23. St. Ignatius (Cleveland) - Full previewSt. Ignatius head coach Chuck Kyle has a place on any Mount Rushmore of coaches. He's guided St. Ignatius to 11 state titles and could add another this fall.
Photo by Scott Seighman
Strengths: With roughly five starters back on both sides of the ball from a team that captured Ohio’s Division 1 state title last season, this Ignatius squad returns more talent coming off a championship season than head coach Chuck Kyle is accustomed to. Three starters, including 2014 top recruit
Jimmy Byrne, are back up front, opening holes for running back
Tim McVey. The team will be very strong on the defensive front as well, with
Kevin Kavalec and
David Katusha both returning.
Question marks: Quarterback
Mike Lamanna is a first-year starter for the Wildcats. However he looked very strong while filling in for injured starter Eric Williams last year, throwing for four touchdowns against Erie Cathedral Prep. The team’s linebackers also need to be retooled.
Outlook: Region I will be challenging in 2012, as Mentor and Solon both bring a lot back. Last year, St. Ignatius improved dramatically, and by season’s end, was a very good football team. With September showdowns against De La Salle (Mich.), Mentor and Glenville, this year’s team will have to grow up quickly. However, with one of the all-time greatest coaches at the helm, that may not be much of a problem.