Ignatius Blocks 3 Field Goals, Hangs On To 10-7 Victory Over Mentor

The Ignatius Wildcats pulled off the upset over Mentor in a 10-7 defensive struggle, thanks to huge plays on special teams.

The Mentor Cardinals started the playoff season by receiving the opening kickoff. Facing a 4th and 1, they were just able to sneak across the first down marker to move the chains. After running back Jackson Farley helped the Cardinals get into Ignatius territory, Mentor once again faced 4th down. This time, quarterback Scotty Fox stood in the pocket too long and was sacked as a result. A promising drive resulted in 0 points.

That would be the theme throughout the entire first half of play. Both schools had optimal chances in the red zone, but came up empty every single time. Ignatius turned the ball over on downs as they neared the red zone. Additionally, a Tommy Kilbane field goal attempt was blocked.

In addition to the bevy of missed opportunities, The first half was highlighted by an abundance of penalties, incompletions, and beautiful open-field tackling by both teams. Both teams combined for over 15 incompletions during the first half alone. Ignatius and Mentor’s defenses each held up strong throughout the entire half. Late in the second quarter, the Cardinals again turned the ball over on downs.

The Wildcats received one more opportunity on offense before the half ended. It looked like we would be entering the intermission at a scoreless tie. However, two crucial Mentor penalties helped put Ignatius in a position to kick a field goal in the final seconds. Kilbane recovered from the block earlier in the game to knock it through from 34 to give the Wildcats a 3-0 lead at the half.

Despite receiving the second half kickoff, disaster struck immediately for Ignatius as star running back Max Ritt got injured returning the kick. Thankfully the Wildcat defense continued to step up and held a team that averaged 42 points per game across their past 5 contests scoreless entering the fourth quarter. The Cats forced another blocked field goal.

On their next possession, the Cats again stormed into Mentor territory thanks to a 55 yard run by running back Grant Washington. Quarterback Josh Papesh found receiver Cody Haddad on a slant for a 17 yard touchdown to extend the Cats lead to 10-0.

The Cardinals finally got on the board early in the fourth quarter thanks to a 46 yard touchdown by Austin Van Huss. The Wildcat lead was cut to 10-7. After more defensive fireworks, the Cardinals got the ball with a little over 2 minutes left and the chance to drive down the field to win the game. They got into the Ignatius red zone, but the Dylan Tackett potential game-tying kick was once again tipped and no good in the final seconds. The Wildcats will live to see another day and a great Mentor season ends in disappointment

Player of the Game

This one goes out to Ignatius head coach Ryan Franzinger. Living in the shadow of a coach like Chuck Kyle is never easy, but he picked up his first playoff win as a head coach despite a 2-8 regular season. Congrats coach!