The St. Ignatius Wildcats may be 11-0 and the defending Ohio High School Athletic Association Division I state football champions, but those details meant little to coach Chuck Kyle after the team’s 17-0 win in the first round of the playoffs over Youngstown Boardman last Saturday night.
Kyle was concerned about the Wildcats committing nine penalties for 89 yards.
"We'
ll take a look at the video and see how we have to improve and fix that," Kyle said. "That's not good, because that hurt us a few times. You get a drive going and you get a penalty. That was a little disturbing."
The reason why the Wildcats are so concerned about penalties heading into the second round of the postseason has a lot to do with their opponent Saturday night. For the second consecutive year, St. Ignatius plays the Glenville Tarblooders in the postseason after defeating them in the first week of the regular season. The Wildcats defeated the Tarblooders 14-13 back in August.
"After the first game, I think everybody kind of figured that was going to happen at some point," said Kyle. "They'
re very good and they're very talented. Needless to say, we need to get everybody back because we're going to need everybody to play them. It'll be just another classic football game with them.
"It'
s been a one-point difference several times," he added. "They're quite a challenge to defend, and they're a physical defense. We have to get up bright and early and start working on them."
On Saturday night, the Wildcats are looking to develop an effective running game, which was something they could not do against Boardman in Round 1. Despite the quick track on artificial turf and a clear night without precipitation, St. Ignatius managed 64 yards on 35 carries, an average of 1.8 yards per carry.
"You want to get some yards running when you can, but it'
s an eight-man front," said Kyle. "Why pound it out and run yourself into a wall? They played tough. They're a good football team."
Instead of trying to force something that was not available, the Wildcats aired the ball out with senior quarterback Mark Myers throwing for 273 yards and two touchdowns against Boardman.
St. Ignatius scored both of its touchdowns on pass plays. Tight end Blake Thomas hauled in a 22-yard score on third-and-18 and later in the first half, junior wide receiver David Joseph corralled a 79-yard touchdown along the left sideline. Joseph'
s reception was on third-and-19 from the Wildcats 21-yard line.
"We felt with Mark, we were going to find some seams and ended up hitting a few big plays because it ended up one-on-one with the receivers," said Kyle. "You have to take advantage of that when it happens."
2. The Canton McKinley Bulldogs (7-4) may have needed a Week 10 win over archrival Massillon Washington to clinch the No. 8 seed in Division I, Region 2, but they made the most of their opportunity. The Bulldogs handled the No. 1 seed Toledo Whitmer (9-2) 34-13 and will play Canton GlenOak at Massillon'
s Paul Brown Tiger Stadium Saturday afternoon.
3. Marion-Franklin (9-2) had nothing to lose going up against the No. 1 seed in Division II, Region 7 last Friday night and played like it. Marion Franklin upset the previously unbeaten Leopards 14-7 on the road and will get Lewis Center Olentangy Orange in Round 2. Quarterback Verlon Reed has accounted for nearly 2,000 yards of total offense and ten touchdowns.
4. Cortland Lakeview was able to flip the script on Akron Manchester last Saturday. Despite trailing Manchester 7-0 on the road at halftime, the Bulldogs battled their way to a 24-13 win in Division IV, Region 13 playoff action.
5. For the second year in a row, Padua Franciscan volleyball coach Tony Messina has the Lady Bruins in the Division II state final four. For his efforts, Messina, who led Padua to a 25-2 record, won the Division II Coach of the Year award.
Top performers
* Canton McKinley quarterback Kyle Ohradzansky led the Bulldogs offense to 431 total yards in a 21-point road win over Toledo Whitmer last Saturday. Ohradzansky went 9-of-15 for 179 yards and also ran for a touchdown in the win.
* In Cortland Lakeview's road win over Akron Manchester, quarterback Anthony Franco went 10-for-20 for 151 yards, with 15 and 48-yard touchdown passes.
* Bucyrus Wynford running back Tyler Brause ran for 156 yards, including 123 in the first 24 minutes, in a 41-21 win over the Dalton Bulldogs in Division VI playoff action Saturday.
Looking ahead
* Eight of the best high school volleyball teams in Ohio will play in the State Volleyball Finals Saturday at Wright State University's Ervin J. Nutter Center in Dayton. Two of last year's state champions, Maria Stein Marion Local in Division IV and Padua Franciscan in Division II, will look to successfully defend their titles.
* Glenville vs. St. Ignatius playoff football, Saturday night at 7 p.m. The Tarblooders and Wildcats are no strangers to each other or long state playoff runs. Unfortunately for one team, their season will end at Lakewood Stadium, while the other could be a favorite to make it to the Division I State Final in Canton on Dec. 5.
* Twinsburg vs. Massillon Washington playoff football, Saturday night at 7 p.m. In a twist of irony, Massillon Washington will play a home game in Fawcett Stadium, while the usual occupants, the Canton McKinley Bulldogs, will travel to Massillon's Paul Brown Tiger Stadium for their second-round playoff game. This matchup could come down to which spread offense has the ball last or who turns it over the least.
Recruiting news
According to The Daily Record, Wooster High School softball standout Kasie Kelly will forgo her senior season and enroll early at The Ohio State University. Kelly, who set a state record with 44 strikeouts in a 20-inning 1-0 loss to Lexington, will likely redshirt and spend a year working on mechanics and improving her pitches. In an announcement made by Twinsburg girls basketball coach Julie Solis and printed in The Akron Beacon Journal, Hillary Southworth signed a letter of intent and will play college basketball for Appalachian State. The Youngstown Vindicator reported that Canfield senior point guard Jillian Halfhill has signed to play basketball for Bowling Green State University.
Matt's minutes
It may not be Christmas, but for Ohio high school sports fans, late-November, early-December is the most wonderful time of the year. In addition to the state football and volleyball championships, basketball teams around Ohio open their regular season and conference play. To the athletes, enjoy the postseason moments and to the fans, have fun watching young men and women reach their goals of becoming champions.
Matt Florjancic currently works as a freelance reporter and sports show host for WOBL and WDLW.
