Forget about rings and trophies. They matter little to the St. Ignatius High School football team.
Two wins away from a remarkable 10th state championship, something else fuels the Wildcats.
“They don’t want to stop coming to practice together,” Ignatius head coach Chuck Kyle said. “Of all the things to motivate these kids, that’s it. Whenever I’ve said, ‘Now fellas, if we lose, we’re not practicing on Monday and that’s it amongst us. We end. You guys don’t want this to end, do you?’
“Even the backup guys that are doing the scout squad say, ‘No, we want to keep doing this.’ That’s a wonderful feeling when you hear that.”
The Wildcats practiced Monday, getting ready for Saturday’s Division I state semifinal against Hoover. Both teams enter the 7 p.m. game at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium with 12-1 records.
For the Ignatius program, this is familiar ground. The Wildcats are in the state semifinals an 11th time.
But for this team, this is new territory after three straight seasons ended in first-round playoff losses. In fact, Ignatius has not advanced this far since winning it all in 2001.
“We thought that we had the talent to make a run,” Kyle said. “Our schedule was going to be extremely challenging and there’s a double-edged sword to that. Can you stay healthy through that? We did stay healthy.”
After losing, 20-17, to Glenville to open the season, the Wildcats have won 12 straight.
Their defense allows just 7.7 points and 193 yards per game, led by nose guard Ryan Carr and linebacker Scott McVey. The offense generates 302 yards per game, averaging 33.8 points. Quarterback Andrew Holland (24 TD passes) leads the way along with backs Mike Anter and Kevin Johnson, and receivers Connor Ryan, Joey Parris and Frank DeSico.
The Wildcats built momentum with wins over 9-1 Clayton Northmont and 8-2 Mentor. They really picked up steam at midseason, taking out Massillon and Warren Harding by identical 49-7 scores. At Massillon, helped by two interception TD returns, the Wildcats led, 49-0, at halftime against a playoff team.
“We were pleasantly surprised that we were that effective,” Kyle said.
Ignatius later survived a road trip to Cincinnati St. Xavier, winning in overtime. St. Xavier had not lost a home game in six years. Kyle thought it was a good playoff primer.
Another one came in Week 10 when the Wildcats routed arch-rival St. Edward, 34-12. Their reward? A first-round game with St. Edward, which Ignatius won even more convincingly, 37-0.
“We definitely played better the second time around and that was nice,” Kyle said.
That set up another rematch, this one with Glenville. Ignatius won, 8-7, against as talented a Glenville team as Kyle has seen — “well-schooled, strong and athletic at every position.”
A 37-0 rout of Strongsville followed Saturday in what Kyle called “absolutely horrible” conditions with constant heavy rain and sleet.
“The spotlight should go on the defense,” he said. “It was fantastic.”
That earned the Wildcats another week of practice. They hope it’s not their last.
“Talk to any one of them, that’s why they’re doing this,” Kyle said. “They don’t want it to end. ... They’d be really disappointed if next Monday, they couldn’t practice together.”
CATS CLIMBING BACK UP
No one knows more about winning state football titles in Ohio than St. Ignatius and its coach, Chuck Kyle. The Wildcats have won nine state championships under Kyle. The school is 53-11 all-time in the postseason, with this being the 21st consecutive appearance for Ignatius. But since winning in 2001, the Wildcats have struggled to find success in the playoffs. Here’s a look at their last eight trips to the playoffs:
Year Record Playoff results
2007 8-3 Lost opener to Glenville, 26-23
2006 6-4 Lost opener to Glenville, 19-12
2005 5-5 Lost opener to Solon, 24-14
2004 10-3 Lost regional final to Glenville, 22-14.
2003 9-3 Lost regional semifinal to Mentor, 31-0.
2002 7-4 Lost opener to Warren Harding, 24-17.
2001 11-4 Won state title by beating St. Xavier, 37-6
