SAINT IGNATIUS AND BEDFORD MEET FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW AND THE THIRD TIME OVERALL IN SATURDAY'S BATTLE OF THE 'CATS AT BYERS FIELD.
By Eddie Dwyer, Copyright 2011
Saint Ignatius head football coach Chuck Kyle '69 got an early impression of Bedford head coach Sean Williams when Williams played for the Kyle-coached Ohio team in the 1994 Ohio-Pennsylvania Big 33 Classic. In what is an annual summer showcase in Hershey (Pa.), Ohio left the Keystone State smiling that warm Saturday night in '94.
The special attributes Coach Kyle saw in Williams as a young man right out of Bedford High School still exist today as Williams, a member of Bedford's Hall of Fame, is in his second season with the Bearcats. Williams went on to further his education and athletic career at Ohio University and played in the NFL for the Kansas City Chiefs and Carolina Panthers as a defensive back.
"I think he spent the whole off-season building a team attitude," said Coach Kyle of Williams. "They had study tables and he was really with the players a lot. You can certainly see the improvement, the idea of team and how bigger and stronger they are."
Coach Kyle spent last Friday night scouting Bedford's impressive openinng-weekend victory over Olmsted Falls, 49-20. It was a great emotional lift for Coach Williams and his team, especially when you consider the Bearcats were coming off a 2-8 finish in 2010.
Continued...
