St Ignatius High School - Ignatian Yearbook (Cleveland, OH)

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Above- Sean Kilbane expresses the grimace of a hard-earned victory. He prepares to shake the frozen ground with the ball in the spirit of an NFL player. risp. My feet crunch in the frosty grass. A brown watermelon sails through the air with the finesse of a flying cow. Bad pass. I'll jump. I jump, stretching, twisting, and straining for that air-filled skin. A pig died so I could make this catch. I think. I grab the ball, not too hard: it snugs into my basket. But I never saw the defender. Right there all along. Too much effort to go for the ball: he wants to punish me for making the catch. The ground rushes up to collide with my body. I peel myself from earth. My mind still spins. My lungs still heave. We call a huddle. I really need a time-out, guys. I suggest. We call time out. The quarterback draws some lines in the dirt. Everyone ignores the lines. Everyone just go out. We all agree. I'll just sit out this play, I think. I’m still panting. Quarterback barks, backpedals, and scans the field. I take a few steps and catch my breath. Quarterback eyes a man downfield and fires. Eyes follow the arc of the ball. It's smooth. Silk. He bumbles the catch. Defender rips the ball from its unstable grasp. He charges towards me. I don't particularly like trying to stop moving trains, but I guess I have to. I'm the last man between that bull and the end zone. I run at him. I collide with his legs, churning pistons. He bucks my chin. My teeth chop into my tongue. He drags me into the end zone. I flap from his legs like a damn flag in the wind. They are winning. After spitting the blood from my mouth. I set myself to return the kick-off. Kicker punts the ball. It spirals toward the blue. My ball. I stand between the ball and the ground. My team forms a wall. The ball sinks into my arms. I dart forward right between two defenders. Arms reach and lock onto my clothes like burrs. Burrs really annoy me. I burst forward and shake off the grips. I can hear my adrenalin pumping in unison with my heart. All the way. I think. I tail behind Blocker. He dumps a guy onto the brittle grass. Someone drops on me from behind. Just not fast enough. I collapse under his weight. Again. I meet the hard ground. Half the field to go for a TD. We go through the offensive routine: I call a timeout. This time I will go all out. As Quarterback fades. I surge forward. Fly pattern. Endzone approaches rapidly. Lame duck approaching over my shoulder. I whip around to snag it. Defender rushes at me madly. I beat him: he must be angry. Ball tucks into safety. I dash to the endzone. ten yards ahead. Defender is on my back again. I refuse to buckle. Instead. I shake him off: I hate burrs. I smile as I cross the goal line. Ball spikes the ground. Score now tied, but it's only noon. We have five hours of game left to play. 26 A Day in the Life

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Above: That was one stubborn building. exclaims Harry the wrecker to his associate. Though decrepit, the Rhumba Bar refused to fall without maintaining its pride as a landmark institution. Far Left: Homeward-bound after a day of destruction, this bulldozer makes a final pass over what was once a favorite Jesuit hangout. The Jesuits were rumored to have taken advantage of the ninety cent chilli special offered by the Rhumba Bar to its preferred customers. Left Buried in the remains lie the bones of the Cleveland chapter of Hell's Angels. The dust of decades of death, destruction, and hell-raising rises to the heavens, dissipating like so many memories. Rhumba 25

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Left: Ron Aukerman prepares to rifle the ball downfield. Many dreams of supcrbowls and Alcoa comeback commercials are fulfilled in quagmires of local parks. Below: Smelling a touchdown. Kevin McQucary stretches the ball forward past the goal line. Vince Ruffa fails to strip the ball from Kevin. Below Plowing like a Mack truck. Neil Hagan carries a full load for six points. Defenders Sean Kilbanc and Chris Allen, dismayed at Neil’s power, could not summon the courage or strength to stop him. Saturday Football 27