St. Ignatius ready to prove it belongs in CCL/ESCC Blue

CHICAGO – St. Ignatius seniors Jack Wanzung and Emmett Callahan couldn’t help but reflect on the past after a summer practice Wednesday.

When they both entered the program as freshmen, the Wolfpack had never won a playoff game despite making the postseason for a stretch of a few years. Now as they prepared for their senior season, St. Ignatius had won six playoff games since, reached the semifinals and earned promotion to the CCL/ESCC’s premier Blue Division.

It took 20 years since the school reinstated football to get to this moment. The Wolfpack are ready to show they deserve the honor.

“We’re really excited,” Wanzung, the Wolfpack’s quarterback, said. “We want to prove to everyone that played before us right, that we belong here.”

St. Ignatius enters this season during what could be considered the best era in program history. The Wolfpack earned their first playoff win in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs against Bremen in 2021 and responded the next year by winning the White Division and reaching the Class 6A semifinals, losing on a last-second field goal to Prairie Ridge.

Last season St. Ignatius won the Green Division and reached the Class 8A quarterfinals, where the Wolfpack lost to eventual state champion Loyola.

While many different players helped lead the Wolfpack to program firsts, much of the team’s success coincided when alumnus Justin Scott was on the roster. Scott was one of the top defensive line prospects in the country, earning last season’s Friday Night Drive Defensive Player of the Year honor as well as a spot on the University of Miami’s roster.

Although St. Ignatius won’t be able to use Scott’s 6-foot-4, 310-pound frame on the defensive line and sometimes as a running threat, the Wolfpack have come together to prepare for the challenge of playing in the Blue.

“We’ve had tons of guys step up in numerous ways,” Callahan said. “Everyone kind of has in the back of their mind what we have ahead of us this season. Everyone’s really excited about it, rather than scared.”

St. Ignatius will need to change a lot of history in order to succeed in its new division. The Wolfpack are 1-19 against Blue teams since 2005, being outscored with an average score of 39.9-6. Their lone win came against Mount Carmel in 2021.

Wolfpack coach Matt Miller didn’t shy away from showing those numbers to his team at the beginning of the offseason in December. Miller wanted to see the gap St. Ignatius will need to close in order to reach the level of teams like Loyola, Mount Carmel and Brother Rice.

“We’re really excited. We want to prove to everyone that played before us right, that we belong here.”

—  Jack Wanzung, St. Ignatius senior quarterback

The Wolfpack didn’t need much motivation after losing 41-7 to Loyola in the playoffs last season. They quickly learned how much stronger and more physical they needed to be to compete in the Blue.

“It was plain as day, this is who you’re going to play day-in and day-out in your division,” Miller said. “If you want to get where you want to go, you have to beat them twice. So it was very easy to make that comparison.”

Miller said he’s seen that dedication from his players since their playoff run ended. St. Ignatius has had the highest amount of participation in offseason activities and a commitment to get better both on the field and in the weight room.

But Miller is looking for more consistency between now and the start of the season. While the Wolfpack used to win games despite making mistakes in the past, those mistakes will prevent them from winning in the Blue.

“You don’t have to play out of your body, do anything crazy, be Superman,” Miller said. “You have to do your job.”