OHIO CITY, OH - The Saint Ignatius Wildcats (3-2) made their return to Wasmer Field for the first time since 2023 on Friday, as they looked to get back in the win column against the John Marshall Lawyers (1-4). John Marshall had a tough go of it in their first three games, being outscored 149-0, but bounced back in Week Four with a 28-12 win. Nevertheless, it was a great opportunity for the Cats to pick up a win and properly honor the seniors on Senior Night.
The Cats got out of the gates hot, as on the third play from scrimmage,
JT Hummer took his second carry of the game 47 yards for a Cats' score. On the first drive for John Marshall, they had operational issues and went backward, leading to a punt. However, the snap on the punt went through the back of the endzone, leading to a safety and a very quick 9-0 Cats' lead.
This lead ballooned even more, as on the free kick from John Marshall,
Trey Haddad took it all the way back for his first varsity special teams touchdown and another one on the board for the Cats, making it 16-0 with 8:47 left in the first. The next Lawyers' drive went nowhere but backward, and a great return from
Billy Cole allowed the Cats to set up shop offensively on the John Marshall 11-yard line. It was here that
Dane Donovan scampered in on a QB scramble from 11 yards out to give the Cats a 23-0 lead. The defense continued to dominate the John Marshall offense the rest of the quarter, and the offense continued to hold up its end of the bargain as well, as
Tyler McMillon and
JT Hummer tacked on rushing touchdowns to the Cats' total, and Hummer's second of the night made it a 37-0 game at the end of the first quarter.
The Cats' domination continued, but slowed down as the game went on. As very early on in the second quarter, the Cats picked up another safety courtesy of an off-line snap on the punt from John Marshall, and then got seven more shortly after when
CJ McLean took the free kick back to the house to make it a 46-0 game. The rest of the second quarter, with a running clock fast approaching, the Cats were unable to add to their huge lead. The defense continued to dominate no matter who was in the game, but the offense was unable to add to their lead in their limited time on the field, in part due to a fumble and a turnover. After one half of action, the Cats were dominating by a score of 46-0.
In the second half, the running clock led to very limited opportunities for the Cats. Still, a pick six by Max Laschinger in the third brought the total up to 53-0, and the Cats would add again with about seven minutes left in the fourth, as
Anthony Abruzzo found Senior
Connor Plato in the endzone to make it a 60-point bomb for the Cats. For Abruzzo, it was his first passing touchdown at the varsity level, and for Plato, he got his first receiving touchdown at the varsity level on this play. This was the icing on the cake to cap off a 60-0 victory for the Cats over John Marshall.
In a 60-0 game, there's obviously going to be a lot of positives and good things to take away from the game. For the Cats, maybe the most important aspect was that everyone from first to third stringers came in and did their part. Secondly, the seniors all got in on the action and got the recognition they rightfully deserved.
The Wildcat defense limited the Lawyers to negative ten yards of offense in the win. It would be the first shutout for the Wildcats since 2022, when they shut out the Euclid Panthers. It would also be the first time since the 2023 playoff game against John Marshall that the Wildcat defense held its opponent to under 100 yards total.
The Cats will be back in action this Friday against the Benedictine Bengals, in what is technically a road game with Benedictine also using John Carroll and Don Shula Stadium as their home venue. The SIBN will have live coverage Friday night, as the Cats will look to stack back-to-back wins before their biggest game of the year.
