UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, OH - The Saint Ignatius Wildcats (4-3) made their way back to John Carroll University and Don Shula Stadium for the second straight week, this time to take on their rival in the St. Edward Eagles (6-1) in what would be the Cats' biggest game and likely their biggest test of the season. Saint Ignatius came in with back-to-back blowout wins, while the Eagles were quite the opposite, as their last two games came down to the final minute of the ballgame, going 1-1 in those two contests, with the one win coming last week against St. John's from D.C., and the loss coming against Massillon Washington. A sold-out crowd was in attendance, and anticipation was high to watch two rivals and two of Ohio's top teams go at it.

The game started with disaster on one side and was almost dreamlike for the other. On the second play from scrimmage, Langston Lucas connected with Caleb Hall downfield for a 77-yard touchdown on a one-handed grab up the sideline. Just like that, St. Eds led 7-0. Saint Ignatius then went three-and-out on their first drive and went nowhere but backward. An awkward punt gave St. Edward the football back on the Ignatius 23, and they wasted no time again, this time the tight end and UCONN commit Joe Moore was used out of the backfield to bulldoze his way into the end zone. Just over four minutes had elapsed, and St. Edward led 14-0. 

The game started to slow down after the fast start for the Eagles, as the Cats' offense remained dormant, and the Eagles stalled out offensively as well, with the next three drives resulting in punts: two for Saint Ignatius and one for St. Edward before the end of the quarter. After one, the Eagles led 14-0.

The first drive of the second quarter had legs for the Eagles, but came to an abrupt end in Ignatius territory when Lucas was intercepted by Anthony Anghilante. The Cats' offense finally got going courtesy of a big catch by Trey Haddad and an ensuing penalty, but the drive stalled out at the Eagles' 39-yard line, and the Cats had no choice but to pin the Eagles back via the punt. While the Eagles were backed up, it didn't matter, as on third-and-two inside their own ten, senior running back Collin Tedesco scampered all the way inside the Saint Ignatius 25 for a huge third-down conversion, putting the Eagles in a prime position to add on even more. 

The Eagles took full advantage, as Moore collected his second rushing touchdown of the night, this time from 11 yards out on second-and-goal, and gave the Eagles a three-score lead in the process, as they now led 21-0 in the second quarter with 7:02 remaining. Another big gain on the next drive for the Cats, and some nice runs from Tyler McMillon got the Cats in a goal-to-go situation. However, Mikin was sacked on third-and-goal, and Griffin Roberts hooked the 32-yarder wide left, and the frustrating night for the Cats continued. 

The Cats forced a punt from the Eagles and were set up around their own 40, with an opportunity to double-dip by scoring and getting the football first to start the second half, with a minute and a half left in the half. However, Mikin was picked off by Miami (OH) commit Landon Lehmer for St. Edward, and the Eagles took over around their own 45 with a minute left to go and a chance to tack on some more. Here things got weird, as from the Saint Ignatius 29, St. Edward attempted a last-second Hail Mary, which was intercepted but negated by a pass interference penalty, leading to an untimed down. On the untimed down, the Eagles ran a fake field goal intended for Moore, which fell incomplete, but another penalty, this time a hold on the Cats, gave the Eagles another untimed down. Finally, Dallas Nixon nailed a 25-yard field goal to end the half, giving us a 24-0 halftime score in favor of the Eagles. 

The second half started with more of the same for the Cats, as Billy Cole muffed the opening kickoff and the Eagles took over inside the Saint Ignatius 40. However, the defense picked up the Cats, as Anghilante picked up his second pick of the night and his fourth of the year to turn the Eagles away. The Cats, however, could not capitalize on the turnover and momentum and had to punt, which became a common theme in the third quarter. Both offenses quieted down and remained quiet for the duration of the third quarter, and after three, the score remained the exact same as it was in the locker room, 24-0 St. Edward.

The Cats finally got on the board early in the fourth, as Mikin connected with Cole on third and 13 to get the Cats down to the one, and after an offline snap on first-and-goal, which backed the Cats up to the six, Mikin found Jake Lamirand in the endzone for the first touchdown and first points of the game for the Cats. 

However, the Cats could not convert the two-point conversion to make it a two-score game, and that essentially sealed the Cats' fate with 10:48 remaining. If there was any doubt, the Eagles quickly removed it with a long, methodical drive where they bled the clock under three and a half minutes and leaned on Tedesco again, who had 96 yards on the ground in the game. Tedesco finished the job with a one-yard touchdown to put the finishing touches on the game, making it 31-6. The Cats did get a nice feel-good drive before the clock expired, as Donovan orchestrated a touchdown drive where he eventually connected with Jack Favret for Favret's first varsity touchdown, as well as a two-point conversion from Donovan to make it 31-14. However, that was all she wrote in this game, leaving us with a final score of 31-14 for St. Edward.

St. Edward continues its dominance over Saint Ignatius, extending its winning streak to ten straight dating back to 2018. For the Cats, it was not the result they wanted or expected, but there is a chance these teams could meet again in the playoffs. The Cats will be back in action this upcoming Friday on the campus of Saint Ignatius for their second game on the newly renovated Wasmer Field. It'll be another tough test, as the Cats will welcome one of the top teams in the state, the Archbishop Moeller Crusaders (5-2), to Cleveland. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. on Friday, and the SIBN will have live coverage.