No doubt the saying I used for a KNIGHTS TD when I called their games for 2 years was the proper moniker for last night’s game at Euclid Community Stadium as Archbishop Hoban put it to the St. Ignatius Wildcats 35-0. The Knight Time IS The Right Time! With 5:21 left in the game after the Knights Caleb Jones powered in from 1 yard to make it 35-0, I heard something I never thought I would hear that would be associated with Wildcats Football…the words “The game will now be played with a running clock” echoed over the PA system. Am I arrogant, an Ignatius Homer, Honk and Shill? No, just someone who has covered HS football in NE Ohio for decades and who had two sons attend St. Ignatius, one who was a member of the 2011 D1 State Championship team.
The Knights are powerful, and no doubt barring circumstances out of their control are headed deep into the playoffs in D2 after their 5-0 start! The first quarter was fairly quiet with both teams trading punts until a 2 play 47-yard drive set up by a 21-yard Parker Falkenstein punt return put the Knights up 7-0 with 5:23 left in the first. Jones had a 28-yard run then Elbert Hill IV found the endzone on a 19-yard jet sweep. Ryan Burns PAT was good.
Hoban came back to start the 2nd Quarter with a 5-yard Boykin run and again Burns was true. 14-0 Hoban. In a blink of the eye Senior DB Tysen Campbell had a pick six and with 10:17 left in the half after the PAT the score was Hoban 21 – St. Ignatius 0. I must add that Wildcats QB Joshua Papesh was pressured, hit, or sacked on just about every pass attempt. The front 7 of the Knights is big, football nasty, agile. mobile and hostile and he DB’s hit hard and break on the ball big time. Right as the clock was ticking down Hoban attempted a 40-yard FG. Burns’ kick had the distance but was wide right. At the half it was 21-0 Archbishop Hoban.
The Wildcats started the 2nd half with the ball and went three and out then forced the Knights to do the same. The ‘Cats then drove to midfield when QB got blasted and Elbert Hill IV found the endzone on another pick 6. Burns again nailed the PAT. With 3:29 left in the third it was 28-0 in favor of Hoban.
The ‘cats started driving again but, in my notes, I keep seeing “Papesh hit again, QB hit, incomplete pass” as the Knights D was relentless. Then with 5:21 left the heir apparent in the great lineage of Hoban running backs Caleb Jones fought his way into the end zone from 1 yard out and it was over, 35-0 Knights. I also must add that the “big uglies” (and that is a HUGE compliment!) on the Hoban offensive line were special too, finishing blocks 10-15 yards up field.
After week 5 St. Ignatius is 1-4 and Archbishop Hoban is 5-0. No doubt both schools feature great coaching staffs, and the young players of the Wildcats are getting a true Baptism by fire. Talk about high expectations, as noted earlier there is NO DOUBT in my mind that the Archbishop Hoban Knights barring the unknown are on a course that ends at the state Championship game in D2!
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