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Weekend Preview 3/18-3/19: Spring Sports Kick off on St. Paddy’s Day Weekend

By Brendan DeVenney , 03/17/17, 1:15PM EDT

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day! March 17 always means that spring sports is ready to get underway, and this weekend two of the seven spring sports are in action!

Lacrosse

The Saint Ignatius lacrosse team will begin its quest to go one step further this year, and that is to become State Champions. Last year, the Wildcats made it to the OHSLA State Championship for the first time and last time. This year, Ohio high school lacrosse will be affiliated with the OHSAA, but that just means a different playoff format for the Lax ‘Cats.

Under the first year direction of Interim Head Coach Garen Distelhorst ‘96, the Wildcats are led by Bellarmine recruit, senior Brent Chernosky, and its other three captains, Carter Blossey, Jack Rennillo, and Sean Keller. The Lax Cats will also look to see what freshman and Michigan commit Michael Boehm can do for the defending State Runners-Up.

The Wildcats’ season begins this weekend in Angola, Indiana with a matchup against the Wolfpack of Chicago (IL) Saint Ignatius College Prep on Saturday. The Wildcats and Wolfpack begin at 1:00, as the game will take place at Trine University.

Rugby

The 2-0 Wildcat Rugby team looks to get two big wins this weekend on Wasmer Field. Led by seniors Matt Lipaj and Jimmy Desmarteau, along with juniors Aidan Gill, Sean Whalen, and Nick Zolikoff, this is a team coming off a season in which they nearly knocked off rival St. Edward in the Division 1 RugbyOhio State Championship. And with two wins over Washington (D.C.) Georgetown Prep, 45-14, and St. Xavier, 58-0, the Wildcats are a team to be reckoned with this year.

The Wildcats will first look to avenge a 22-14 loss from last season, as Saint Ignatius hosts the Kingsmen from Mishawaka (IN) Penn High School. The Wildcats and Kingsmen will meet on Wasmer Field on Saturday at 3:45 p.m. Penn (1-1) is currently ranked No. 5 in the country in Goff Rugby Report’s Boys Single-School Rankings. The Wildcats are ranked seventh, and the defending Division 1 RugbyOhio State Champion St. Edward is ranked sixth.

Interestingly enough, the top three teams in the country are all Jesuit schools. Sacramento (CA) Jesuit is the top ranked team in the country, with New York City (NY) Xavier and Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga College Prep ranked number two and three respectively.

Head Coach Dan Arbeznik’s Wildcats will then conclude the weekend on Sunday with a 2:15 p.m. showdown with the Hudson Explorers on Wasmer Field.

Also, please note the time changes for the other contests this weekend. The developmental contest vs. Penn kicks off Saturday’s action at 12 p.m., followed by C-side at 1:15, JV at 2:30, and concluding with A-side at 3:45. Sunday’s developmental contest has been moved up to 1 p.m.

SIBN: The Saint Ignatius Broadcast Network will begin spring sports coverage this weekend with both rugby games being streamed live with Brad Anderson ‘18, Sean Coleman ‘19, and Jake Daley ‘20 on the call.