CLEVELAND, Ohio — St. Edward and St. Ignatius continue their storied football rivalry Friday night at First Federal Lakewood Stadium, and cleveland.com is taking a look back at some of the best players from both teams in the last 25 years.
They have 10 combined state championships in that time, as St. Ignatius began this century building on its 11 OHSAA crowns and St. Edward has won all seven of its titles since 2010.
St. Edward has won eight straight games in the rivalry and has a 15-14 edge since 2001. The Eagles and Wildcats are split 32-32-1 all-time against each other.
Their tradition includes Power Four prospects and NFL standouts (and possibly some on a path to the pros), and cleveland.com has come up with its list of the 25 best players in the last 25 seasons. In 2015, cleveland.com put together looks at the top St. Edward players and the top St. Ignatius players of the previous 15 years. Consider this an updated but condensed list (note, players considered played between the 2001 and 2025 seasons). They are listed in alphabetical order below with the top 10 ranked in a countdown order:
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Shaun Carney, St. Edward quarterback ’03
Carney was 21-3 as starting quarterback during his final two years at St. Edward. Opponents described him as the heart and soul of the Eagles. A dual threat, he accounted for 26 touchdowns (13 passing, 13 rushing) as a senior. Carney passed for more than 4,000 yards in his career and later played at Air Force.
Andrew Dowell, St. Edward running back/safety ’15
Dowell was the Eagles’ starting running back as a junior, but moved almost exclusively to safety as a senior, where he had six interceptions (three pick-6s) and was named first-team All-Ohio. He saw important carries at running back in the 2014 state championship game, helping secure victory. He went on to play at Michigan State.
Liam Eichenberg, St. Ignatius tackle ’16
Now in his fifth year with the Miami Dolphins, Eichenberg came up as one of the most sought offensive tackles in St. Ignatius history. He started every game for three years at Notre Dame before being drafted in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft by Miami. Eichenberg anchored a line that blocked for a 1,900-yard passer and totaled more than 3,500 offensive yards as a senior for the Wildcats. He graded out as a 93 percent blocker in 2015 and made the All-Ohio first team.
Tommy Eichenberg, St. Ignatius linebacker ’19
Liam’s younger brother brought explosive play to the middle of the Wildcats’ defense after moving in from the edge. His play as a senior led them on an eight-game winning streak to close the regular season with the No. 2 overall seed in the Region 1 playoffs (St. Ignatius has not finished higher since then). Eichenberg racked up 21 TFL, seven sacks, six quarterback hurries, four forced fumbles and 115 total tackles. He went on to Ohio State and is now playing for the Las Vegas Raiders after being drafted in the fifth round last year.
Cole Gest, St. Edward running back ’16
Gest lost his sophomore year to injury, but became the school’s all-time leading rusher after the next two seasons and finished with 3,921 yards and 50 touchdowns. He gained 1,854 yards and 25 TDs during the Eagles’ state championship run in 2014. An explosive and powerful runner, Gest seemed to never tire. He ran for 2,097 yards with 25 TDs as a senior, plus three scores in the receiving game, on the Eagles’ way to another state crown. Gest went on to Indiana and Akron.
Wyatt Gedeon, St. Edward defensive end ’23
Gedeon and Michael Kilbane shared jersey numbers and cleveland.com all-area Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2022 after helping the Eagles to their second of three straight state titles. They also broke Michael Kilbane’s school record 19 sacks, but Kilbane might note that it took them an extra game with the OHSAA’s expanded playoffs to do it. Gedeon, who is at Coastal Carolina, had 20 sacks.
Nate Gregory, St. Edward linebacker ’25
Gregory started on two of St. Edward’s last three Division I state championship teams before heading to Coastal Carolina. The Eagles endured injuries to key players his senior year, but Gregory played both ways and helped them back to the state semifinals. He finished his senior season with 69 solo tackles and 177 assists, plus eight quarterback hits.
Andrew Holland, St. Ignatius quarterback ’09
Holland passed for 2,720 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2008. He was chosen as Ohio’s co-Offensive Player of the Year in Division I and was a recipient of the Lou Groza Award from The Cleveland Touchdown Club. The Plain Dealer unanimously selected Holland as its all-star quarterback, too. He ranks second all-time on the school’s single-season (28) and career touchdown passes list (42).
Michael Kilbane, St. Edward defensive end ’23
Gedeon wound up giving Kilbane his No. 47, which has been synonymous with top edge rushers at St. Edward. Kilbane took that number and set the school’s sack record with 20.5 sacks, edging Gedeon during their senior-year match to Canton. Kilbane is now at Northwestern.
Haruki Nakamura, St. Edward defensive back/wide receiver ’04
Nakamura excelled at defensive back, where he was one of the Eagles’ hardest hitters, but also at wide receiver and kick returner, helping lead them to the state final his senior season. He set school records for receptions in a game (12) and career (56), the latter of which was broken by Alex Stump and Zach Hackleman. He played collegiately at Cincinnati before playing for Baltimore and Carolina in the NFL.
Jeff Pietrowski, St. Edward defensive end ’20
The cleveland.com Defensive Player of the Year in 2019, Pietrowski played with an intensity matched by few. He led the Eagles with 14.5 sacks through their Division I regional final run that year with 27 quarterback hurries and 12 hits, plus three forced fumbles and three more recoveries. Pietrowski went on to Michigan State and returned to St. Edward for a stint on coach Tom Lombardo’s staff.
Jake Ryan, St. Ignatius linebacker ’10
A key member of the St. Ignatius state champion defense in 2008, he came back in ’09 with 104 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, eight sacks, four pass breakups and two fumble recoveries. Ryan earned All-Ohio first-team honors and shared the Northeast Lakes District Defensive Player of the Year award as a senior.
Raishaun Stover, St. Edward running back ’02
Stover set school records for career (3,680) and single-season rushing yards (1,978) and career touchdowns (57). He was first-team All-Ohio as a senior and third in voting for Mr. Football. He later played at Bowling Green.
Nate Szep, St. Ignatius quarterback ’02
Szep ranks at or near the top in nearly every passing category. His 3,643 yards in 2001 helped the Wildcats to the Division I state title. His 36 touchdown passes that year established the single-season record that still stands today. He held the St. Ignatius record for passing yards in a game until 2015, when it was broken twice by Dennis Grosel. As a sophomore in 1999, after starter Bryan Panteck suffered an injury in the state semifinals, Szep was called on to start the state championship win against Huber Heights Wayne.
Brandon White, St. Edward running back ’26
Had it not been for an ACL injury that wiped out most of his junior season in 2024, White could already be St. Edward’s all-time leading rusher. He broke out as a sophomore with 1,913 yards and 23 touchdowns on 269 carries. He has 2,880 yards rushing and 36 touchdowns for his career entering Friday’s game against St. Ignatius. White holds scholarship offers from Kent State, Akron and several other Mid-American Conference schools. Coastal Carolina, which has recruited St. Edward hard in recent years, also is among the colleges after him.
10. Michael O’Malley, St. Edward defensive end ’16
O’Malley has been a standout on the Eagles’ defensive line the last two seasons. Tough and athletic, O’Malley is a playmaker, whether it’s via sack, turnover, or hurting teams as a tight end, as he did in the 2014 state title game. As a senior, he helped the Eagles to another state title in coach Tom Lombardo’s first year and had 131 tackles with a then-school-record 19 sacks. The AP made him its All-Ohio Division I Defensive Player of the Year. O’Malley went on to Duquesne and returned to St. Edward as a coach.
9. John Kerr, St. Ignatius linebacker ’02
Kerr graduated as St. Ignatius’ leading tackler in program history and was a two-time Associated Press first-team All-Ohio selection and two-time Plain Dealer All-Star. Kerr was involved in more than 200 tackles, including 12 sacks, six fumbles and 30 QB hurries as a senior. He played on St. Ignatius’ state championship teams in 1999 and 2001.
8. Tim McVey, St. Ignatius running back ’13
As a junior, McVey rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns to help St. Ignatius win the 2011 Division I state title. He holds the school record for most touchdowns scored in a game (seven), season (39) and career (61). McVey is the Wildcats’ career scoring leader (366 points). He also is second on the school’s all-time career rushing list with 3,062 yards, behind only 1994 graduate Eric Haddad.
7. Kyle Kalis, St. Edward tackle ’12
At 6-foot-5, 305 pounds, Kalis (No. 67 at left) was a standout on the line as the Eagles’ won the 2010 state title his junior season. He was a U.S. Army All-American and a Parade Magazine All-American as a senior. He went on to play at Michigan and in the NFL with Washington, Indianapolis, the Raiders and Browns.
6. Anthony Gonzalez, St. Ignatius receiver/defensive back ’03
Gonzalez went on to star at Ohio State and in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts, before serving two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. At St. Ignatius, he caught 71 passes for more than 1,800 yards in his career. He was first team All-Ohio as a senior. In a 29-21 win against Massillon his senior year, he caught four passes for 102 yards and two TDs, made two interceptions, returning one for a touchdown, batted down two passes, made seven tackles, blocked a field-goal attempt and recovered a fumble.
5. Shaun Crawford, St. Edward receiver/defensive back ’15
While St. Edward coach, Rick Finotti called Crawford the best player he ever coached. The versatile Crawford was a four-year starter who became a standout on offense, defense and special teams. He played a key role in the Eagles’ 2014 state championship run and was first-team All-Ohio. He went on to play defensive back at Notre Dame with a stint in the NFL. He has since returned to Northeast Ohio with multiple efforts to promote youth football.
4. Ryan Franzinger, St. Ignatius linebacker/fullback ’02
Before he took over the reins from Chuck Kyle as St. Ignatius’ coach, Franzinger dominated on the field for him in the early 2000s. A three-year letter-winner and MVP of the 2001 state championship team, Franzinger made 106 tackles while doubling as a linebacker and defensive end. He had eight sacks, two fumble recoveries and an interception as the Wildcats recovered from a three-game losing streak to defeat Cincinnati St. Xavier in the state final. A bruising runner, Franzinger also carried the ball 37 times for 193 yards and six TD in his senior year.
3. Brian Hoyer, St. Ignatius quarterback ’04
Only Joe Pickens threw for more yards — 5,176 — between 1987 and ’89. Hoyer had 4,791 yards and his 43 career touchdown passes is tied for the school record with Rudy Kirbus. Hoyer’s 2,568 yards in 2003 rank fifth in a single season and his 375 yards against Erie Cathedral Prep on Sep. 6, 2003, still rank as the fourth most in a single game. He was selected as an All-Ohio honorable mention player his senior year and received a spot on the Northeast Lakes District first team.
2. Ben Roebuck, St. Edward tackle ’24
St. Edward’s three-peat from 2021 to ’23 came with Roebuck starting at right tackle throughout. He quickly established his presence as a 10th-grader for his effort against then-Notre Dame recruit Brenan Vernon in an early season matchup with Mentor. He also is 4-0 against the Wildcats, including a 28-7 win in the playoffs, which marked coach Chuck Kyle’s last game leading St. Ignatius. Now at Michigan, Roebuck has one of Northeast Ohio’s most decorated careers, making the All-Ohio first team twice.
1. Alex Boone, St. Edward tackle ’05
Boone was a three-year starter for the Eagles. At 6-foot-8, 320 pounds, he helped them reach the state finals in 2003 and was named AP Division I Co-Offensive Player of the Year in 2004, a rarity for an offensive lineman. He started four years at Ohio State — offered a scholarship as a sophomore — and spent nine seasons in the NFL, including his first six with the San Francisco 49ers. St. Edward inducted him into its athletic hall of fame in January.
Also considered
Kevin Burke, St. Edward quarterback ’11
Jon Gannon, St. Ignatius defensive back/wide receiver ’00
Dennis Grosel, St. Ignatius quarterback ’16
Ryan Fallon, St. Edward quarterback ’13
Dan Fox, St. Ignatius defensive back/tight end ’08
Zach Hackleman, St. Edward receiver ’26
Jeremy Hines, St. Edward lineman ’02
Pat Hinkel, St. Ignatius defensive back/running back ’08
Dre’Mont Jones, St. Ignatius defensive lineman ’15
Darian Kinnard, St. Ignatius tackle ’18
Rudy Kirbus, St. Ignatius quarterback ’05
Joe Kleinsmith, St. Edward kicker/receiver/safety ’05
Caden Kolesar, St. Edward safety ’19
Ryan Marando, St. Edward linebacker ’04
Nate Oliver, St. Edward safety ’07
Robby Parris, St. Ignatius receiver ’05
Tim Shenk, St. Ignatius kicker ’11
Justin Staples, St. Edward linebacker ’08
Alex Stump, St. Edward receiver ’15