2009 Christian Marble-King, Joseph Fitzpatrick, Dustin Snyder……..lost to Montague
2010 Alex Niznak, Jacob Acker, Sam Reeves, Joey Purvis, Luke Capen 14-0
2011 David Brown, Garrett Miniard, Charles Schnetzler, Travis Wetzel, 14-0
2012 Jacob Barnes, Tyler Gibson, Jordan Hessbrook, Jared Evers, Bradley Martin 14-0
2013 Logan Hessbrook, Rickey King, Travis Smith, Eli Villalobos, Brian Shaw 14-0
2014 Noah Slater, Dallas Reeser, Myles Waldron……lost to St. Mary Catholic Central
It was the way these captains and classes meshed together that was ‘key’ in the Yellowjackets’ success over the last six years. The bump in the road came as the class of 2015 only had five players total (In three of the six years, Ithaca had five captains. This year it had five seniors.), which was the difference in the title bout against St. Mary Catholic Central. Coach Hessbrook and staff were blessed (once again), with talented and unselfish kids, as Ithaca rose to national prominence with the win streak. To have plenty of talent and humbled young men returning has to be an amazing feeling for the coaching staff and program as a whole. All but five players will be back to start a new year; a new quest to get back on top with another MHSAA title.
With any extreme and continued success, there are a number of people involved behind the scenes. Ithaca’s youth program coordinator Jim Fitzpatrick deserves a great deal of credit. The man has worked countless hours, put in a countless amount of energy and focus for Ithaca’s coaching staff and the young kids of Ithaca’s community for many, many years. This, mind you, has gained him little monetary value. However; Jim is a person who like other people work for a greater purpose; communal gain. He deserves a warm pat on the back and an even warmer “thanks.” Contributing time and putting forth so much effort in the ‘dark,’ has helped the football program to take strides that no person could put into the right words. Congratulations Coach Jim, your hard work will continue to live on in the hearts of the people that surround you.
Fitzpatrick’s; along with numerous others’ contributions, played a huge role in the preparation and success of the 2009 class, which carried over to the subsequent classes. A shout out to all the youth coaches for volunteering their time during the run, and I am sorry if I miss a few… Mike Cullinan, Mark Harless, Jim Wideman, Scott Capen, Carlos Villalobos, Pat Carey, Tim Luneack, Daryl Harless, Jim Garcia, Ken Gibson, Bret Smith, Brad Oboyle, Scott Demull, Brad Shaw, and Jamie Gulick. The city of Ithaca appreciates and thanks each of you!
Parents, teachers, and businesses of Ithaca + the rest of the community that supported the run + the supporting surrounding areas = GREAT JOB, congratulations to you all!!