Jim Ahern and Terry Hessbrook had two strong football teams again at Lansing Catholic and Ithaca this season.
Both entered the playoffs expecting to be very competitive. Ithaca (9-0) has won five of the last six Division 6 titles while Lansing Catholic (8-1) has made appearances in the Division 5 championship games.
“We’ve been playing good offensively and are improving defensively,” Ahern said. “It’s hard to compare teams because you’re talking about different personnel. This team has some positives other teams didn’t have. It’s a good team. We play in a really tough conference. We lost to Portland by one point. They went for two at the end of the game and made it. We had a tough nonconference schedule and played a couple of Class A schools: (Lansing) Waverly and Everett.
“We had tough schedule this year and our kids have been up to the task,” he continued. “We’ve hung in there where we’ve been able to come from behind in a couple of them and pull out the victory. This hasn’t been a dominant team as some of the ones we’ve had. But I think they’ve had a great team chemistry and lot of fortitude and stick-to-it-ness. They probably won some games they shouldn’t have won because of that.”
Junior Michael Lynn has had a strong season at quarterback for the Cougars.
“Konnor Maloney was having a great year for us,” Ahern said. “He was an all-state player for us last year. He was a corner. But he’s having an outstanding season. We may not have won some of those early games without him.”
Eli Whitney is a returning linebacker and Willoughby Urquhart is excelling on the defensive line.
During the 2016 season, both were ranked in Division 5 state polls during the regular season, pollsters take all 11-player teams and divide them by eight to come up with the eight divisions.
The prospect that Ahern, a former Ithaca coach, could be facing his friend Hessbrook in the Division 5 playoffs was an intriguing thought, to say the least. But it wasn’t necessarily a certain deal.
Because the polling method is different than what’s done for playoffs when the 256 teams that meet the postseason are divided into eight, it’s possible for teams that were ranked in a poll to be in a different playoff divisions.
The Cougars finished the regular season 8-1, losing only 36-35 to another potential Division 5 playoff opponent, Portland. Ithaca went 9-0 for the seventh straight regular season.
“There’s some really good teams in our area in Division 5,” Ahern said. “It depends on the draw and how we play. We’re not a dominant team. The whole team has to play well to be successful.”
The Yellow Jackets had one of their toughest games of the regular season on week nine 31-24 over Shepherd. Hessbrook ahead of time knew it wouldn’t be easy.
“They have really improved and have several athletes that are going to cause some problems for the Jackets,” Hessbrook said. “Looking ahead to the playoffs, I am not sure what division that we would even be in. So I am not sure about any possible match ups. I do know that wherever we are placed, we will see very good competition.”
Neither Ahern nor Hessbrook were thrilled with the prospect of a possible Catholic-Ithaca matchup.
“If we happen to play Lansing Catholic I am quite sure that is not something that Jim or I will be looking forward to happening for many reasons,” Hessbrook said. “He is a great friend and mentor to all of us coaches here in Ithaca.”
“I hope we don’t,” Ahern said. “All the guys that coached there either played for me or coached with me. We’re all good friends. That would be a tough game mentally for me. I hope it doesn’t happen.”