Despite a relatively ordinary year for the St. Ignatius Wildcats, in which they finished sixth in the Western Catholic Athletic League, there were still many moments to celebrate, starting with the fact that they came within a score of reaching the Central Coast Section Division 2 championship game.
They bounced back stronger after tough losses, held their own against some of California’s top teams, made big plays on big stages, and most importantly made their school proud.
“A word to describe our season is growth. There was a lot of it over the season, especially after not having as much physical presence and contact with each other over a year and a half,” said SI head coach John Regalia, “To come together the way we did showed a lot of growth and maturity as young men. I’m really proud of them.”
The ‘21 Wildcats will be remembered for their fighting spirit. Even though the season may not have ended as they would have liked, the ‘Cats fought to the best of their abilities all season long.
The key to the Wildcats' success was their rock-solid defense. Despite facing some of the best offenses the state had to offer, they held their opponents to just 20.4 points per game.
Led by senior LB Ben Boyden, St. Ignatius forced 11 turnovers in their six league games. Boyden starred all year, applying pressure to quarterbacks and dropping back into coverage. In six WCAL games, he recorded 53 total tackles including two forced fumbles as well as picking off opposing quarterbacks twice.
Other key contributors on defense were August Parker and Brown lacrosse commit Oliver Bligh. Bligh ensured no one threw his way, punishing those who did. He batted four passes and forced and recovered a fumble.
Meanwhile, August Parker was a pick machine. He recorded four interceptions, including a 57-yard pick six against crosstown rivals Riordan.
“Our coaches did a really good job of preparing them, it allowed us to keep improving," Regalia said. "Our players did an amazing job, really took ownership to improve themselves and it showed on game days."
The CCS playoff victory over Palma was one of the highlights of the season for the Wildcats. After making the long trip down to Salinas, they were able to take advantage of a depleted Chieftains offense en route to the playoff win.
Running back Keith Reyes punched in two early touchdowns to put the Wildcats ahead for good while junior Luke Leopold secured two picks, one for a touchdown, to cap off a dominating performance. Leopold totalled 35 tackles and two fumble recoveries on the season.
“That win meant a lot to us,” said quarterback Aiden Smith. “We worked our tails off for it. Especially after not having playoffs last year, it felt amazing. It was definitely one of the highlights of the season for our team.”
After a spring season in which the Wildcats rotated quarterbacks, Smith found himself at the helm of the offense. Barely aided by a run game that provided just 64.2 yards per game, the offense struggled to find its rhythm all season. Smith recorded 1,068 yards on just a 54 percent completion percentage and threw more five touchdown passes and six interceptions.
“It was something we worked on all year,” said Smith. “Some things weren’t really clicking. But like everything else we just kept working on it till it improved.”
The highlight of the Wildcat offense was the star receiving duo of Ryan Ivers and Shane Crispen. The two aided Smith in moving the chains all year, combining for 587 yards on 53 catches. They accounted for numerous Wildcat scores, and kept the crowds cheering year-round.
“Having those two makes my job so much easier,” said Smith. “They’re both special players who do special things with the ball in their hands.”
The MVP of the season for St. Ignatius was Charlie Pyfer. No matter what task he had drawn up for him, whether in the secondary, at receiver, in the backfield or taking snaps, he made plays for the Wildcats. His 53 tackles were good for second on the team, while his four passes deflected led the squad.
One of his two interceptions turned into a 58-yard pick-six in SI’s rivalry game, a heart-wrenching 21-20 loss to Sacred Heart Cathedral. Offensively he added 156 total yards and a touchdown.
“Someone like Charlie helps our team so much,” said Regalia. “He’s superbly talented with speed, strength and athleticism. He’s a great leader and great person to have on our roster. Our coaches do an amazing job of utilizing him at multiple positions to best benefit the team.”
Looking to next year, SI will have to look to replace the pillars of this year's roster, with the departures of Smith, Ivers, Crispen, Boyden, Bligh, Pyfer and more. While this will be no simple task, they will be aided by a strong junior core headlined by Luke Leopold and August Parker and the promotion of members of a JV team that finished second in WCAL.
“In high school football that's the name of the game,” said Regalia. “You never have the same team two years in a row. The seniors on this team will leave a hole, but we have to fill it like we do every year. This season was really special, we had some special players and special men. We created something amazing.”
