OHIO — There are a lot of important numbers on Friday for Walsh Jesuit, as the Warriors host St. Ignatius as part of the Ohio High School Athletic Association Game of the Week on Spectrum News 1. 

What You Need To Know

  • The OHSAA Game of the Week on Spectrum News 1 enters week four

  • Walsh Jesuit, ranked third in the initial Ohio Associated Press Division II High School Football poll, hosts St. Ignatius
  • The Warriors will retire Mike Vrabel's number 84 in a ceremony following the first quarter

  • Badin takes on Ready in Southwest and Central Ohio

Let’s break those numbers down, beginning with three. That’s the place Walsh Jesuit finds itself in the first Ohio Associated Press High School Division II poll, trailing only Avon and Cincinnati Anderson.

With that lofty ranking comes expectations. The Warriors would love to end a 25-year drought since last winning a regional title in 1999.

It’s been 42 years since Walsh Jesuit beat St. Ignatius in football, a 15-6 triumph back in 1982. Since then, the Wildcats have won five straight in the series, the most recent win coming in 2016.

Off to an impressive 3-0 start, the Warriors offense is humming to the tune of 45.3 points per game, collecting wins over Ursuline (37-35), McDowell, PA (47-21) and Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary (52-0).

Finally—and perhaps most significantly—following the first quarter on Friday, the school will retire the number 84, which was worn by former Buckeye and NFL Super Bowl champion Mike Vrabel, who graduated from Walsh Jesuit in 1993. Spectrum News 1 will carry that ceremony live as it happens.

For St. Ignatius, it’s an opportunity to get back to .500. The Wildcats started out with losses to Avon (42-21) and Mentor (20-14), before a win over Dublin Coffman (35-21) last week.

It was a rebuilding year in 2023 under first-year head coach Ryan Franzinger, but St. Ignatius won two of its final three games and reached the postseason for a fourth straight year. 

One player hoping to help lead the turnaround is safety Cody Haddad, who has committed to continue his football career in Columbus with Ohio State. 

While that’s the contest for viewers in northern Ohio, the rest of the state will see Hamilton Badin travel to the Columbus area to play Bishop Ready at Franklin Heights High School. 

The Rams (1-2) saw their 38-game regular season winning streak fall by the wayside in the opener against Hamilton. After a loss to Columbus DeSales, Badin bounced back with a 17-7 win over Edgewood. Its defense has only allowed an average of 13 points per contest. 

Bishop Ready opened with an impress 51-19 win over Newark Catholic before losses to Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy and Licking Valley. 

These schools met in back-to-back years over 30 years ago, with Badin sweeping those games. The Rams won 24-10 in 1989, and 9-0 in 1988. 

Both games begin at 7 p.m. on Spectrum News 1 and the Spectrum News App. 

Stay with Spectrum News 1 all season for the OHSAA Game of the Week, including live playoff action beginning Nov. 1, and the state championship games in Canton Dec. 5-7.

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