St Ignatius Football 2021

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PDC said:
There has to be a reason Lenihan was out when 4 fumbled.

The playcalling is just as bad as it was with Restifo
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Lenehan looked shaken up on the play before he came out.

I thought the playcalling looked better through the first three quarters, but then turtled up like always with a small lead in the 4th quarter. I don’t understand why you’d do that when you have a massive speed disadvantage on defense and the other team could take any touch to the end zone.

Go back and watch old footage - there was a time when this program was aggressive and creative with playcalling. Today’s students wouldn’t believe it.
 
Wildcats1886 said:
Lenehan looked shaken up on the play before he came out.

I thought the playcalling looked better through the first three quarters, but then turtled up like always with a small lead in the 4th quarter. I don’t understand why you’d do that when you have a massive speed disadvantage on defense and the other team could take any touch to the end zone.

Go back and watch old footage - there was a time when this program was aggressive and creative with playcalling. Today’s students wouldn’t believe it.
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Ignatius also had an severe talent advantage. That's not the case now. Kids are playing hard but it's limited.
 
PDC said:
Ignatius also had an severe talent advantage. That's not the case now. Kids are playing hard but it's limited.
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The tough gritty games that this program used to find ways to win in years past….. The teams of the last few years have found ways to lose. Nothing has changed so far this year, even with a new OC and experienced starters returning. Whether it’s poor play calling and coaching, stupid penalties, lack of discipline, mediocre talent, all of the above, etc. The kids have not been able to grind out tough games and find ways to win in the 4th quarter. They no longer deliver the knock out punches down the stretch that they once used to. Springfield was on the ropes… the Cats had the ball at the 5 yard line and a touchdown and extra point would have made it a 3 possession game- they couldn’t score.
 
I can't really blame Pfaff yet. That pick six wasn't optimal, but, he knew he had to try to make a play out of nothing because giving the ball back was going to be a TD anyways. Problem is the receivers have less separation than on a basketball court every single play so he has to thread a needle on every throw. My gripe, other than turtles, is out Pfaff under center so lenehan isn't so far off line. It's not like you need to give Pfaff alot of time to throw, it won't matter because no speed to separate.

Kyle can only work with what he has, but, his blame is loyal to a fault to upperclassmen. If some more speed in lower classes, play them
 
Wildcats1886 said:
Lenehan looked shaken up on the play before he came out.

I thought the playcalling looked better through the first three quarters, but then turtled up like always with a small lead in the 4th quarter. I don’t understand why you’d do that when you have a massive speed disadvantage on defense and the other team could take any touch to the end zone.

Go back and watch old footage - there was a time when this program was aggressive and creative with playcalling. Today’s students wouldn’t believe it.
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He took a hard hit, and slammed the back of his head hard on the turf. He look a bit wobbly coming off.

GO CATS!!!!!!!
 
When QB came out in 4th, possible should have stayed out. Everything went south after that.
Was either rattled or hurt. Could have been hit harder than he or couches realized at the time.
That was the pivotal moment in the game. Agreed, Kyle is a good and fair man, just may be too loyal
to seniors. There is a lot of talent on team.
 
If there is talent, and I believe there is, the "we'll bring them along slowly" approach is outdated.

Nothing wrong with mixing in sophomores like Martin at RB a few carries a game. Or Spellacy at WR.

The players seem to be built into the offense and not the offense built around the players. 4th and 1 and the QB is still in the shotgun. Drives me nuts.
 
Mater Dei out of Santa Ana does not burden themselves with "tradition". They see it and act on it early on looking to the
future. Once the pipe line is full --- it works.
 
I just finished reading "The Game", the story of the 1968 Harvard-Yale game. The game ended in an improbable 29-29 tie despite the efforts of the Yale QB, Brian Dowling '65. With Yale up comfortably by 15 in the middle of the fourth quarter, the Yale coach started substituting liberally. Harvard came back to score a TD with less than a minute to go, making the game 29-21. Harvard recovered the onside kick, and with Dowling and the other starters begging to be put back into the game. The Yale coach replied to the effect that those boys, third and fourth stringers deserved to say that they played in a Harvard-Yale game. Naturally those subs gave up the tying points.. That move by the Yale coach caused me to lose to $65, which in 1964 was a months worth of pizzas. Morale: always play your best players regardless of what year they're in.
 
W28th Observer said:
Mater Dei out of Santa Ana does not burden themselves with "tradition". They see it and act on it early on looking to the
future. Once the pipe line is full --- it works.
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I don't want Ignatius to ever go the route of Mater Dei, Thomas Aquinas, Bishop Gorman

Titles or not. Ignatius had plenty of advantages now. Becoming a vagabond program? No thanks
 
You left out John Bosco ---- but having said that, Kyle is a good coach, a very great coach, he does
not have to change. The change may have already taken place. Give it a minute and let's see.
 
Hard to balance being disappointed in the outcome (by virtue of both the number of mistakes that led to it and the increased frequency losses in that manner seem to have happened over the last five years) with the fact that this team that had so many question marks coming in could easily have come out of Week 1 with a win on the road vs. a state semifinalist from a year ago.

-Up 17-10 in the 4th, 2nd & goal from the 5, two penalties, have to settle for a 41-yard FG
-Up 20-10 with ~5:30 in the 4th, 2nd and 12 on the Springfield 22, RB fumbles on (at least) his 5th consecutive run
-Up 20-10 with ~4:50 in the 4th, Springfield 4th and 6 from their own 25, give up 38-yard conversion
-Up 20-17 with the ball, 2nd and 6, RT false start
-Two plays later, pick six (after a timeout)

Couldn't have gotten of to a better start with a pick on the first play, Pfaff's long pass and two Lenihan runs to score, big sack on third down on their second series.

I don't know anything about Mentor or Mount St. Joe, but I'm not resigned to thinking this team will be 0-3, and they shouldn't be either. This group now knows that last week's effort in practice was not good enough to secure a win. Hopefully they understand that this week requires more effort, focus and intensity.
 
catmancando said:
Hard to balance being disappointed in the outcome (by virtue of both the number of mistakes that led to it and the increased frequency losses in that manner seem to have happened over the last five years) with the fact that this team that had so many question marks coming in could easily have come out of Week 1 with a win on the road vs. a state semifinalist from a year ago.

-Up 17-10 in the 4th, 2nd & goal from the 5, two penalties, have to settle for a 41-yard FG
-Up 20-10 with ~5:30 in the 4th, 2nd and 12 on the Springfield 22, RB fumbles on (at least) his 5th consecutive run
-Up 20-10 with ~4:50 in the 4th, Springfield 4th and 6 from their own 25, give up 38-yard conversion
-Up 20-17 with the ball, 2nd and 6, RT false start
-Two plays later, pick six (after a timeout)

Couldn't have gotten of to a better start with a pick on the first play, Pfaff's long pass and two Lenihan runs to score, big sack on third down on their second series.

I don't know anything about Mentor or Mount St. Joe, but I'm not resigned to thinking this team will be 0-3, and they shouldn't be either. This group now knows that last week's effort in practice was not good enough to secure a win. Hopefully they understand that this week requires more effort, focus and intensity.
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You make it sound like Springfield is a terrible team that they shouldn't have lost to. It appeared to me Ignatius was worn down by middle of the 4th qtr, while Springfield had become very aggressive because their backs were against the wall. Springfield's offense is experienced in aerial long bombs. They can do that anytime. Springfield's defense can be very stingy. In the past 2 regional championship games, Springfield gave up just 3 points total. In the state semifinal against X, they gave up 1 TD and 2 FGs for a total of just 12 points to a team who put up 44 points before halftime in the state championship game. The defense forced 5 TOs from X, including intercepting X's 1st team all state qb in the red zone 4 times. Compared to those games, Ignatius' offense did better. Don't expect many teams this year to get 20 points off SHS. And, with being worn down in the 4th, Ignatius got into clock eating mode instead of being more aggressive. On the pick 6, it's interesting that happened right in front of the Ignatius sidelines. With both teams being wildcats, same colors, similar uniforms, both in gold helmets, I wonder if Pfaff got confused while under pressure when he threw the INT. Because it looked like he purposely threw it to Springfield's guy who may have blended in with the Ignatius guys on sidelines. The truth is, Ignatius played well enough to win and probably should have whereas Springfield rose to the challenge and stole it back. Last night was a playoff type game, especially in the 4th qtr. Springfield has a veteran team that was very close to being state champions last year. Despite the disappointment in the outcome, I expect Ignatius to have a great season and make some noise in the playoffs. I was really impressed with Ward and Tompkins, especially in the 1st half, and Lanahen the whole game. Don't write them off just yet. Who knows, maybe a playoff rematch is in the future. Good luck to both Cats teams rest of the way.
 
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arizonawildcat said:
I just finished reading "The Game", the story of the 1968 Harvard-Yale game. The game ended in an improbable 29-29 tie despite the efforts of the Yale QB, Brian Dowling '65. With Yale up comfortably by 15 in the middle of the fourth quarter, the Yale coach started substituting liberally. Harvard came back to score a TD with less than a minute to go, making the game 29-21. Harvard recovered the onside kick, and with Dowling and the other starters begging to be put back into the game. The Yale coach replied to the effect that those boys, third and fourth stringers deserved to say that they played in a Harvard-Yale game. Naturally those subs gave up the tying points.. That move by the Yale coach caused me to lose to $65, which in 1964 was a months worth of pizzas. Morale: always play your best players regardless of what year they're in.
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You are correct on all, and there really is only one, count, ------ simple common sense. - Play the best players regardless.
No explanation needed.
 
I’m just curious. Has Springfield been billed as a state contender with multiple returnees and firepower or not?

if so, a 3 point loss on the road with what sounds likes a few injuries doesn’t seem like anything to hang your head over. I get the longing for the days of old but heck. Looks like ignatius may have a good team this year.
 
The gloom and doom is understandable after a loss like that. No one is used to seeing a 4th quarter collapse from a Kyle-led team. But as some have said, this looked like a contending team for 3 1/2 quarters. I thought the speed and athletes on the Springfield offense would be problematic for an Ignatius defense breaking in some new faces, but they were not overmatched. Speed at receiver may be an issue, but there is good height there and you can adapt the offense to scheme them open. Will they adapt is the question.
 
E.S. Furgeson said:
I’m just curious. Has Springfield been billed as a state contender with multiple returnees and firepower or not?

if so, a 3 point loss on the road with what sounds likes a few injuries doesn’t seem like anything to hang your head over. I get the longing for the days of old but heck. Looks like ignatius may have a good team this year.
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There is much truth in what you wrote. In a pre-season evaluation of the top teams in the state, The Plain Dealer had Springfield rated #3 ( #4 on Yappi), based on the number of returning players, last year's regional championship, and the team speed. So, it's not as if Ignatius lost to Lincoln-West. I'm actually surprised that the game was as close as it was, considering that they really only had one scrimmage and a quarter of another. I think what brings the discouragement to most Ignatius fans is the speed of attack ( although most teams would look slow against Springfield) and the lack of imagination in play-calling. We have seen over the years the problem with scoring inside the five and the domination for over three quarters, only to make crucial mistakes at the end. Looking at the schedule, it is a killer.
 
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E.S. Furgeson said:
I’m just curious. Has Springfield been billed as a state contender with multiple returnees and firepower or not?

if so, a 3 point loss on the road with what sounds likes a few injuries doesn’t seem like anything to hang your head over. I get the longing for the days of old but heck. Looks like ignatius may have a good team this year.
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Did you watch? The concern is defensive backfield and especially zero separation ability beyond Lenehan on offense. Combine that with the insane schedule and nobody is embellishing the truth
 
EaglePride01 said:
The gloom and doom is understandable after a loss like that. No one is used to seeing a 4th quarter collapse from a Kyle-led team. But as some have said, this looked like a contending team for 3 1/2 quarters. I thought the speed and athletes on the Springfield offense would be problematic for an Ignatius defense breaking in some new faces, but they were not overmatched. Speed at receiver may be an issue, but there is good height there and you can adapt the offense to scheme them open. Will they adapt is the question.
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Based on the methodology lately, I can bet my house on no adaptation. Need new coaching blood
 
The talent and speed issues are one thing, but the penalties and lack of discipline are another.

Personal fouls, false starts, holding. Calls that seem to come at critical times in games.

And the injury cloud has been hovering over the program the past few years. Thin already, lots of kids in street clothes.
 
E.S. Furgeson said:
I’m just curious. Has Springfield been billed as a state contender with multiple returnees and firepower or not?

if so, a 3 point loss on the road with what sounds likes a few injuries doesn’t seem like anything to hang your head over. I get the longing for the days of old but heck. Looks like ignatius may have a good team this year.
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Springfield is preseason ranked #3 behind St Xavier and Pickerington. They return all key players from the last 2 state semifinal squads. I agree with what you say. Ignatius very well may end up having been SHS's toughest game of the year.
 
Some valid perspectives from posters above in this thread. A close loss on the road to a top team in the state week 1 shouldn't necessarily be that alarming. That said, I think some posters that largely or only follow football don't realize how spoiled we Ignatius fans are with success in other sports. As CatFan noted in the game thread, football is probably now near the bottom of programs at the school in terms of recent success. I'd likely put it ahead of only wrestling and bowling (perhaps these three sports have some demographic drivers in common vs sports where Ignatius is now excelling).

For the old timers, some fun game film to reminisce. 1986 Freshman Holy War - Pickens, Ruddy, Jaeckin, et al in their salad days.

 
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