a quick throw with pressure in his face, and Cole did the rest, winning the long 71-yard footrace to the end zone, giving the Cats a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter.
The frustrations continued for Football North, as once again they worked it into Wildcat territory, this time inside the ten, and this time using Tevonte Bramwell, the Wildcat QB, to get them down the field. However, Bramwell fumbled on first-and-goal, and
Gavin Foss recovered, leaving North empty-handed again.
Despite the less-than-ideal field position, it didn't matter for the Cats, as
Teague Deinhart rumbled all the way down near the Football North 20 on a huge 72-yard run starting inside the Ignatius ten. The Cats turned the big drive into points: after the drive stalled, Roberts nailed a 34-yard field goal to give the Cats a 17-0 lead with 6:15 left in the first half.
Football North was not so fortunate on their next drive, as they went three-and-out, and a big return by Cole put the Cats right back in North territory. It was here that Donovan would pick up his third touchdown of the night, his second through the air, on a 23-yard pitch and catch to
Trey Haddad, who bulldozed his way into the end zone. The Cats were trying everything, and it was all working; on the ensuing two-point conversion, Donovan connected with kicker Roberts to make it 25-0 and a four-score game. It wasn't pretty, but Football North was on the move again late in the first half, getting inside the Ignatius ten with minimal time on the clock. However, they elected to pass on the field goal and go for a touchdown before the end of the half, which proved disastrous, as Football North was unable to score before time expired, giving Saint Ignatius a 25-0 lead heading into the locker room.
Since Ignatius won the toss and deferred, they also got the ball first to start the second half. The drive got up to around midfield; however, it was here that Donovan's pass was popped up in the air and intercepted by Abercious Ikehuame, who took it all the way down near the one-yard line of Saint Ignatius. As a result, Bramwell punched it in and finally got Football North on the board. North went for two, and were not so fortunate, as Bailey was sacked by
James Conrad, and the score remained 25-6.
The Cats wasted no time responding, as on their next drive,
Tyler McMillon scampered 72 yards right up the middle, and no one could catch him on his way to the end zone, giving the Cats a 31-6 lead, where it stayed as the PAT was blocked.
On their next drive, Football North fell way behind the sticks due to penalties. Any momentum the drive had after they picked up a fourth-down conversion earlier was immediately halted, and they had to punt. The Cats, on their next drive, were also in an obvious punt situation; however, the Cats decided to experiment and run a fake punt with
Matthias Michalek, which worked out and then some, keeping the drive going into Football North territory. Before the drive came to a close, the third quarter came to an end, with Saint Ignatius cruising with a 31-6 lead.
To start the fourth quarter, the Cats were unable to convert on a 41-yard field goal try, and the Cats came up empty-handed on the drive. Football North, backed up near their own 20, was able to mount a response, but it was too little too late, as Bailey scrambled his way into the end zone for a North touchdown, but the two-point conversion was unsuccessful, and North still trailed by three scores with less than eight minutes to play.
There were some late-game fireworks in this one; however, it didn't affect the ultimate outcome. A huge third-and-20 catch by
Jake Lamirand and a big drive that capped off a big night for Deinhart, ultimately ending in his first varsity touchdown, gave the Cats a 38-12 lead.
North would get a small consolation prize back, as Bailey connected with Gabriel Tabora downfield for a Football North touchdown, which cut into the deficit, along with the successful two-point conversion. However, the night was capped off when Bailey was intercepted for the third time in the game, this time by sophomore
James Lentz, who picked up his first varsity interception to put the final touches on a 38-20 Saint Ignatius victory. ?
Saint Ignatius finishes the regular season with a 5-5 record, a huge improvement over their 1-9 finish a year ago. In addition, this was the kind of "feel-good" game the Cats needed, as everyone was involved from top to bottom and made an impact in the victory, which snapped the three-game losing skid. With the win, the Cats secured the eighth seed in Region 1 and will have home-field advantage this Friday against Berea-Midpark in the 8 vs. 9 match-up, with the game set to be played at Wasmer Field. If the Cats were to win and advance, they would face St. Edward in the Regional Quarterfinal for a rematch against their rival. Kickoff for round one against Berea-Midpark will be at 7:00 p.m. this Friday, and the SIBN will have live coverage of the playoff action.
