Rich Hidy
SSID Managing Director

Bombers Win Close Game in Cleveland

            The Bombers travelled to John Carroll University in Cleveland at Don Shula Stadium to face a talented St. Ignatius Wildcats team. The Bombers were missing their starting quarterback, running back, and wide receiver. Even with these roadblocks, the Bombers found a way to grind out a hard-earned victory by the score of 14-12. The Bombers are looking like a State Championship contender as of late, as they are now a 7-2 (2-1 in the GCL) team with a four game winning streak. With the loss, St. Ignatius is now also 7-2 on the season. The Bombers played well despite missing starting quarterback Griffin Dolle, starting tailback Conor Hundley, and starting wide receiver Evan Ballinger due to injuries, and their defense also played extremely well as always. The Bombers were able to gain one hundred and eighty-seven yards rushing, and two hundred and twenty-six total yards of offense. St. X struck first in the game on starting quarterback Trey Kilgore’s eighty yard burst into the end zone with eleven minutes left in the first quarter. Ignatius then put up two straight field goals by Wildcat kicker Timothy Shenk. Kilgore then added a thirty yard touchdown scamper before halftime to give the Bombers a 14-6 lead. Neither team could put together scoring drives until the fourth quarter when Ignatius scored on a touchdown pass from Jake Mooney to Eric Williams, but the Bombers were able to clinch the victory when senior defensive tackle Brian Douglas recovered a fumble with Ignatius attempting to win the game on a late drive.

            Trey Kilgore, who usually plays wide receiver for the Bombers, filled in admirably at quarterback for the Bombers and provided a spark in the running game. Kilgore scrambled for one hundred and thirty-two yards on fifteen carries and the two touchdowns. Kilgore averaged 8.9 yards per rushing attempt. Kilgore also was efficient in the passing game even though he didn’t throw for many yards. Kilgore was seven for ten with thirty-nine yards passing. He managed to spread the football around to different receivers with the leading target being sophomore Ryan Frey. Sophomore running back CJ Hilliard, who started the game because of the Hundley leg injury that he suffered against St. Edward, ran the ball twenty-six times for eighty-nine yards for a 3.4 yards per rush average. Overall, the offense overcame the stout defense they were playing against and the injuries to team captains in order to find a way to score when they had to.

            On defense, senior safety Spencer Stroube led the way with 10.5 tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss, and a forced fumble. Linebacker Mark Jacob also had a forced fumble and a sack while recording 4.5 tackles. The other safety, junior Robby Ries, had an interception and four tackles. Defensive linemen Nate Gerbus and E.J. Parchment each had a sack, and cornerback Sean Ahern forced two fumbles opposite Jayln Sutton-Jackson, who broke up four passes. The defense was dominant once again for the Bombers, and the unit should be the team’s strong point heading into the final stretch run of the season.

            Special teams wise, punter Robby Dorger continued to play well on Saturday with an average of 41.9 yards per punt and three punts inside the twenty yard line and a long punt of fifty-four yards. Kicker Nick Roemer did not attempt any field goals on the day, but averaged fifty-six yards on kickoffs and recorded one touchback. Without the solid special teams play, the Bombers would not have been able to control the game throughout the four quarters of play.

            The St. Xavier Bombers have one final tune-up before the playoffs begin. They play in Louisville against Louisville St. Xavier on Friday, October 28^th at 7:30 p.m. The Bombers are just now reaching their potential as they are ranked eighth in the United States and first in the State of Ohio. With that said, they need to focus on the task at hand and take care of Louisville St. X before moving on to the ultimate goal of another State Title for the Bomber Football Program.

10/22 01:45PM (EST) Cincinnati St. Xavier Football vs. Cleveland St. Ignatius (OH) It's the annual state of Ohio Jesuit Bowl between the Bombers and Wildcats. Two of the state's most storied schools meet in this always anticipated matchup. This game comes to you from Don Shula Stadium on the campus of John Carroll University.