Week 9: St. Ignatius

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ReLoad

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The Jesuit Bowl will be played on Ballaban Field this Saturday October 15th when the Bombers (3-5) and Wildcats (4-3) square off for the 30th time.

The Cats opened the season with 3 wins: Mentor 26-21, Mount St. Joseph 21-14 and Euclid 38-0 before falling to Hoban 28-7.
They bounced back with a win over River Rouge 21-14 but then got curb stomped by St. Edward 48-6 and lost yesterday 25-10 to the evil empire.

The Bombers lead the series 15-14 which began in 1991 and includes 3 state championship games (1992, 2001 and 2016)

X will be out to avenge last season's 28-21 road loss in this Cats head coach Chuck Kyle's final season.

Coach Specht’s Bomber teams have beaten the Wildcats 11 of 19 games (2004-present)

The JV kickoff is at noon followed by varsity at 3pm.

(Guessing the JV game will be played on the upper field)
 
 
St. Ignatius Offense

QB #14 Joshua Papesh Jr. 6”2 190lb
RB #25 Sean Martin Jr 6’1” 175lb offers from Eastern Michigan and Toledo
RB #22 Steve Favazzo Sr. 5’11” 202lb
RB #24 Grant Washington So. 6’0” 180lb
WR #9 Jon Merrimee Jr. 6’4” 205lb
WR #10 Brady Haddad Sr. WR 6’0” 160lb
WR #7 Brandon Webster Sr. 6’0” 180lb Yale commit
LT #78 Colin Farrell Sr. 6’5” 235lb
LG #52 Greg Hanson Jr. 5’11” 240b
C #61 Patrick Lavelle Sr. 6’0” 275lb
RG #79 James Raynor Jr. 6’6” 300lb
RT #74 Dominic Ference Sr. 6’2” 290lb
 
St. Ignatius Defense

DL #95 Eugene Gibbons Sr. 6’3” 225lb
NG #90 Garrett Butchko Jr. 6’2” 225lb
DL #34 Will Robinson Sr. 6’5” 250lb Holy Cross commit
LB #44 Pierce Spencer Sr. 5’11” 205lb
LB #35 Max Polinski Sr. 6’1” 220lb Ohio State commit baseball
LB #41 Ed Soeder Sr. 6’2” 215lb
LB #58 Pat Cooney Jr. 5’11” 175lb
S #5 John Lesczc Sr. 5’11” 190lb
S #12 Cody Haddad So. 6’0” 160lb
CB #7 Brandon Webster Sr. 6’0” 180lb Yale commit
CB #25 Sean Martin Jr 6’1” 175lb offers from Eastern Michigan and Toledo
 
Wildcat Roster and Lineup Notes

Sean Martin and Brandon Webster are 2 way players

The Haddad brothers are sons of Drew Haddad StI ’96 who holds multiple receiving records at the Univ of Buffalo
Their uncle Eric StI ’94 played at Purdue and like brother Drew is in StI Hall of Fame.
Both were key contributors on the Wildcat 5 straight state title football teams 1991 through 1995
Eric was on the Wildcat team that beat StX in the 1992 state finals 24-14.

The roster took a serious hit when junior safety A.J. Spellacy signed to play professional hockey with the Windsor Spitfires this past summer. As just a sophomore he already had offers from Iowa State, Central Michigan, Illinois State and Toledo.

windsorstar.com

Spellacy leaves five NCAA Division I scholarship offers on the table to sign with Spitfires

A.J. Spellacy had five NCAA Division I football scholarship offers on the table and that number was only going to grow with another two years of high school…
windsorstar.com windsorstar.com

From the article:
“I probably would have gotten a lot more (football scholarship offers), but to me hockey’s a lot more fun and less stress on your body.”

He's a freak
 
This is Chuck Kyle’s 51st year as a football coach at Saint Ignatius.
He spent 11 years as an assistant and this is his 40th leading the program
As HC the Wildcats have won a record 11 OHSAA State Championships, four national titles, and collected 369 wins.
Defensive Coordinator Ryan Franzinger ’02, who currently serves as the Assistant Principal for Student Discipline, is Associate Head Coach this season and will assume the role of Head Football Coach in 2023.

www.ignatius.edu

Legendary Teacher and Coach Chuck Kyle ’69 Plans to Retire

Chuck Kyle '69, longtime English teacher and Head Football and Track & Field Coach, will retire following the 2022-23 school year after an unprecedented half century of success in athletics and education. Defensive Coordinator Ryan Franzinger ’02 will become the next head football coach...
www.ignatius.edu www.ignatius.edu
 
Ignatius has no offense and the defense lacks the normal elevated LB play.

Ignatius doesn't play well at X typically, I look for an X win by 10-14.
 
ReLoad said:
Wildcat Roster and Lineup Notes

Sean Martin and Brandon Webster are 2 way players

The Haddad brothers are sons of Drew Haddad StI ’96 who holds multiple receiving records at the Univ of Buffalo
Their uncle Eric StI ’94 played at Purdue and like brother Drew is in StI Hall of Fame.
Both were key contributors on the Wildcat 5 straight state title football teams 1991 through 1995
Eric was on the Wildcat team that beat StX in the 1992 state finals 24-14.

The roster took a serious hit when junior safety A.J. Spellacy signed to play professional hockey with the Windsor Spitfires this past summer. As just a sophomore he already had offers from Iowa State, Central Michigan, Illinois State and Toledo.

windsorstar.com

Spellacy leaves five NCAA Division I scholarship offers on the table to sign with Spitfires

A.J. Spellacy had five NCAA Division I football scholarship offers on the table and that number was only going to grow with another two years of high school…
windsorstar.com windsorstar.com

From the article:
“I probably would have gotten a lot more (football scholarship offers), but to me hockey’s a lot more fun and less stress on your body.”

He's a freak
Click to expand...
Losing Spellacy was even more devastating than even those of us that follow the program closely realized.
 
PDC said:
Losing Spellacy was even more devastating than even those of us that follow the program closely realized.
Click to expand...
It's not often a sophomore cracks the starting lineup at X or Ignatius.
I don't follow professional hockey so I don't know how long the season is, size of contracts etc.
Trying to imagine the logistics of a 16 year old kid playing a pro sport.
Any idea on the length and amount of the contract?
A parent traveling/living with him?
Continuing his high school studies so he can graduate on time?
 
PDC said:
Ignatius has no offense and the defense lacks the normal elevated LB play.
Click to expand...
X has really good LB play so much so that Specht switched from the odd stack to the 3-4 when the best safety was injured in Week 3.

X defense is very susceptible to the pass as was shown last Friday vs LaSalle - unable to cover #3 or #9 and they combined for 214 receiving yards but only 1 score.

So if Papesh can get the ball to Ignatius playmakers - Martin and Webster - the Cats should score 3 times.

Can X outscore Ignatius?

The Bomber offensive playmakers are concentrated in the sophomore and freshmen classes.

The RB plays like a LB, looking for somebody to hit rather than looking to make a move.

X has multiple good sized possession receiver TEs but they have been underutilized

The receivers are limited.
WR1 has the ability to get open and catch anything near him but lacks breakaway speed
WR2 is physically gifted but just switched from QB to WR this season and has not been productive
WR3 is injured and out for the season
WR4 was moved to safety a few weeks ago when the best safety sustained a season ending injury.
PDC said:
Ignatius doesn't play well at X typically, I look for an X win by 10-14.
Click to expand...
The 32-21 loss in 2012 at Ballaban Field when X chose to wear the pink uniforms (for the last time thank the Lord) and Tim McVey ran for 4 TDs is a painful memory.

At X the teams are even at 6-6
X actually prefers playing the Wildcats at Byers Field where they are 5-1

In 29 games the 2 teams have played at 8 locations (X record at location)
StX (Ballaban Field) 6-6 (even year games since 1996)
Parma (Byers Field) 5-1 (odd year games; 2005 and 2007 state title regular season wins, 2001 42-41 comeback win: 3TDs in 4th qtr)
Cleveland (John Carroll Univ) 2-1 (2009, 2011 and 2013)
Lakewood (Lakewood Stadium) 1-1 (1999 Cheerios Bowl)
Canton (Fawcett Stadium) 0-2 (1992 and 2001 state finals)
Strongsville (Strongsville HS) 0-1 (last year's loss)
Cleveland (Baldwin Wallace) 0-1 (1st meeting in 1991)
Columbus (Ohio Stadium) 1-0 (2016 state final)

Let me state the obvious.
X would much rather play Ignatius in the state finals at Ohio Stadium rather than Canton's Fawcett Stadium
 
ReLoad said:
It's not often a sophomore cracks the starting lineup at X or Ignatius.
I don't follow professional hockey so I don't know how long the season is, size of contracts etc.
Trying to imagine the logistics of a 16 year old kid playing a pro sport.
Any idea on the length and amount of the contract?
A parent traveling/living with him?
Continuing his high school studies so he can graduate on time?
Click to expand...

I agree with PDC. Losing Spellacy was a huge loss, both defensively and offensively for Ignatius football.

Spellacy did not even play hockey for Ignatius, which is traditionally one of the top 4-5 HS hockey teams in Ohio. He played in the Cleveland Barons' development program that has produced close to 20 NHL draft picks and 160+ NCAA Div 1 hockey players.

The hockey development system is different than other sports. My understanding is that almost all NCAA Div 1 hockey players start with playing in the junior leagues (for those ages 16 to 20). In the U.S., it's the tier 1 US Hockey League (USHL) or tier 2 North American Hockey League (NAHL) . The junior leagues are the feeder system for NCAA hockey and there's kids from Europe and Canada playing in those leagues.
The leagues provide free housing, travel, equipment and tuition.

A number of Ignatius grads who played high school hockey have been invited to tryouts in the junior leagues and I believe some have made it and are currently playing. Only 1 Ignatius grad has achieved an NCAA Div 1 scholarship - Aidan Spellacy at Robert Morris. Aidan and AJ are cousins.

Here's some articles on AJ Spellacy's signing with Windsor of the Ontario Hockey League
He and his family signed a player and education package. So, he'll continue his studies and I would think there are living arrangements with his family set up in Windsor.

windsorstar.com

Spellacy leaves five NCAA Division I scholarship offers on the table to sign with Spitfires

A.J. Spellacy had five NCAA Division I football scholarship offers on the table and that number was only going to grow with another two years of high school…
windsorstar.com windsorstar.com

www.windsoressexsports.com

Bowler's gamble pays off as Spellacy commits

When Windsor Spitfires general manager Bill Bowler introduced us to A.J. Spellacy in early May following the draft he said, "Hoping he becomes a Spitfire." The hope is now a reality as Ohio born Spellacy has officially committed to the team. "He's an elite American born hockey player who had...
www.windsoressexsports.com www.windsoressexsports.com

The Canadian hockey league system is somewhat different in that the Ontario Hockey League is designated as a "major junior", which is considered professional by some authorities, including the NCAA, because the players earn a small stipend. How much, I don't know.

Hope he does well in pursuing his dream and passion
 
bluengold said:
I agree with PDC. Losing Spellacy was a huge loss, both defensively and offensively for Ignatius football.

Spellacy did not even play hockey for Ignatius, which is traditionally one of the top 4-5 HS hockey teams in Ohio. He played in the Cleveland Barons' development program that has produced close to 20 NHL draft picks and 160+ NCAA Div 1 hockey players.

The hockey development system is different than other sports. My understanding is that almost all NCAA Div 1 hockey players start with playing in the junior leagues (for those ages 16 to 20). In the U.S., it's the tier 1 US Hockey League (USHL) or tier 2 North American Hockey League (NAHL) . The junior leagues are the feeder system for NCAA hockey and there's kids from Europe and Canada playing in those leagues.
The leagues provide free housing, travel, equipment and tuition.

A number of Ignatius grads who played high school hockey have been invited to tryouts in the junior leagues and I believe some have made it and are currently playing. Only 1 Ignatius grad has achieved an NCAA Div 1 scholarship - Aidan Spellacy at Robert Morris. Aidan and AJ are cousins.

Here's some articles on AJ Spellacy's signing with Windsor of the Ontario Hockey League
He and his family signed a player and education package. So, he'll continue his studies and I would think there are living arrangements with his family set up in Windsor.

windsorstar.com

Spellacy leaves five NCAA Division I scholarship offers on the table to sign with Spitfires

A.J. Spellacy had five NCAA Division I football scholarship offers on the table and that number was only going to grow with another two years of high school…
windsorstar.com windsorstar.com

www.windsoressexsports.com

Bowler's gamble pays off as Spellacy commits

When Windsor Spitfires general manager Bill Bowler introduced us to A.J. Spellacy in early May following the draft he said, "Hoping he becomes a Spitfire." The hope is now a reality as Ohio born Spellacy has officially committed to the team. "He's an elite American born hockey player who had...
www.windsoressexsports.com www.windsoressexsports.com

The Canadian hockey league system is somewhat different in that the Ontario Hockey League is designated as a "major junior", which is considered professional by some authorities, including the NCAA, because the players earn a small stipend. How much, I don't know.

Hope he does well in pursuing his dream and passion
Click to expand...
Nice summary b&g. It's extremely difficult for Americans to break into some of the premier leagues. Wish Spellacy the best.

Two cousins of mine tried something similar in hockey. One muddled in a league in Minnesota for years. Another made it to a premier Canadian junior league but was only there for a few months.

Spellacy could have easily been a D1 safety at a Power 5 school
 
I'll add the Ignatius comparison

Ignatius Sophomores and Freshmen on Varsity roster

#5 Quinn Woidke, Soph QB, 6’0” 175 lb – started season competing for starting QB, but injured early and out for the season
#12 Cody Haddad, Soph S/WR, 6’0” 160 lb – starter at S and plays in the WR rotation
#15 Peyton Frontino, Fr QB, 6’0”160 lb – current back-up varsity QB
#24 Grant Washington, Soph RB, 6’0” 180 lb – plays in the RB rotation
#30 Gavin Vollmer, Soph QB, 6’3” 175 lb – starting JV QB, but injured and out for the season
#56 Connor Bender, Soph LB, 5’11” 180 lb
#57 Will Conroy, Fr OL/DL, 6’3” 275 lb
#72 Leo Rick, Soph OL, 6’2” 265 lb – has started several games at Center when Lavelle was injured
#84 Charlie Young, Soph TE, 6’3” 215 lb – has received some varsity playing time
#85 Daniel Raffin, Soph WR/DB, 5’11” 160 lb
# 93 Jacob Papesh, Soph DL, 6’2” 200 lb
 
Likely this Saturday will be the most freshmen and sophomore dressed for a varsity Jesuit Bowl.

How many players from each team will play in the JV game at noon and the varsity game at 3pm?
 
I felt like I was watching the B version of these teams. Wow both are looking up at mediocre.
 
PDC said:
I felt like I was watching the B version of these teams. Wow both are looking up at mediocre.
Click to expand...
Yeah, same impressions. Both are good enough to give teams trouble, but neither is close to the better versions of the program. A lot of times it was like watching a game at about two-thirds speed.

Fond farewell to Coach Kyle though, the man is a legend.
 
The JV team finishes the season 4-2-1 with the proverbial sister kiss yesterday afternoon

1st Qtr
StX QB Dan Vollmer 2 yard run, XP good StX 7-0; preceded by a 25 yard pass from Vollmer to Shamsi.
2nd Qtr
STI 14 yard TD run, XP good StX 7, StI 7

3 center snaps over QBs head and 2 fumbles lost hampered the Bomber offense
 
Gh0st said:
Looks like X has fielded no less than a dumpster fire of a team this year.
Click to expand...
I forget - is there a name for a poster who shows up for the first time just to sh-t in someone else's thread? Hmm...

Your moniker is a good name for what happens to those posters when things turn the other direction.
 
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