Saint Ignatius Wildcats vs. Detroit Catholic Central Shamrocks Preview

The 2016 Division One OHSAA State Runner Up Saint Ignatius Wildcats welcome in the Detroit Catholic Central Shamrocks Friday night from Byers Field in Parma.

Saint Ignatius comes in at 3-0 with big wins over Archbishop Hoban, Mentor and Euclid to start the season.  Not exactly three cream puffs to beat up on, but three legitimate state title contenders.

The Detroit Catholic Central Shamrocks come in at 2-1 under the direction of head coach Dan Anderson.  They have only met once in the history of both schools, it was almost a year ago to the day as Saint Ignatius lost a tight overtime battle, 28-21 last September 16, 2016.

 

The Below Notes and preview are brought to us this week by Joe Ginley.  Lead communications Director for St. Ignatius.

Learning about the Shamrocks

A NEW ERA: In the offseason, legendary head coach Tom Mach retired as head football coach of Detroit Catholic Central. Mach established a tradition of excellence with the Shamrocks, finished his career with 370-97 total record and an impressive 10 state championships. Longtime assistant Dan Anderson stepped in for Mach, and plans to continue the team’s tradition of hard-nosed football.

Anderson will employ the same style of ground-it-out football on offense and stout defense on the other side of the ball. Anderson is 2-1 through his first three games as head coach.

POUND THE ROCK: The hallmark of Detroit Catholic Central is running the football. The Shamrocks will run the ball until defenses falter and waive the white flag. Utilizing old school formations such as the full house and Wing-T, the Shamrocks are devoted to running the ball, and will try to establish a ground game against the Wildcats.

Running backs Isaac Darkangelo and Cam Ryan are the stars of the Shamrocks’ offense. Darkangelo has started for three seasons, while Ryan, who Coach Kyle praised this week, scored the winning touchdown against the Wildcats last season. The Wildcats will have to slow the Shamrocks on the ground to win.

MICHIGAN STATE STYLE DEFENSE: The Shamrocks run a defense similar to that run by Michigan State’s Mark Dantonio. DCC will operate with a 4-man front, using outside linebackers to patrol the outside and clog the holes. The Shamrocks swarm to the ball and use two-way players such as Darkangelo and Ryan to shut down opposing offenses. With the Spartan-esque schemes, the Shamrocks can be tough to run against.

IN THE ZONE: Beyond stopping the run, the Shamrocks are not too susceptible to the deep ball. DCC primarily utilizes a 4-deep zone coverage scheme, occasionally rolling to Cover 1 with one deep safety. The Shamrocks will allow teams short and intermediate throws, but are dedicated to preventing long, back-breaking pass plays.

SHOTGUN APPROACH: While the Shamrocks do like to “pound the rock,” Anderson’s offense will line up in shotgun formation, too. And if the Shamrocks line up in the gun, they’re likely throwing the ball. Marco Genrich serves as the starting quarterback and can sling it. Whitmer did contain Genrich, however, limiting him to 10-of-24 passing for 136 yards. Parker Bohland and Nate Anderson will be two of Genrich’s top targets on Friday. The Wildcats will look to duplicate Whitmer’s approach after the Shamrocks fell to the Toledo rival, 14-7.

 

Wildcats Storylines

THE BOYS ARE BACK: The men of the Saint Ignatius defensive line roared on Saturday against Euclid, dominating the second half of play. The Wildcats’ linemen hassled Euclid’s quarterbacks and rendered the run game ineffective in the final 24 minutes.

Senior Bradley Andrich guided the way with a phenomenal game, recording 4.5 tackles, 1 sack, 2 tackles for loss, and 2 forced fumbles. Fellow linemen Zachary McMahan, Aidan Gill, and Aidan Wells combined for 4.5 tackles and hurried the quarterback once.

THE WILD ROVER: Senior Logan Joyce continues to thrive as a fierce, attacking linebacker. The Bay native topped the team with 6.5 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss against Euclid, also contributing to a sack and recovering a Panthers fumble.

On the year, Joyce is second on the team in tackles with 15 and first in tackles for loss with 6.5. Junior Tommy Eichenberg leads the way in tackles with 15.5 tackles, adding 4 tackles for loss and a sack at his outside backer spot. Andrew Keirn has also played a key role as a run-stuffing middle linebacker.

THE WARRIOR’S CODE: Against an athletic Euclid defense, Mark Bobinski went to work. As the Panthers pawed at the team’s passes, Bobinski wore down Euclid with his physical style of rushing. Aided by a strong offensive line, Bobinski powered his way to 143 rushing yards on 32 carries.

The senior found the end zone twice, lowering his shoulder and fighting past defenders. On the season, Bobinski has 282 yards and 3 touchdowns. Against the stout Detroit Catholic Central defense, also look for Jahadge “Bo” Floyd to make an impact. The junior will spell Bobinski, as Floyd has 124 yards and a touchdown this season.

SUNSHINE HIGHWAY: The efforts of the offensive line in the second half did not go unnoticed. Senior offensive tackle Darian Kinnard punished the Panthers, as did guard Jack Jamieson, center Jivan Meguerditchian, and guard/tackle Grant Abbott. The offensive line will look to keep it up on Friday.

CAPTAIN SANDS’ KITCHEN: Opposing offenses have experienced difficulties in sustaining a passing game, thanks in part to Justin Sands. The Penn-bound senior has two interceptions and two pass break-ups in three games. Sands has played the crucial role of both a ball hawking safety and a run support rover. Sands has excelled in both roles, and will be important in shutting down the Shamrocks’ offense.

SHIPPING UP TO DETROIT: The JV and Freshmen Football Cats will head to Detroit on Saturday to face the Shamrocks. The JV Cats enter at 2-1 after beating Euclid on Monday.

 

 

{NEOSI Official Prediction – St. Ignatius 27 Detroit 13}