Jesuit reigns supreme in Oregon high school lacrosse: Crusaders boys overcome obstacles to secure 1st state title, one day after Jesuit girls won their 3rd in a row
By René Ferrán | Photos by Taylor Balkom
For all the success Jesuit sports programs have enjoyed over the years, one team hadn’t contributed to the school’s trophy case until Saturday evening.
The Crusaders boys lacrosse team capped a dominant spring in Saturday’s final of the Oregon High School Lacrosse Association (OHSLA) state tournament at Wilsonville’s Randall Stadium, beating Lakeridge 17-9 to win the program’s first championship in a rematch of last spring’s final.
“This means absolutely everything to us,” said senior attack Ben Wimmer, one of four Division I signees on the Crusaders roster (out of seven college commits).
“We’ve had our ups and downs this season, if you can believe it. But before the game, we said offensively, play free. Play the way we play and don’t let them dictate how we play.”
The ups and downs included a broken left foot that Wimmer, who signed with Albany in November, suffered a few weeks before the season began. He returned in early May to help spark Jesuit’s run, and despite feeling at about 80% of full strength, he chipped in four goals and three assists Saturday.
“I’m just glad to be a part of this team on the field and make an impact,” Wimmer said.
Just over a week ago, junior attack Fritz Scheffler’s father passed away in a car crash, and the Crusaders (22-1) dedicated the remainder of their season to Scheffler and his family.
“I still get emotional talking about it,” Wimmer said. “It’s bigger than just a game. We just played our way and came out on top, the way it should be.”
The victory also gave the Crusaders a sweep of the state lacrosse titles after the girls team edged Lake Oswego 12-11 on Friday for its third consecutive championship.
“We had to come out and seal the deal,” said senior defender Michael Rincon. “They’ve won it three years in a row, and this is our first time. We’ve been trying to make history. We did make history.”
While it took a big save from Sydney Partovi to seal the Jesuit girls’ title Friday night, the Crusaders boys faced no such drama in Saturday’s final — their first chance to win an official OHSLA title since losing to Beaverton in the 2016 championship game.
Jesuit did not lose to an in-state opponent all spring and outscored its opponents 438-80, including a 14-2 victory over the Pacers (21-3) in early April.
Wimmer, Rincon (Holy Cross), twin brother Matthew Rincon (Binghamton) and midfielder Tatum Lewis (Vermont) will play Division I ball next season, but the team’s star this spring was senior midfielder Bennett Smith, who after the game learned he’d been selected OHSLA player of the year.
Smith scored four goals Saturday and added two assists.
“He slipped through the cracks,” Crusaders coach Bill Gleason said of Smith, who will play for Division III Babson College in Massachusetts next year. “I mean, Bennett is our iron man. He gets it done on offense, on defense, rides, clears, wings. He earned player of the year for a reason. He can literally do it all.”
Gleason stood back as a raucous student section stormed the field to join his players in celebration.
“We’ve been working hard for four years for this,” he said. “Obviously, we’ve had setbacks with COVID and a short season last year, and we were in (the final) last year against them and they stole it from us, so this means a ton for the team. This team bonded, they brought it together, and they got it done.”
The nine goals Lakeridge scored Saturday were the most Jesuit allowed all season, but it wasn’t nearly enough to overcome a first-half barrage that gave the Crusaders an 11-3 halftime lead.
The Crusaders pushed the lead to 14-3 on Jack Duncan-Bloom’s goal three minutes into the second half, but the Pacers outscored them 4-1 the rest of the third quarter to get within 15-7.
“We came out here with a different mindset than what we ended with,” said Lakeridge senior midfielder Ethan Bernhardt, who scored a game-high six goals. “We were getting on each other at little mistakes, but after the second quarter, we flushed those. We moved on, and we just played to have fun and found some success.”
The Pacers also entered last year’s championship match — an unofficial tournament set up for metro-area teams — an underdog to the top-seeded Crusaders before pulling out an 11-8 victory.
So, could this be the next OHSLA rivalry to flourish?
“It’s always competitive,” Bernhardt said. “I’ve known some of these guys for eight years now, so to come out here and be able to play against them, obviously it’s gonna be a little chippy, but at the end of the day, we’re all friends.”
Smith believes Saturday’s victory is just the start for a program he thinks can join Oregon Episcopal, Lincoln, West Linn and, yes, Lakeridge (six overall titles) as multiple state champions.
“The whole program, I think this just opens it up for us,” Smith said. “Because now, they know they can win it. So, in the next coming years, I think Jesuit’s going to become a dynasty. They’ll be winning a ton.”
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Grant-Central Eastside junior Elliott Fee and Sunset senior Parker Dechant scored three goals apiece as the Blue team held on for a 13-12 victory over the White team in the annual Oregon High School Lacrosse Association (OHSLA) All-Star game Saturday in Wilsonville.
Senior Sean Hanson of Tualatin and junior Harrison Edwards of West Linn scored twice for the White, which nearly rallied from an 11-7 deficit after three quarters.
The All-Star game was played between the finals of the Cascade Cup and Jesuit’s 17-9 victory over Lakeridge in the OHSLA state championship game.
Lincoln, a four-time OHSLA champion, won its first Cascade Cup with a 12-9 victory over Hood River Valley. Senior midfielder Brady Kopetz had five goals and four assists for the Cardinals (11-9), the top-ranked team that didn’t qualify for the state tournament.
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