St. Ignatius High School celebrates its 11th State Championship with a school-wide pep rally

CLEVELAND - Cleveland's St. Ignatius High School is in 11th heaven after winning its 11th state football championship over the weekend.  The team held a school-wide pep rally on campus today.

The Wildcats beat Pickerington Central 34-13 to win Ohio's Division One State title Saturday. What's really impressive is that not many considered the Wildcats state title contenders when the season started, since they won just four games last season.

The captains presented the championship trophy to the school, as the student body cheered on loudly. Several of the players said they dedicated the championship to the entire St. Ignatius family.

"All the people that have come before, we're kind of doing it for them. To be part of the group of those players, all those guys that have won it is a great feeling," said senior Blake Thomas.

Teammate James Sheehan added, "It's unbelievable to get the 11th state championship for the school. Coming off a 4-6 season we knew we had to get it done. We knew it meant a lot to a lot of people. It was a great feeling,"  he said.

The football team isn't the only St. Ignatius team celebrating. The soccer team also won a state title this fall.