No. 19 Paramus Catholic prepares for tough road test against St. Ignatius

No. 19 Paramus Catholic at St. Ignatius
Location: Byers Field
Kickoff time: Saturday, 2:30 p.m. ET
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When St. Ignatius coach Chuck Kyle won his first state title, no one on the current Paramus Catholic (N.J.) roster had even been born.

In fact, many of the coaches on the Paladins staff did not graduate high school until 10 years later.

That doesn't mean that head coach Chris Partridge and his team are unaware of the success that Kyle has had at St. Ignatius (Cleveland).

One of Ohio's most successful and well-respected coaches, Kyle won his first state title at the Cleveland school in 1988 and has gone on to win 10 additional state titles — and a few mythical national titles — during his storied tenure.

The track record of success is not lost on Partridge, who guided Paramus Catholic to its first state title in over 15 years last fall.

"I've told them (Paramus Catholic players) that this program has had a lot of tradition," Partridge said. "Their fathers went there. Their fathers' fathers went there. These guys have been bred to play football at St. Ignatius for a long time."

In contrast to the decorated history of St. Ignatius, Paramus Catholic is the metaphorical new kid on the block in the New Jersey private school football landscape.

Last year, Partridge led Paramus Catholic on an impressive playoff run that culminated with a come-from-behind victory over Bergen Catholic to capture a non-public Group IV state title.

It marked the first season since 2005 that Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) did not emerge from that playoff bracket.

This year, Paramus Catholic clearly has a target on its back locally. A win against St. Ignatius would cement its place nationally and justify its spot in the Xcellent 25 Rankings.

Paramus Catholic has challenged itself against top competition in surrounding states, but this is the farthest trip — and the biggest challenge — that the Paladins have faced against out-of-state foes thus far.

"They are very well coached and don't make too many mistakes. They are disciplined, physical and get to the ball. They swarm to the ball on defense," Partridge said, who also noted he was impressed with the St. Ignatius passing game. "That's why they're ranked in the Top 50, Top 100 every year."

After suffering a season-opening loss to Brother Rice (Farmington Hills, Mich.), St. Ignatius has rebounded with three straight victories, including one against Mentor, one of the top programs in the area.

Three games into Paramus Catholic's season, Partridge hopes his squad follows a trajectory that shows similar improvement.

After a season-opening victory against Gilman (Baltimore), Paramus Catholic defeated Delbarton and DePaul but did not play to Partridge's standard.

The defense impressed in both games, but the offense struggled at times.

Partridge sees it as a teaching opportunity.

"I am happy in fact that we've had some challenges early," he said. "If we were blowing people out I'd be worried about sustaining it. It allows us as coaches to get all over them and realize they can get better."

Against a team that is gunning for its 12th state title, those lessons need to sink in quickly.

"We need to bring our 'A' game. We've been bringing our 'B' game," Partridge said. "If we don't it's going to be a long bus ride home."