Matt MacKenzie ’18
It was senior night at Robert M. Boulton Stadium, for the Saint Ignatius Wildcats, and they were led by a huge performance from senior captain Dennis Grosel. In the game, Grosel had four rushing touchdowns and one passing touchdown, giving him five all purpose touchdowns, that were more than enough to lead the ‘Cats to a 55-0 victory over the Parma Redmen.
The first quarter kicked off with a Parma drive of over 50 yards that resulted in a turnover on downs at the St. Ignatius 30 yard line. The Wildcats second drive resulted in a better outcome. A bad punt gave them great field position and they were sure to capitalize. A couple of passes from Grosel set up a Jimmy Andrews touchdown run to make it 7-0, with 3:29 left to go in the first quarter. The ‘Cats would get the ball one more time before the quarter ended. This drive saw a big play from a big playmaker, as Dennis Grosel ran for a 54 yard touchdown run zig-zagging all over the field to make it 13-0 Wildcats, as Goodfellow missed the PAT. This score would hold and take us into the next quarter.
More of the same followed in the second quarter for the Wildcats. Just over two minutes in, Grosel led a drive down the field, that ended with his second rushing touchdown on the night. It would be 20-0 in favor of the home team. Later on, the Redmen would go for it again, but were stopped shy of the first down marker. They struggled on 4th down conversions on the night.
The Wildcats found success on the following possession. Dennis Grosel ran it in for his 3rd rushing touchdown on the evening and the ‘Cats were cruising up 27-0, with 4:00 to go in the half. The ‘Cats added on again when Grosel found Grbac on a touchdown pass to make it 34-0. An interception by Ryan Berger gave Grosel another opportunity to get out there on the field. He made the most of it and dove into the end zone for his fourth rushing touchdown on the night to make it 41-0. That score would hold as the teams went to the locker room for the half.
A running clock was implemented for the second half, but even with this, the Wildcats still found the end zone. On a fourth down and short from the red zone, Elijah Wahib ran it in to extend the lead to 48-0. The touchdown run would account for all of the scoring in the third quarter, as the Wildcats led by 48 heading into the last quarter.
The ‘Cats found the end zone, one more time in the final quarter of play. There was under 8 minutes to go in the game, when a miscue, by Parma on a Wildcat punt, led to a recovery by St. Ignatius, who would take over in Redmen territory. Several plays later, David Welcsh ran the ball in for a touchdown and it was 55-0. This would be the final score, as the St. Ignatius Wildcats, led by an incredible performance by Dennis Grosel, who had 5 total purpose touchdowns, dominated the Parma Redmen 55-0.
