McKinley Survives St. Ignatius 28-24 in Instant Classic

Canton, Ohio- The Canton McKinley Bulldogs (9-3) took a 21-3 lead early but needed a last-minute touchdown to take down St. Ignatius 28-24 in their Region 1 quarterfinal matchup. Senior QB Keaton Rode had a big game through the air with 217 yards and a touchdown, while junior RB Nino Hill added 77 yards and a score on the ground.

Bulldogs Roll Early

For the second week in a row, McKinley took its opening possession down the field for a score. Nino Hill capped off the 12-play, 80-yard drive with a three-yard run around the right end to put the Bulldogs up 7-0. On the drive, Hill carried the ball five times for 41 yards.

After the teams traded punts, St. Ignatius found themselves with excellent starting field position at the 50-yard line. On third and very long following a sack, Shaukeer Hatcher picked off QB Joshua Papesh and took it over 50 yards for a touchdown, making it 14-0 McKinley late in the first.

The Wildcats responded, driving 60 yards down to the Bulldogs’ 10-yard line, and Tommy Kilbane hit a 27-yard field goal to draw Ignatius closer at 14-3. With just over a minute to go in the half, Keaton Rode found Keith Quincy down the sideline for a juggling 45-yard score to put the Bulldogs up 21-3.

In just five plays and about 35 seconds, St. Ignatius went 80 yards, and Papesh found Cody Haddad for a 33-yard touchdown to make it 21-10 McKinley at the half.

Late Game Thriller

The first four drives of the second half were clunkers for both squads, McKinley punting twice and Ignatius punting once and fumbling once. Midway through the third, Ignatius started a drive at their 19-yard line. A 45-yard completion from Papesh to Jordon Rodman set the Wildcats up deep in Bulldogs territory. Three plays later, Papesh found Jonathan Merimee for a 17-yard touchdown to draw Ignatius closer at 21-17.

On their next drive, Papesh and Merimee hooked up again, this time for 16 yards to give the Wildcats their first lead of the game at 24-21 late in the third. After forcing another McKinley punt, St. Ignatius took over on their 8-yard line. Later in the drive, the Wildcats chose to go for it on fourth down at their own 33, and Papesh was stuffed at the line, giving McKinley the ball in Ignatius territory down three.

Facing a fourth and long, Rode found Quincy for a 16-yard completion to keep the drive alive. Five plays later, Rode connected with Quincy again, but the Wildcats forced a fumble. Luckily for the Bulldogs, Alex Vazquez recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown, giving McKinley the lead with under a minute to go.

With just 48 seconds to cover 76 yards, St. Ignatius would get one final shot on a Hail Mary, but Keith Quincy picked off the ball in the end zone to seal McKinley’s 28-24 victory and advance the team to the regional semifinals.

Keys to the Game

WR/DB Keith Quincy had an outstanding performance for the Bulldogs. The junior hauled in seven catches for 116 yards and a touchdown while coming down with the game-sealing pick as time expired. RB Nino Hill turned in another impressive performance with 77 yards and a score on the ground.

In his first game since a pre-season injury in a scrimmage against McKinley, Wildcats junior Cody Haddad returned in a big way. Haddad had 55 yards receiving and a touchdown with an interception on defense. Despite struggling somewhat in the first half, senior QB Joshua Papesh led two big second-half scoring drives and kept Ignatius in the game until the final seconds.

Next Week

With the win, McKinley advances to the Region 1 semifinals where the #1 team in the state, St. Edward (11-1) awaits, site still to be determined. Though they face a monumental task, this Bulldogs squad will not go down without a fight.

Top Performers

St. Ignatius Wildcats

Joshua Papesh: 22-31 315 yards 3 TD 2 INT

Jonathan Merimee: 7 catches 115 yards 2 TD

Cody Haddad: 4 catches 55 yards TD    INT

Grant Washington: 12 carries 29 yards    5 catches 69 yards

McKinley Bulldogs

Keaton Rode: 13-29 218 yards TD INT

Keith Quincy: 7 catches 116 yards TD    INT

Nino Hill: 13 carries 77 yards TD

Stephon Thomas: 9 carries 25 yards

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter

McKinley 8:42- Nino Hill, 3-yard run (Rode kick good)

McKinley 0:36- Shaukeer Hatcher INT return (Rode kick good)

2nd Quarter

Ingatius 7:33- Tommy Kilbane, 27-yard field goal

McKinley 1:07- Keaton Rode to Keith Quincy, 45 yards (Rode kick good)

Ignatius 0:28- Joshua Papesh to Cody Haddad, 33 yards (Kilbane kick good)

3rd Quarter

Ignatius 2:27- Joshua Papesh to Jonathan Merimee, 17 yards (Kilbane kick good)

Ignatius 0:32- Joshua Papesh to Jonathan Merimee, 16 yards (Kilbane kick good)

4th Quarter

McKinley 0:53- Alex Vazquez fumble recovery (Rode kick good)