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Cleveland, OH — Senior quarterback Joshua Papesh completed 15 of 20 passes for 146 yards with a touchdown, Thomas Kilbane came up big in the 2nd half with a tiebreaking field goal and the Saint Ignatius Wildcats defeated the Clarkson Football North Chargers in Chuck Kyle’s final regular season game on Friday night.
FIRST HALF
Clarkson Football North began with the ball, and it was evident early on what their game plan was. Run the ball! Running back Brandon Ward got things going on the ground with 4 straight runs. Quarterback Adrian Mohammed followed up those runs with rushes of 12, 2, 8, and 15 yards.
Following the positive yardage on the ground by Mohammed, running back Caleb Sargeant cracked off his first carry of the night for 17 yards and had the Chargers set up inside of the 30.
Clarkson Football North would ultimately punch it in through the air though, as Adrian Mohammed connected with Mekhi Tyrell Jr from 24 yards out. That capped off the 12-minute and 4-second inaugural drive for the Chargers, putting them up 7-0 early in the second quarter.
After not touching the ball in the first quarter, Saint Ignatius found themselves punting after an unexpected quick first drive.
Similarly, Clarkson Football North was also forced to punt on their next drive after going 3-and-out, courtesy of the gritty Wildcat defensive front.
The Wildcats found rhythm on their next drive as senior quarterback Joshua Papesh displayed his quick decision making and precise ball placement.
On second down from the Clarkson Football North 26-yard line, Papesh found junior receiver Jonathan Merimee streaking over the middle on a post route and hit him in stride for the 26-yard touchdown!
That put Saint Ignatius on the board and tied the game at 7 with 2:41 remaining in the half. Both teams struggled to gain any traction on their next drives which caused the score at the half to remain 7-7.
SECOND HALF
Saint Ignatius began the second half with the ball as Cody Haddad took the opening kickoff 53-yards down to the Clarkson Football North 27-yard. Joshua Papesh got things going when he connected with senior receiver Brandon Webster for the 17-yard pitch and catch.
That drive would lead to the only points either team would score in the second half. Thomas Kilbane knocked through a routine 25-yard field goal which gave the Wildcats a 10-7 advantage with 9:59 left in the third quarter.
A back-and-forth defensive chess match is how the rest of the third quarter played out as no team really had success finding room to run or lanes to pass.
However, late in the fourth quarter, Saint Ignatius would be faced with a crucial 4th & 1. With 3:11 remaining in regulation both teams were faced with what at that point was the biggest play of the game. Joshua Papesh took the quarterback sneak up the middle but was stuffed by the Clarkson Football North massive interior defensive line and the Wildcats turned it over on downs.
The Chargers took over and were back in business with one more chance to either tie it with a field goal or take the lead with a touchdown. With under 1:30 left in the fourth, Clarkson Football North found themselves facing a fourth down on the Saint Ignatius 35-yard.
The Chargers brought out their field goal unit to attempt a game-tying 53-yard field goal. The snap was good, the hold was good, and the kick… was NO GOOD! It was blocked! That blocked kick gave the Wildcats the ball back. Ultimately, they were able to run out the clock and take the win to close out the regular season and improve to (6-3).
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Saint Ignatius quarterback: Joshua Papesh (15/20, 146 yards, 1TD)
THE END OF AN ERA
After 40 unbelievably successful seasons, the legendary Chuck Kyle has now coached his last regular-season game as the Saint Ignatius head coach. After 375 wins, 31 playoff appearances and 11 state titles, Chuck Kyle will without a doubt go down as one of the greatest coaches in high school football history. A name that will never be forgotten, Chuck’s legacy will always live on, and especially behind the doors Saint Ignatius High School.
HONORING CHUCK
After months of planning, the first ever varsity football game was played on the Saint Ignatius campus, at Wasmer Field. Temporary bleachers were placed around the Gabor Track to accommodate the near 4,000-person crowd. Why did they go through this trouble you may ask? To honor one of the greatest high school football coaches of all time! Not only was Wasmer field packed with friends, families, and alumni but at after the game concluded, the fans joined the team and coach Kyle on the field to sing the alma mater together one last time. A truly remarkable sight that was only fitting for a man like coach Kyle.
PLAYOFF OUTLOOK
Saint Ignatius came into tonight’s game ranked #6 in the OHSAA weekly football computer rankings for division 1, region 1. With the win tonight, the Wildcats clinch a home playoff game at Bryers Feild in the opening round of the OHSAA Tournament beginning next Friday. The OHSAA will announce the official schedule on Sunday.
Congrats on a great career!!!!!!!
Dick Cromwell Toledo st Francis