2017 GAME NOTES REGIONAL FINALS: MENTOR THE MATCHUP Team Information Saint Ignatius High School: 11-1 OHSAA Division I, Region 1 Head Coach: Chuck Kyle ‘69 Record at School: 345-86-1 Overall Record: 345-86-1 vs Mentor High School: 11-1 OHSAA Division I, Region 1 Mentor Saint Ignatius Head Coach: Steve Trivisonno Record at School: 183-66 CARDINALS WILDCATS Overall Record: 183-66 November 17, 2017 Media Information Bedford Bearcat Stadium For information and credential Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. requests, contact: Joe Ginley ‘12 Saint Ignatius Schedule Communications Coordinator for Athletics Date Opponent Time/Score (P): 216-651-0222 x242 8/24 @ Archbishop Hoban W, 17-3 Email: [email protected] 9/1 @ Mentor W, 41-31 For full coverage of the Wildcats, 9/9 vs. Euclid W, 34-20 visit ignatiuswildcats.com. 9/15 vs. Detroit Catholic Central W, 38-7 Broadcast Information 9/23 @ Cincinnati Elder W, 30-28 9/30 vs. Clarkson Football North W, 38-7 Saint Ignatius Broadcasting 10/7 vs. Canton GlenOak W, 34-20 Network 10/13 vs. Archbishop Moeller (at Otterbein) L, 20-41 Play-by-Play: Matt MacKenzie ‘18 10/21 vs. St. Xavier W, 28-14 Color Analyst: Zack Strom ‘19 10/28 @ St. Edward W, 17-10 Moderator: Jeff McCormick ‘83 11/3 vs. Massillon Perry W, 24-7 (P): 216-651-0222 x228 email: [email protected] 11/10 vs. Euclid W, 45-22 11/17 vs. Mentor 7:30 p.m. Follow the Wildcats on social media for full coverage of every Saint Ignatius team. S BN @SIHSSports sihsathletics sihssports 2 2017 SAINT IGNATIUS GAME NOTES ABOUT THE WILDCATS ... Series History Wildcats Storylines ... Meetings ...........................................21 PLAYOFF EXCELLENCE: The Saint Ignatius football team has a long First Meeting ......................8/25/1989 history of playoff success under Head Coach Chuck Kyle ‘69. The Most Recent Meeting...........9/1/2017 Wildcats are making their 28th appearance in the OHSAA Division I Playoffs, including their second in a row and sixth in seven seasons. Saint Ignatius Wins...........................13 Under Kyle, the Wildcats have a 72-16 overall record vs. playoff foes. Last Saint Ignatius Win.......9/1/2017 Mentor Wins........................................8 BO, JACK, AND MAC: The Wildcats have a strong identity on offense Last Mentor Win...................9/4/2015 – pound the rock until it hurts and surprise offenses with play-action Ties........................................................0 and short passes. The philosophy is working – the Wildcats average 334.5 yards per game on offense. The team’s success on the ground Longest Winning Streaks In Series stems from a big, tough offensive line and a strong group of running Saint Ignatius.....4; 8/25/89-10/9/93 backs. Jahadge “Bo” Floyd is the bellcow, with 984 yards and 7 touch- Mentor....................3; 11/23/13-9/4/15 downs, averaging over 6 yards per carry. Sophomores Jack Welcsh Current Streak.........Saint Ignatius, 2 and Michael McNamara, callups from the JV squad, have been clutch in the last few games. The duo notched 74 and 60 yards, respectively, Largest Margin of Victory against Euclid. Welcsh and McNamara also have 4 touchdowns be- Saint Ignatius.................42; 9/3/2016 tween them. Look for quarterback Dan Alexander to run the ball, too. Mentor................31 points; 11/8/2003 The senior has 313 rushing yards and 8 TD. Previous Matchups MILESTONE WATCH: The Wildcats’ playmakers could hit some more milestones on Friday. Running back Bo Floyd is just 16 yards away 9/1/17 W 41-31 A 9/3/16 W 49-7 H from 1,000 rushing yards on the season. Wideout Sammy Snyder 9/4/15 L 56-63 A needs 77 yards to hit 1,000 receiving yards on the season, a feat just 9/6/14 L 33-37 A four Saint Ignatius receivers have achieved. Snyder currently stands 11/23/13 L 3-26 N Reg. SF at 6th on the leaderboard for receiving yards in a season. He needs 3 9/6/13 W 26-6 A more touchdowns to tie the school record for 14 in a season (Connor 11/17/12 L 56-57 N Reg. Fin. (3OT) 9/8/12 W 48-21 H Ryan, 2008). Kicker Matthew Trickett’s next made field goal will sur- 11/19/11 W 23-17 N Reg. Final pass Jesse Milligan (15, 1997) for second-most field goals in a season. 9/9/11 L 24-38 A Tim Shenk leads the way with 20 in 2011. 10/2/10 L 7-18 H 9/18/09 W 47-7 A 9/13/08 W 28-14 H WRECKING CREW: The Wildcats’ linebackers and defensive line will 9/14/07 L 17-38 A look to contain a Mentor ground game that has gained traction in the 9/16/06 W 27-14 H playoffs. Opponents average 3.6 yards per rush against a Wildcats 9/16/05 W 55-35 A defense that features fearsome ‘backers Logan Joyce and Tommy 11/8/03 L 0-31 N Reg. SF 10/9/93 W 41-7 H Eichenberg along with run stuffers Brad Andrich and Zach McMahan. 11/21/92 W 38-13 N Reg. Final 8/25/90 W 38-7 H NO FLY ZONE: The Wildcats’ secondary has seen a host of changes 8/25/89 W 43-2 A this season and faced all styles of offenses. Against all types of foes, corner Cam Toppin has led the way with 39.5 tackles, 6 interceptions, and 8 pass breakups, including 6 tackles and one pick vs. Mentor in September. Matthew Viancourt and Justin Sands have been clutch at safety, with John Wetula and Daniel Scelza also making an impact. Jett Elad and Connor Cmiel have received plenty of praise. Tadas Tatarunas will completed 25-of-43 passes for 341 yards, 3 TD, and 2 INT in the last matchup, so the Cats will be keying in on the senior. HOGAN’S HEROES: Browns QB Kevin Hogan joined the Wildcats’ traditional offensive dinner on Thursday, November 9. The former Stanford QB talked to the Wildcats offense about playing opponents twice and answered the team’s questions. At left, Hogan (center) poses with Dan Alexander and Kyle Hall. 2017 SAINT IGNATIUS GAME NOTES #58MILESTOCANTON 3 ABOUT MENTOR ... Learning about the Cardinals ... Mentor Schedule HAVE WE MET BEFORE?: The Mentor Cardinals and Saint Ignatius Date Opponent Time/Score Wildcats are familiar playoff foes. The two teams have met five times in the postseason, with Mentor holding a close advantage. Three of those games were Regional Finals, with Saint Ignatius 8/25 @ Massillon W, 49-14 winning two of the three. Friday’s game will mark the fifth Paul Brown Tiger Stadium anniversary of the 57-56 triple overtime classic between Mitch Trubisky’s Cardinals and Tim McVey’s Wildcats. 9/1 vs. Saint Ignatius L, 31-41 Jerome T. Osborne Sr. Stadium FRIENDLY RIVALS: The Saint Ignatius vs. Mentor rivalry features two of the best coaches in Northeast Ohio – Steve Trivisonno and Chuck Kyle. Trivisonno, a 1981 Mentor grad and 31-year teaching 9/8 vs. Glenville W, 38-15 veteran is in his 21st year at the helm of the Cardinals. Kyle, a 1969 Jerome T. Osborne Sr. Stadium Saint Ignatius alum and 45-year English teacher, is in his 35th year with the Wildcats. The two enjoy a friendship and work closely 9/15 @ Strongsville W, 42-27 together through USA Football’s youth tackle program. The two have enjoyed some classic showdowns on the gridiron, too. Kyle Pat Catan Stadium enjoys a narrow 9-8 advantage over Trivisonno. 9/22 vs. Brunswick W, 62-0 TAD TERRIFIC: One of the best quarterbacks in Northeast Ohio, Jerome T. Osborne Sr. Stadium Tadas Tatarunas guides one of the area’s most explosive offenses. The 6’4”, 215-pound quarterback has notched 2,812 passing yards and 28 touchdowns for an offense that averages 42.9 points per 9/29 vs. Medina W, 49-14 game. Mentor’s 31 points represent the second-lowest output of Jerome T. Osborne Sr. Stadium the offense all season, though Tatarunas still notched over 300 yards of offense in the previous matchup. 10/7 @ Shaker Heights W, 45-27 Russell H. Hupp Field REGULAR SEASON RECAP: The Wildcats and Cardinals have already met this season, facing off in Week 2. (For a full box score and recap, see p. 13). The Wildcats roared to a 24-10 lead by 10/13 @ Solon W, 38-34 halftime, though Mentor came back with two touchdowns in the Stewart Field third quarter. Seventeen unanswered points in the third and fourth quarters won it for the Cats. The Wildcats dominated the time of 10/20 vs. Euclid W, 61-59 possession battle, 30:45-17:15, and will look to do so again. Jerome T. Osborne Sr. Stadium MAGIC ON THE LINE: Few defensive linemen have turned heads like Noah Potter this season. The 6’6”, 250-pound defensive end 10/27 @ Elyria W, 55-6 has received offers from Ohio State and Penn State, among others. Ely Stadium Potter leads a defense that is peaking at the right time. Potter’s Cards, who employ a 3-4 defense, have allowed just 12 points per game in their last three outings. Potter will look to cause chaos in 11/3 vs. Stow W, 49-17 both the run and passing game against the Wildcats. Jerome T. Osborne Sr. Stadium THE SECRET WEAPONS: Mentor has long been known for its 11/10 vs. St. Edward W, 21-13 passing attack.