The St. Ignatius crew team was in action last weekend in Oak Ridge, Tennessee for the Midwest Scholastic Rowing Association regatta.
On Saturday morning and afternoon, the rowers placed 14 crews into the Sunday final races. This was the most of any program and put the team in a strong position to claim the team championship. After running strong races in all divisions, the Wildcat Navy came out on top, earning its 9th Midwest title.
By MICHAEL COSTELLO ’12
Eye Sports Reporter
Cleveland fans needed something to cheer for as the Cleveland Indians began their 2011-12 season. The Browns had just finished another losing season and fired yet another head coach. Long-loved super diva LeBron James (a.k.a Judas, Quitness, King Nothing, etc.) left town for Miami, dooming the Cavaliers to one of the worst seasons in their history. Coming off of a 69-93 season, expectations were not very high for the young Tribe, who were predicted to finish last in their division and ranked last overall in the ESPN power rankings. Now, 39 games into the season the Cleveland Indians are first in the AL Central, boasting a winning record, and are atop the league in runs scored (207), batting average (.271), and slugging percentage (.433). They have shocked the baseball community and now have the second best record in the majors.
Indians super fan, Chris Wrenn ’11, describes the difference between this year’s team and those of the past: \”This year the guys are out there having fun and playing solid fundamental baseball.”
By GREG ZITON ’13
Eye Sports Reporter
Half of St. Ignatius’s varsity baseball season can be summed up in two words: rained out. This season, which has been dubbed “the worst spring in the history of Ohio high school baseball” by head varsity coach Brad Ganor and many other Clevelanders, the Wildcats had 19 games cancelled (as of May 18th) due to rain or poor field conditions. Mother Nature was uncooperative from game one, as the Wildcats’ March 28th season opener against Walsh Jesuit had to be suspended with the score tied at two after six innings because of darkness. When it was finally finished another day, the Wildcats ended up falling 4-3 in extra innings. Among other cancellations were multiple games against rival and defending state- champion St. Edward and a game that was scheduled for May 6th at Progressive Field against Brunswick. Weather-permitting, that game will be made up on Wednesday May 25th at 7:00.
The other half of the season requires a little more elaboration. As Coach Ganor said about the 18 games the Wildcats have played, “We’ve had ups and downs. We’ve played really well at times and there have been other times when we haven’t played our best baseball.” Led by senior captains Mike Horejsei, Cory Finkler, Marques Pagan, and Neal Jacobs, St. Ignatius’s varsity baseball team has compiled a record of eleven wins and nine losses. The Wildcats started off the season with a 9-3 record, lost five straight to fall to 9-8, and then rebounded from the losing streak to claim their 23rd consecutive sectional title with an 11-1 win over Valley Forge on May 11th. They followed that up with a 12-3 victory over Olmstead Falls in the District Semifinals. However, their luck ran out in a 5-3 loss to Midpark in the District Final, ending the Wildcats’ postseason. In that game the Wildcats’ comeback bid came short, as they cut a 5-0 deficit in the second in- ning to a 5-3 score, but were unable to score again.
Looking at the season, the Wildcats were inconsistent in two of baseball’s three main areas. The team went as their pitching and defense went. They were consistently good on offense, though. St. Ignatius actually outhit their opponents in every game of their five game losing streak, and nearly every other game. Part of the reason for the inconsistencies on defense was all of the rain outs. The historically bad weather not only caused the cancellation of numerous games, but also many practices. You can practice hitting indoors, but it’s difficult to practice game-situation defense inside. The lack of games also meant fewer opportunities to experiment with defensive lineups and make adjustments so the team could play at their best.
On the mound the Cats’ best pitcher was senior Tim Donelon, who led the team in ERA and innings pitched. Other key pitchers were junior Zak Shockley, who led the team in strikeouts and had the 2nd best ERA, seniors Marques Pagan and Cory Finkler, and sophomore Mike Lamanna. On offense the Wildcats were led by senior Neal Jacobs, who led the team in home runs (7), RBI’s (29), and slugging percentage. Other important batters and fielders were seniors Cory Finkler, Joe Greco, Mike Horejsei, Tyler Kette, and Colin Gallagher, as well as juniors Tim McCoy, Mike Ruffing, and sophomore Dan Rowbottom.
Three of the team’s graduating seniors will continue their baseball careers at the collegiate level. Collegiate base- ball players from the 2011 St. Ignatius squad will be Cory Finkler at the University of Toledo, Neal Jacobs at Central Michigan University, and Joe Greco at Flagler College in Florida. The 2011 season will conclude with a game on Monday May 23rd against Benedictine and the above- mentioned Progressive Field game on Wednesday.
Still grinning from a Monday night victory against the Boston Red Sox, Indians pitcher Justin Masterson made a visit to the St. Ignatius campus to share the story of his faith journey with SIHS students.
The over four hundred students who attended one of the two lunchtime talks already knew of Masterson’s pitching prowess. They also found out in the roughly 30 minute talk how is the role that faith plays in Masterson’s life.
Keeping the faith can be tough, especially for professional athletes, Masterson says. \”On the road we have lots of free time, and they pay us oodles of money.”
The following juniors are participating in this summers mission trips. Please keep them, their faculty chaperones, and the communities they are serving in your prayers.Dominican Republic
Ryan Mikkelsen
Rory Dayton
Dylan Waickman
Chuck Ritzler
Ed Brady
Ben Fischbach
Kevin Snider
Joe Straitiff
Lamar Kemp
Michael Priore
El Salvador
Brendan Cash
Tim Galla
Nick Iacobelli
Jacques de Villiers
Warren Serrani
James Sheehan
Frank Walsh
Cleveland
Michael Gosky
Andrew McDermott
Dominic Gibbons
Brendan Cogan
David Mog
Evan Mungall
Mitchell Baum
John Coill
Peter Rauhe
Dan Martin
Louisville
John Whitmore
Brian Keaton
Alec Gubics
Tom Briggs
Joe Polito
Ray Gajkowski
Reggie Gross
Ryan Pawlowski
Sam D’Amico
John Berry
By CARLOS POZUELO ’13
Eye Staff Reporter
This summer, due to complications created by the mall renovation, the Arrupe Summer Program (ASP) will be moving from Kyle field, down the street to Urban Community School on West 48th and Lorain. Because there will be limited access to buildings this summer, foot traffic on Carroll and Lorain sidewalks will be thick with rattled Summer Enrichment Program kids. Adding the Arrupe campers to the mix will only heighten the chaotic transportation between activities. Therefore, ASP will be transferring off-campus this summer to Urban to simplify the situation.
Despite the new location, ASP will, for the most part, stay the same. There will still be the intuitive classes, including poetry and healthy habits, afternoon activities, and, of course (one can never forget), the appetizing snacks and lunches.
By PAT BASISTA ’12
Eye Staff Reporter
What do you usually do on a typical Saturday morning? Sleep? Get up early to watch Saturday morning cartoons? Finish up that last game of Call of Duty after your mom told you to go to bed six hours ago? Or is there something else you do to take up the dreary early morning hours? Ever thought about serving the neighborhood around St. Ignatius with help from your fellow classmates and students from John Carroll University?
This year I decided to break the mold and participate in Spring Into Action. I arrived at Ignatius on a beautiful sunny morning and received my assignment for that day. There were various assignments this year due to the assistance from John Carroll, which helped celebrate the 125th anniversary of both of our schools. The activities ranged from but were not limited to: gardening, landscaping, graffitti abatement, improving a senior citizen’s home; cleaning up common Labre sites, Monroe Cemetry, Trinity Church, and the city streets. The day began with Mass with Father Murphy and then after breakfast we sprung into action.
Once I located my group, we all loaded onto a John Carroll bus. I then made my first visit to St. Herman’s House of Hospitality on Franklin Boulevard. Immediately after stepping off the bus we walked around the back and began our work. The work was hard, but enjoyable. My group had to clear the vegetation, dirt, and debris around a nearby building on Vine Court that had just sustained a fire. The brush was so overgrown onto the streets that it turned a two lane alley into a one lane alley. For two hours, we worked diligently. After our hard work was done, we went back to St. Ignatius to have lunch.
The day was perfect for service because of the pleasant and sunny weather. Although the task was difficult I had a good time. This was because I was serving others. There is a certain feeling you get when you selflessly offer your services to others. The work is both humbling and uplifting at the same time. That is why I do service. That is why I will go back again next year and I hope to see you there.
Across
1. Protective barrier against harmful UV rays.
5. Blood-sucking insects.
7. piscatorial pastime of Admiral Dan Baron
8. A truly \”in tents”
If you are a junior who happened to write your college essay titled \”Much More than a Game”
The Eye is the student-led publication of Saint Ignatius High School.
Editors-in-Chief: Kelly Coleman '23, Young Kim '23 & Aidan Oliss '23
