OHSAA Playoff Preview

OHIO CITY, OH - After a rough stretch of the schedule, the Saint Ignatius Wildcats (5-5) would bounce back against Football North-Clarkson (3-4) to earn home-field advantage for Round One of the OHSAA Tournament.

 "We had great learning experiences against St. Edward, Moeller, and St. Xavier; there were games we had a chance to win," explains Head Football Coach Tom Kaufman. "Last week's win was exciting, we ran the ball well, we had a great plan with Dane [Donovan] at quarterback, and our defense did a tremendous job holding them down."

With the 38-20 win over Football North, and some help around the region, the Wildcats would climb to the eighth seed in the OHSAA Tournament. With Avon Lake stunning Berea-Midpark late, it would drop the Titans to the ninth seed, and led to the Wildcats hosting their first-ever playoff football game on Wasmer Field. 
 It is the second time in program history that the Wildcats have entered the postseason as the eighth seed; the other came in 2014. 2026 marks the 36th appearance in the OHSAA Tournament, and the Wildcats have achieved a record of 27-8. 

Last year, despite finishing the season 1-9, the Wildcats would rise to a playoff spot due to John Marshall opting out. The Wildcats gave Perrysburg a battle in the First Round but fell to the Yellow Jackets in overtime. 

Saint Ignatius looks for better fortunes in the 2026 tournament. They are searching for their first playoff win since 2023, when they beat Mentor. They will host the Berea-Midpark Titans (6-4). It is the first time the Wildcats will play the program under the merged name. The Cats met Berea twice and Midpark twice, winning all four of those match-ups. 

SAINT IGNATIUS OFFENSE VS. BEREA-MIDPARK DEFENSE

After three weeks of struggles, the Wildcat offense came to life against Football North and dominated through both the air and on the ground. The biggest area of improvement for the Wildcats last week was the run game, as they rushed for 270 yards and three touchdowns as a team. Junior Teague Deinhart led the way with 96 yards on ten carries. He would collect his first varsity touchdown. 

Tyler McMillon added 93 yards on nine attempts, including a 72-yard touchdown, his fifth on the season. Dane Donovan got his first start since Week One against Avon as Jacob Mikin dealt with an injury. Donovan would throw for 224 yards on 6-of-10 passing and two touchdowns. Donovan also added 42 rushing yards and a touchdown.  
 

"We are blessed to have two really good quarterbacks. Dane threw a couple of really nice passes, and when he is in, everyone assumes he is just a runner," explains Kaufman. "It was one of our best running nights, Teague and Ty had huge nights for us, and I loved what Dane was able to do for us."

 
Trey Haddad and Billy Cole also got in on the scoring action last week. Haddad had a 24-yard score and Cole a 72-yard score. Both have six receiving touchdowns on the season. The Wildcat offense will go against a Titans defense that has allowed 193.5 passing yards per game and 178.1 rushing yards per game. Berea-Midpark has forced 16 turnovers through ten games. Senior Bryce Bunner is the quarterback of the defense at middle linebacker. 

SAINT IGNATIUS DEFENSE VS. BEREA-MIDPARK OFFENSE

As good as the offense was last week against Football North, the defense was even better, forcing four turnovers in the 38-20 win.Football North's Brandon Bailey would be intercepted three times. Senior CJ McLean was the first to the party, collecting his second pick in as many weeks, and third on the season. Senior Mike Velotta collected his first career interception in the second quarter.  Sophomore James Lentz would get in on the action late in the fourth quarter, collecting his first varsity interception.
 
The Wildcats would also recover a fumble on a goal-line stand in the first half when Gavin Foss fell on the loose ball. Senior Anthony Anghilante led the way in tackles with seven, and has a team-high 67 tackles this season. 

 "I think it's fair to say Berea-Midpark has a great team and a really good offense. That is the best phase of their game," Kaufman says. "They are talented at the quarterback and receiver positions."

Leading the way for the Titans at quarterback is senior Dylan Papushak. Papushak has completed 62% of his passes and has thrown for 2,593 yards and 34 touchdowns. He has six interceptions on the year, three coming in last week's loss to Avon Lake. 
 
Papushak's favorite target is senior Nick Reece. Last season, Reece broke a Berea-Midpark season record with 1,354 receiving yards. On the basketball court, Reece joined the 1,000-point club last season. 
 
In 2026, Reece has eclipsed 1,285 yards on 52 receptions. He has a team-high 13 touchdowns for the Titans. Reece is 70 yards away from breaking his own season record in receiving. 
 
Junior Xaviere Harden is the primary back for the Titans. Harden has rushed for 784 yards on 121 carries and eight touchdowns. Papusak is dangerous with his legs as well, rushing for 245 yards and three touchdowns this season. 
 
Berea-Midpark's offensive line features Naval commit  Gabe Bagger. Bagger is the cornerstone of the offensive front and plays left tackle. 

SPECIAL TEAMS

More on Reece, he is a terrific return man for the Titans. This season, he has nine kick returns for 292 yards and a touchdown. On the punt return, he has added 235 yards on seven returns and a touchdown. 
 

"Special teams is an area we need to win in this game," Kaufman says. "I think there are a couple of areas we can take advantage of in that facet."

Last week, Football North would kick away from Cole and Haddad. Cole did have a nice punt return in the second quarter that went for 32 yards. 

Griffin Roberts, normally the kicker, got in on a two-point conversion when Donovan located Roberts to make the score 25-0. The Wildcats are 6-of-8 when going for two this season.
 
The First Round of the OHSAA Tournament kicks off for the first time from Wasmer Field at 7 p.m. The winner will head to Lakewood Stadium to face the #1 St. Edward Eagles on November 6.