St. Ignatius has an illustrious reputation in Ohio with 11 state titles. This season's team should fit right in with all the great ones in the school's history.
Photo by Scott Seighman
After its state title in 2008,
St. Ignatius (Cleveland) celebrated its 10th state title by printing T-shirts with the motto “One for the other thumb,” referring to the school’s 10th state title ring.
Now, following a 2011 season in which it won another Division 1 state title, the Wildcats have more rings than fingers, a testament to the amazing dynasty that head coach Chuck Kyle has orchestrated.
Jimmy Byrne is just a junior and a big-time tackle talent.He's already garnering attention from marquee collegeprograms like Notre Dame.
Photo by Scott Seighman
The 2012 Wildcats bring back more than Kyle is accustomed to returning, especially on the offensive and defensive lines, which have been critical in the team’s success during Kyle’s tenure.
MaxPreps Preseason Top 25 High School Football Early ContendersOffensively,
Michael Cray and
Steve Frank both return at guard, giving St. Ignatius two athletic, experienced linemen who understand the system. Also returning up front is junior tackle
Jimmy Byrne. One of the top recruits at his position, Byrne started down the stretch as a sophomore and already has several scholarship offers, including Ohio State and Notre Dame.
Running back
Tim McVey returns to carry the ball for Ignatius. He rushed for more than 1,000 yards last season and could also return kicks for the Wildcats.
Taking over the reins of the offense will be 6-foot-2
Mike LaManna. LaManna looked good in limited duty as a junior and has the size and frame that has become the standard for quarterbacks at St. Ignatius. At this point, he’s unproven, but has the potential to blossom into a leader on offense.
He’ll be throwing to a receiving unit that will be almost entirely new, though Kyle speaks highly of the young players he has coming up at the position. Senior
Rocky Zingale should be the leader of the group.
The team’s defense will be led by the defensive line, which returns three starters in
David Katusha,
Matt Gawlik and
Kevin Kavalec. Both Katusha and Kavalec are Division I talents, while Gawlik, an excellent basketball player, is a fine athlete.
Kyle needs to replace the team’s linebackers, which featured Rustom Khouri, Zach Ryan and Jim Sheehan a year ago. It will go from a strength to a weakness of the team, at least early on.
The secondary returns two starters in
Zach Baker and
Tom Fanning. Baker should thrive at safety while Fanning was a shutdown corner last season.
Local look: “Certain things never happen in December. You never see water skiers on Lake Erie, there is never baseball at Progressive Field and St. Ignatius never loses a football game.”
- Tim Rogers, Cleveland Plain-Dealer
