It’s time for the St. Ignatius-St. Edward football rivalry to take center stage.

These two tradition-rich and highly successful scholastic football programs, after battling through a very difficult and the most demanding of all schedules in Northeast Ohio, will officially bring down the curtain to another season.

It’s the highly-anticipated and most eagerly-awaited gridiron match-up in all of Cleveland. And if you’re a fan of either team, a student or teacher at one of these institutions, or a proud graduate of either school, nothing else needs to be said.

Oh, the previous nine games do write a rather significant chapter regarding the postseason success stories and destinations involving these two parochial powerhouses.

But make no mistake about it, this is the game that gets the big RED circle on the calendar. And this is the victory both teams want, and badly.

One wouldn’t go so far as to say there is a hatred to the level one might find when the Browns and Steelers, or Ohio State and Michigan clash on a yearly basis. However, the loser in this “holy war” doesn’t find a whole lot to love about such an end result.

A win gives either school the confidence to claim high school football supremacy for the year. A loss provides more than enough incentive to look forward to that cool, brisk evening next October, that for Eagle or Wildcat players seeking redemption, can’t arrive soon enough.

The 50th meeting between St. Edward and St. Ignatius will take place Saturday night from Parma’s Robert M. Boulton Stadium at Byers Field beginning at 7 p.m.

The Wildcats, en route to their Division I state championship last fall, took it to the Eagles twice, once during the regular season, and again in a regional playoff game with St. Ignatius claiming victory by way of a last-second field goal.

The 'Cats lead the all-time series between the schools, 27-21-1. Under head coach Chuck Kyle, St. Ignatius is 21-9-1 against its longtime adversary.

St. Edward head coach Rick Finotti, coaching in just his fourth rival game against the Wildcats, is 1-3. Finotti's team has been ahead or just one place behind St. Ignatius in the rankings all season.

Last fall, Kyle, with 29 stellar seasons under his belt, watched his Wildcat team put the exclamation point on a truly fantastic and memorable season by traveling to an Ohio high school football (Division I) team’s final destination in Canton to raise the trophy symbolizing scholastic football excellence for the 2011 season.

This fall, it has been more than a memorable football campaign for both St. Edward and St. Ignatius. These two long-time parochial adversaries, fought and battled their way through a brutal schedule.

But, after nine weeks, the Wildcats and Eagles have proven to be the stronger against their respective 2012 opponents. This sets the stage for both powerhouse squads to enter Week 10 with perfect records.

As far as the playoffs, there really won’t be much on the line at Byers Field Saturday night. No matter the outcome, both teams are guaranteed to drop no lower than a No. 4 rating within the region ensuring St. Ignatius and St. Edward first-round home games in the postseason.

The Wildcats, trying to defend their Division I crown, and the Eagles hoping to revisit a place they happily knew at the conclusion of the 2010 season, will take the field Saturday night with regular season perfection on their minds.

For one of these tradition-rich programs, such a dream will indeed become a reality. For the other, it will be an opportunity to hopefully deliver a “payback” message somewhere down the playoff road.

One way or another, something has to give at the conclusion of Week 10.

This past year, it’s been a great reminder of just how well these two teams can play each and every week. So, Saturday night’s contest figures to be a real classic.

St. Ignatius, with offensive weapons in the persons of quarterback Michael LaManna, running back Tim McVey and receivers Conor Hennessey, John Hyland, Anthony-Roc Zingale and Michael Siragusa, can send instant nightmares to an opponent's bedroom faster than the speed of sound.

Defensively, the 'Cats can put the clamps on you in a hurry led by lineman Kevin Kavalec, while in the secondary, junior defensive back Scott Arthrell has shown that opposing quarterbacks throwing in his direction might not be such a good idea.

St. Edward has a wealth of offensive experience back from last year's team led by senior quarterback Ryan Fallon, senior running back Dwayne Aaron and senior wide receiver/kick returner Anthony Young.

Speaking of what’s not such a good idea, the opposing team’s kicker might want to shank one or just boot the ball out of bounds. It’s safe to say that giving the Eagles the ball at their own 35-yard line is a better choice than allowing Young to get his hands on the football and into an open field.

Defensively, senior defensive back Domenic Abounader is just a flat out player at that position. Sun News correspondent Larry Sheehe has described Abounader as a heat-seeking missile — a better and more accurate description of Abounader's talent and speed is one very few could find.

Senior linebacker Lavonte Robinson is a very aggressive player the Wildcats must keep an eye on, while in the kicking department, the Eagles and the 'Cats have two good ones again in Taylor Marsilio and Matt Colella respectively.

If the game comes down to a deciding field goal, either Marsilio or Colella are more than capable of providing late-game heroics.

As for some historic numbers surrounding this annual confrontation, try these on for size.

The past shows that when St. Ignatius scores less than 13 points against St. Edward, the Eagles have come away with a 19-0 record. If the ‘Cats score exactly 14 points, they’ve held a slight edge, 2-1-1, while a point total of 15 or more by the blue and gold puts the Wildcats in the driver’s seat as far as the won-loss record with a mark of 23-1.

And to add more excitement. it will be Halloween weekend, of sorts. The actual date, though, for youngsters to dress in costume and collect candy door-to-door will be Wednesday. Still, I’m sure a few ghosts and goblins will be lurking about the stands.

But Saturday night belongs to the game participants. It’s a contest that truly defines the St. Edward High School and the St. Ignatius High School student-football player. The seniors want nothing more than to leave the field with that special victory everyone dreams about when they committed to these two respective schools four years ago.

For the underclassmen, it’s about further adding to the legacy.

In the holiday “spirit,” however, it is doubtful fans will see any “tricks” up the sleeves of either of the two head coaches Saturday. This will be basic, power football with only the strongest of wills surviving.

And for the many fans who will bear witness to another sold-out St. Edward-St. Ignatius football classic, that’s a real “treat” to savor.

Fasten your seat belts—it’s going to be an exciting ride.

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Twitter: @sunsports—west