ASHLAND, OH - The Saint Ignatius Lacrosse Wildcats walked into Jack Miller Stadium on the campus of Ashland University on Wednesday night, looking to get over the hump and punch their ticket to the OHSAA State Championship.
Jerome has been the cause of a lot of heartbreak over the years for the Wildcats; heading into Wednesday, these two Ohio powerhouse programs have seen each other twice in the State Semifinal. In 2021, the Celtics would force overtime with a late goal and defeat the Cats in OT, 14-13, on their way to a State Title. In 2023, Jerome would dominate, defeating Saint Ignatius 16-7, winning their second State Title in three years.
The last time the Wildcats defeated Jerome was in the 2022 season when they met for a regular matchup on Wasmer Field. The Cats won 15-8. The Wildcats were hungry to return to the State Title game after their 12th Regional Championship (sixth OHSAA Regional Title) against Hoover last Friday night.
The Wildcats started strong in the first 30 seconds after a
Jacob Roubic opening face-off win;
Nathan Smith put the Cats on the board first. However, their lead would not last long; Jerome would quickly score three consecutive goals to take a 3-1 advantage into the second period.
After a rapid fire from the Celtics, the Wildcat defense seemed to lock in; seniors
Brody Olsen,
Garrett Reilly, and
Ryan Lynch made it difficult for the Celtics offense to fire off shots, keeping a stick in the shooting lanes. Goalie
Freddy Webster became a brick wall; any shot his way touched his stick or went into the basket.
With 10:09 left in the second frame,
Will French knotted the game at three. With 30 seconds left before the half, the Cats would complete a 6-0 run with a
Michael McManamon goal, making it 7-3 in favor of the Wildcats. Jerome would score a late goal and made the score 7-4 at the break.
The Wildcats did not take their foot off the gas in the second half, as senior
Ty Seighman scored early in the third to make it 8-4. McManamon found a cutting
Bryce Allen with 6:04 remaining in the third to give the Cats a 10-4 lead.
With 12 minutes remaining in the State Semifinal, the Cats could see the State Championship game on the horizon. Junior
Henry Ferguson opened the scoring in the fourth quarter with a Superman dive shot to make it 13-5 Wildcats.
Allen gave the Wildcats their largest lead of the night with under four minutes to play in regulation, making it a 17-6 advantage. This iced the game for the Wildcats, and the reserves began to check in.
The Celtics would add two late goals, but the Wildcats came out victorious 17-8, punching their spot in the State Championship for the first time since the 2018 season.
Webster would allow just six Celtics goals despite giving up three early first-period goals. Webster has been the starting Wildcat goalie for three years and was a part of the State Semifinal loss in 2023. "This meant everything," says Webster. "The Class of 2023 said to beat them the next season. Unfortunately, we didn't make it, but this year, we did it."
It will be a rematch of the 2018 State Championship on Sunday when the Wildcats face the #1 St. Xavier Bombers (17-2). The Cats led the Bombers 9-7 in the second half, but the Bombers would rally, and with 1:33 remaining, would take a 10-9 lead. St. Xavier held on to defeat the Wildcats.
The last meeting between the Bombers and Wildcats came on May 6 of the 2022 season; the Wildcats won 8-7. The State Championship game is scheduled for Sunday, June 9, at 1 p.m. from Historic Crew Stadium. Not only will the Wildcats look for their first State Championship, but with a win, they would be the first Northeast Ohio Division I lacrosse team to win a State Championship.
