St. Ignatius (Cleveland) vs. Brother Rice (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.)
Jason Alessi is just one of the weapons that Brother Rice can turn to in its matchup against St. Ignatius.
Photo by Chris Fleck
Mark this Saturday game down for the history books. It's first meeting between two of the most successful prep football coaches ever to roam the sidelines in the Midwest. St. Ignatius' Chuck Kyle has won 301 games and 11 state championships in 30 years with the Wildcats while Brother Rice coach Al Fracassa has 372 wins and eight titles in 44 seasons at Brother Rice -- and 416 wins and a total of nine state championships in 53 years overall. It's a good thing the game is taking place this year because Fracassa, 80,
has announced he will retire at the end of the 2013 campaign.
St. Ignatius has won 18 of its last 19 games against out-of-state opponents since 2006, which includes three consecutive wins against Michigan teams during that span. The Wildcats are almost always considered a top contender in Ohio's Division I but this year's hopes have taken a serious hit because of preseason injuries to Ohio State-bound linebacker and
Kyle Berger and senior quarterback
Peter Mahoney, as
reported by Cleveland.com.
See the winningest high school football coaches of the last 10 yearsAfter winning back-to-back state titles for the first time in its illustrious football history, Brother Rice has aspirations of winning a third consecutive Division 2 championship and sending its retiring legendary coach out on top of the heap. Engineering the offense will be quarterback
Alex Malzone, a 6-2, 185-pounder who shared snaps his sophomore season but shined in the state championship game with 8-for-11 passing for 168 yards and two touchdowns. Senior safety and kicker
Jason Alessi, who is committed to Michigan to play lacrosse, is a key performer on the Warriors' defense and special teams units.
Mitch Stephens: St. Ignatius 17, Brother Rice 14
Kevin Askeland: St. Ignatius 14, Brother Rice 12
Jamie DeMoney: Brother Rice 28, St. Ignatius 27
Stephen Spiewak: St. Ignatius 17, Brother Rice 14
Leland Gordon: Brother Rice 14, St. Ignatius 13
Colin Ward-Henninger: St. Ignatius 21, Brother Rice 17
