by Patrick McGuire ’14
Wildcat Athletics for the 2013 Fall campaign are off and running, meeting some success and some struggles.
First, Coach Chuck Kyle’s football team started off their season with a difficult loss at the hands of Birmingham Brother Rice, a formidable opponent to say the least. The Wildcats saw bursts of offense but other than a handful of big plays, were unable to cash in. John Thomas had two stellar passing touchdowns resulting in two separate 80 yard touchdown runs by Michael Siragusa ‘14 and Nick Fabian ‘14, respectively. Thomas ended the game with a total of 222 passing yards. Running Back Enzo Cannata joined in on offense adding a 50 yard scamper of his own, as well as Senior Mike Vitale punching in a touchdown in the redzone for the ‘Cats.
The Warriors of Brother Rice turned out to be too much to handle for the Wildcats. Exceptional plays, including a punt return for a touchdown and a spectacular diving catch by the Warriors’ wide receiving corp, put them over the top, giving them a 29-20 victory in the first game of the Wildcat season.
This is not the first time the Wildcats have lost their first game of the season. In 2008 the ‘Cats lost their first game and went on to win the state championship. A long season lies ahead for this Wildcat football team as they will take on the Mentor Cardinals this Friday night at Jerome T. Osbourne stadium.
The 2013 Cross Country team has achieved success early on this fall behind the young sophomore Luke Wagner. Wagner led the way for team at the first two meets of the season, with blistering times of 10:17 in a two mile run and 16:32 in a 5k run, respectively. Wagner is not the only talented runner on this Cross Country team. Wagner, sophomore Tim Trentel, and senior Elliot Thorkelson placed 2nd, 3rd, and 4th overall, respectively, at the Panther Run on August 24th. Coach Mike Gallagher ‘71 has loads of potential for this cross country season and seasons to come.
Lastly, Coach Brian Becker’s varsity golf team is heating up as their season continues to grind on. The golf ‘Cats started their season fairly slowly, placing seventh in their first 3 tournaments, but they since won the prestigious University School Invitational at Windmill Lakes Golf Club behind Senior Jack Coyne’s one-under par performance which earned him 1st overall for that tournament. Coyne wouldn’t stop there. He then went on to shoot a round of 68 at the Firestone Country Club in Akron. Yes, Tiger Woods played the course right next to it over the summer, making Coyne’s performance all the more impressive. The golf team is just starting to play up to their potential, fighting to earn a spot in the playoffs.
