Nestled in the heart of ‘old town' Cleveland, Ohio, Saint Ignatius High School is a monument of stability in this otherwise economically depressed Midwestern community. Flanked by century old church buildings, St. Ignatius sports pristine courtyards with wrought iron gates. This school boasts tradition that most modern institutions cannot. One individual I spoke with testified of families he knows of at least three generations worth of alumnus.
One tradition though that seems to be of the more modern variety is that of championship Wildcat football. 2011 brought the team its eleventh state championship in just the last 24 years. "I had been coaching for just five years when we won our first in 1988," said head coach Chuck Kyle. "From there the winning got to be a tradition." The Wildcats certainly have the makings of a dynasty, with their senior tight end, Blake Thomas, being recruited by the Ohio State University, and other alums currently starting for the likes of the University of Notre Dame. Winning will bring you that type of notoriety.
Saturday night, January 14th, the 7th Annual MaxPreps Football Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard stopped in, for the second time in 3 years, to honor this 2011 football team. A small cross section of the team gathered in the library to receive some well deserved recognition. The pre-event meal of Subway sandwiches, cookies, chips, soda, etc. was put on by members of the Ohio Army National Guard. Downstairs, the varsity basketball team was playing to a standing room only crowd. At half-time, Coach Kyle was presented with the Army National Guard national ranking trophy from Major Joe Baibak of the Ohio Army National Guard.
"Congratulations, Wildcats. Of over 16,000 schools in the nation, your football team placed 15th," said Shane Walker of MaxPreps. "On behalf of the Ohio Army National Guard, congratulations," said Major Baibak. No doubt this will not be the last such award that the Saint Ignatius Wildcats will see come their way.
