Behind The Box Score

Fresh off a state championship, head coach Chuck Kyle returns a squad as strong as ever after a 28-20 victory of Cincinnati Elder in the Division I State Championship Game. Kyle has won 10 state championships in 21 years under the helm for the Wildcats and 2008′s title was the first in ten years, the longest drought in Kyle’s tenure at St. Ignatius.

Even with a stacked team, the season may not go as planned as the defending champs take on Cleveland Glenville in the first game of the season. Glenville is the second best team in the entire state and the matchup on the 28th will be one for the ages. Returning for the Wildcats are eight starters, and the rest of the fillers have adequate experience. As mentioned before, the road to a state championship is not all fun and games. Recently, Coach Kyle has been quoted by JJ Huddle as saying, “Now the kids know what the reality is about winning a state championship. What you hope is that you get to practice an extra five weeks because last year, that really did help our young kids get more experience during our playoff run.” If the team has really improved from last season, the results will show as Glenville returns a team full of D-I talent.

Arguably, the top player for St. Ignatius is LB Scott McVey, an Ohio State committment who wrapped up a stellar 2008 campaign with four sacks against Elder. McVey has been a dominant force all four years on campus, and his best season was last year, where he made 94 tackles, including an astounding 34.5 for a loss. Coach Kyle has seen many great players come through his school the past two decades and McVey is one of the best. “Scott’s the type of kid, he’s a very focused athlete,” Kyle said. “He loves playing the game. It’s almost like, ‘That’s (his recruitment to Ohio State) done, now let’s get ready to play the season.’ He’s glad it’s out of the way so he can play the game for his team. He had an amazing season last year.” McVey leads a defense that was one of the best in all of Ohio last season and looks to be even better in 2009.

On offense, the production remains to be seen. The top returnee is Kevin Johnson, a speedy running back who rushed for 352 yards last season and five touchdowns. Johnson was a state qualifier in the 100 meter dash last track season and should me a much needed breath to a team looking to fill the quarterback void. Mark Myers replaces Andrew Holland at quarterback and tight end Brendan Corrozoni has been heavily recruited by top schools in the area.

The gritiness and tenacity of this team will be proven as St. Ignatius features the toughest schedule in all of Ohio including games against the aforementioned Glenville, Clayton Northmont, Mentor, Massilon Washington, Cincinnati St. Xavier, the 2006 and 2007 state champions and Lakewood St. Edward at the end of the season.