Holy War Tickets On Sale: See St. Ed's Football Vs St. Ignatius

CLEVELAND — The annual rivalry game between the football teams of St. Edward and St. Ignatius high schools will hit the gridiron on Friday. Tickets for the so-called Holy War are on sale now.

The game will be played at First Energy Stadium to accommodate the mass of alumnus and high school football fans that will be pressing their way into sight of the contest. All tickets are $8. Kick-off is at 7 p.m.

“What a great opportunity for the kids!” St. Edward Head Coach Tom Lombardo said on his team's blog. “To play where the Browns play and say they have done that in their time is neat. It’s a great rivalry, great tradition, great programs, the kids have familiarity with each other through grade-school games. It’s kind of why they sign up to play. They really feel it. They get to play in a stadium where pro football is played and we grew up in an area of the country where football is the thing. They can chalk it up and savor it for the rest of their time.”

Both teams had rocky starts to the season, losing their first two games. Since then, St. Ed's and St. Iggy's have ripped off six straight wins. Both powerhouse squads were knocked off by Mentor early in the year. Both teams will want revenge in the post-season.

“They are playing really confident ball,” Lombardo said of Ignatius. “I saw them live against Moeller and on film. They are getting better. Their defense was always there. They have a strong, senior-laden defense. They play their system well.”

St. Ignatius' legendary Coach Chuck Kyle is downplaying the significance of the upcoming rivalry game.

“With this win [over St. Xavier], we’re in the playoffs. We’re still going to play our hearts out to win the game, but it’s nice to feel it’s not a pressure right now to win,” Kyle said on the St. Igantius blog. “We can just play this game hard. It’s not a game where everything comes down to that. That’s a good thing. We’ll just play. We’ve proven we’re a playoff caliber team, to beat the three Cincinnati teams. All of them are really good, and that’s good. That’s playoff-caliber football.”

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Photo from Rick Uldricks, Patch