The first weekend in May will bring one of the busiest weekends yet for the Saint Ignatius Wildcats.
All seven spring sports will be in action, with five sports hosting home events.
If you're planning on heading down to Ohio City to support the Wildcats this weekend, be sure to eat at Ohio City Burrito. Saint Ignatius is teaming up with Ohio City Burrito (at 1844 W. 25th St., a 5-minute walk from Saint Ignatius) to raise money for childhood cancer research.
If you visit Ohio City Burrito on Saturday, May 4, 20% of your purchase will go to support childhood cancer research through Kick-It for Cancer, in memory of Kevin Healey '10 (son of Saint Ignatius teacher Tom Healey '77). All you have to do is mention that you are there in support of the Fundraiser at the register, any time between 10:30 am-10 pm on Saturday.
Here's what to expect in an action-packed weekend:
Baseball
The Wildcats will be hosting the Ohio Jesuit Tournament on Saturday, Sunday and Monday at Baldwin Wallace's Fisher Field, along with Mass on Saturday in St. Mary's Chapel on campus at Saint Ignatius
The Baseball Cats will play St. Xavier on Saturday at 1 pm and Walsh Jesuit on Monday.
For a full schedule, click here.
The SIBN will have live audio-only coverage live from BW on Saturday.
Crew
The always-hectic month of May has arrived for Saint Ignatius Rowing. The Wildcats have been practicing on the Cuyahoga River ever since the Cincinnati High School Invitational (CJRC) in mid-April.
The Wildcats will head to Michigan this weekend for the renowned St. Mary's Laddie Cup in Orchard Lake, Michigan.
Look for the men of Ohio City to make some noise in Michigan this weekend.
Lacrosse
For the first time this season, the Saint Ignatius varsity lacrosse team will play on Wasmer Field.
The Lax Cats will host Dublin Jerome on Saturday at 4 pm in a marquee matchup between one of Cleveland's best and one of Columbus' best. Max Preps has the Wildcats ranked No. 1 in the state and Jerome at No. 8. LaxNumbers.com places the Wildcats No. 2 and the Celtics No. 4. The Wildcats enter with a 10-3 mark, undefeated against Ohio teams, while Jerome brings an 11-3 record. Whatever the records or rankings, Saturday should be a fun day.
The Lax Cats will be hosting Kids Day for Saturday's game. All kids wearing lacrosse jerseys will get into the game for free. Youngsters are encouraged to stick around after the game, as several members of the Wildcats will autograph team pictures for kids to take home.
Rugby
Saturday will be a memorable occasion for the Saint Ignatius rugby program. The Wildcats will celebrate a 24-member senior class that has captured back-to-back RugbyOhio State Championships, and looks to earn a third in June. And beyond the on-field accolades, this is a special group of 24 amazing young men.
The Wildcats will celebrate the team's seniors at 12:30 pm on Saturday, in advance of a showdown with Archbishop Moeller at 12:45 pm. The Crusaders enjoyed early season success before falling to St. Edward on Sunday in Cincinnati, 33-12. Meanwhile, the Wildcats enter with an 8-5 record after narrowly losing to the Royal Irish Rugby Club last Saturday in Columbus.
The B-side and Developmental squads will also do battle with Moeller on Saturday. The young guns will start off the tripleheader at 11 am, followed by A-side at 12:45 and finished by B-side at 2:15.
The SIBN will broadcast the A-side match live at 12:45 pm.
Tennis
A trip to Columbus is in the cards for the Wildcats this weekend.
Head Coach Bobbe Bennett will lead the Tennis Cats in the trek south for the New Albany Invitational. The tournament represents the first competition for the Wildcats in some time due to poor weather conditions. The varsity squad last competed on April 22, defeating Green in the OTCA Tournament opener, 4-1.
On Monday next week, the Wildcats will head to Walsh Jesuit for the next round of the OTCA team tourney, against the Warriors. Sectionals start next Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the JV Cats will be in action on Friday, facing University School on the road.
Track & Field
As fog blankets West 30th and Lorain, the Wildcats will head east on I-90 on Friday afternoon for the Euclid Relays.
The longstanding meet will test the Wildcats' relay squads in a preview of the District Meet against some top local competition.
The meet represents the final chance for the varsity chance to compete against other teams before the District Meet on May 15 and 17 at Lakewood High School. The JV squad still has a few more meets to go.
The Saint Ignatius track & field program will also host the prestigious Wasmer Games on Sunday. The meet, a staple of the CYO season, brings hundreds of grade school tracksters to Wasmer Field and Gabor Track. The meet is anticipated to have over 1,000 participants and spectators. Several food trucks will offer great lunch and snack options for parents and fans.
Volleyball
This weekend will be a critical one for the men of Ohio City.
On Friday, the Wildcats host the Villa Angela-St. Joseph Vikings. On Saturday, the Volleyball Cats host the Hilliard Darby Panthers. Both teams should provide the Wildcats with intense competition as the postseason nears.
Saturday's marquee matchup is one the Wildcats have had circled on the calendar for a long time. The Panthers enter as the No. 1 team in Ohio, receiving 20 of 24 first-place votes. Meanwhile, the Wildcats stand as the No. 9 team, with a 10-6 record.
The Wildcats and Panthers have not met on the court since 2017, when the Volleyball Cats upended Darby to win the program's first-ever volleyball state title.
Darby certainly enters the favorite to win it all this season. The Panthers bring an 18-2 mark into the contest, including a 15-0 record against Ohio teams. Darby has lost just two sets to in-state foes this season.
The SIBN plans to broadcast Saturday's match vs. Darby.