EUCLID, Ohio — St. Ignatius and Euclid are set to battle in the OHSAA playoffs Friday night.
“Our kids know they have to use football to get out. And, you know, we have five division one scholarship kids on our team right now. We’ll have several others, but these kids have gone through the wringer in a lot of things in life. And so, our job as coaches is really mentors of young African American men first, football coaches second. We got to make sure that they’re right in their life. You got to make sure they’re OK at home. We got to make sure they’re eating. You got to make sure that they’re doing the work, and really, you know, keeping their eye on the prize,” said Euclid head coach Jeff Rotsky.
Both coaches are happy to be able to play and have the opportunity to compete for a state championship, while keeping their players focused on the big picture on and off the field, and hope they can learn from the experience.
“Suddenly, they were thrown into something that mom and dad can’t do much about this, the administration can’t do much about, the teacher, the coach can’t really do much about this. So we all have to just hear what’s going on, and react to it,” said St. Ignatius Head Coach Chuck Kyle. “I think there’s a maturing factor that could be, I hope, as a result of this.”
The teams meet in Euclid Friday night, and you can watch it live on Spectrum News 1 through cable or on the Spectrum News app.
For a preview of other teams playing Friday night, click here.
