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<H1 class=red>Big plays, Merletti key Wildcats' win

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Saturday, September 30, 2006 Tim Rogers

Plain Dealer Reporter

Massillon- Two key defensive stands.
Two big turnovers.
And a whole lot of Matthew Merletti.
Add it up and it totals out to St. Ignatius 30, Massillon 16, in front of 12,458 fans in Paul Brown Tiger Stadium on Friday.
Is it time to print the playoff tickets?
Making a strong bid to join the long list of talented St. Ignatius tailbacks, Merletti led the Wildcats to their sixth straight victory - and their ninth win in 10 tries against the Tigers - with a sparkling performance on offense, defense and special teams.
In a game where the Wildcats needed him to shine, the 5-11, 190-pound senior rushed for 221 yards on 31 carries and scored three touchdowns. He caught one pass for a 43-yard gain. He returned two kickoffs for 55 yards. He also found time to intercept a pass - one of three Massillon turnovers - and return it 79 yards for the fourth-quarter touchdown that put the game out of reach.
"He is just a tremendous player," St. Ignatius coach Chuck Kyle said of Merletti, who raised his season total to 909 rushing yards on 130 carries. "He is just one of those kids who comes up with big plays. His vision is very good. If there is a little seam, all of a sudden he is 10 to 15 yards downfield."
While Merletti was easily the offensive player of the game, the St. Ignatius' defense did more than its part, stopping the Ti gers short of the end zone four times inside the 27 and making them settle for field goals or nothing.
The special teams contributed as well. Early in the fourth quarter, with the Wildcats leading, 21-9, senior Brendan Divis recovered a fumbled punt caused when Massillon's Bryan Sheegog and Kevin Massey collided as both tried to catch the ball. That set up a 27-yard field goal by Nicholas Yako.
The turnover that might have hurt the Tigers (3-3) the most came in the third quarter when senior Bryan Gamble, who otherwise was superb with 114 yards rushing, 41 yards receiving and multiple tackles, fumbled at the Ignatius 32. The ball was recovered by junior Emmett Lydon and halted an eight-play drive that had consumed 48 yards.
Although Massey got the ball back by intercepting a Jared Roberts pass three plays later and returning it 26 yards to the St. Ignatius 10, Massillon failed to capitalize. It reached the Wildcats' 7, but junior Chase Steyns and Lydon came up with big stops and the drive died when a fourth-down pass fell incomplete.
"I have to give my guys on the other side of the ball credit," said Kyle, whose team leads its region's computer poll and is ranked sixth in the state and second in The Plain Dealer Top 25. "I am proud of our defense."
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
trogers@plaind.com, 800-683-7348