By John Raffel
The drive to put Ithaca in another state championship game was fueled by the team’s tenacious defense. The Yellowjackets were able to get the job done, to which the performances of Jace Demenov and Jonah Loomis could attest this season.
Despite a 22-12 loss to St. Mary Catholic Central in the state title game, Demenov, a junior outside linebacker, and Loomis, a defensive lineman, could feel good about a defense that gave the Yellowjackets a chance to win their fifth straight state title.
“Everybody’s been going all out, 100 percent, every play,” Demenov said. “The Madison Heights Madison game in the regional final was probably one of the best games I’ve had all season. The best offense we went up against may have been [Boyne City].”
Ithaca won its fifth consecutive state semifinal, 20-16, over Boyne City, which was inside the 10-yard line ready to score what could have been the winning touchdown before Demenov and the defense got the job done.
“I tried to help against the things from the outside and the pass game,” Demenov said. “I felt that I did my job.”
In the regional final, Ithaca trailed Madison going into the final quarter before it pulled out a 41-27 win.
“We did our assignments every single play like we should have and played our hardest,” Demenov said. “Our run defense is probably the strength of our defense. Our secondary is no slouch. We have players in our secondary that make big plays and help our defense against both the run and pass.”
Offenses in the playoffs have tried different plays “to try to spread us out, because they know our run defense on the inside is probably our strength,” Demenov said. “They try to spread us out and go to the inside more.”
Demenov realized the test coming up against St. Mary Catholic Central. “It will be the biggest challenge we’ve faced all season,” he said going into the game. “Obviously, they’re in the state finals for a reason. They’ve beaten some good teams, and their offense is high-powered They run the ball. They want to get in between the gaps and punch us in the face. I’m confident in our defense.”
Loomis was confident, also. “Every week we’re practicing hard,” he said after the win over Boyne City. “The key to our defense is that at practices, we have a good scout offense. There’s a lot of good athletes on that team. When they push us, it definitely helps us. It’s also a matter of us sticking together, which really helps, too.”
The Yellowjackets’ defense handled anything that opposing offenses threw at it, and that included St. Mary, which only scored two touchdowns against Ithaca.
“We watched film just about every day,” Loomis said. “When we went to practice, we simulated their offense. If they threw something at us during a game we’re not familiar with, our coaches would pull us to the side and help us figure it out. By then, we would have it down.”
Loomis said although he’s only 180 pounds, he’s quick on the line. “Normally, when I go up against big offensive lineman, it’s helpful to be smaller and quicker. I can cause them fits on the line,” he said.
Loomis said that the Boyne City game was his team’s best effort heading into the title game. “They had good running backs,” he said. “Although they scored on us more than most teams have, at the end, we had them figured out. They were [inside the 10-yard line], and we shut them on all four downs.”
Loomis knew that St. Mary would be tough, as he and his teammates prepared for the game. “We know they’re a good running team,” he said. “They like to run the ball.”
St. Mary is the first team to defeat the Yellowjackets since 2009. But for Loomis, Demenov, and the defense, plus the rest of the Ithaca team, it was still a glorious season.