Hilliard Davidson vs. St. Ignatius (March 15)
A Battle of the Wildcats
March 15, 2024 - Hilliard Davidson Stadium. Hilliard Davidson hosted Saint Ignatius to kickoff the 2024 lacrosse season.
Among these two programs there are 43 players who play for Resolute Lacrosse, the premier club in the Midwest.
Hilliard Davidson
Davidson defense - Led by senior Joey Clifford (Resolute 2024 Ohio Black). A trio of 2025 Ohio Red defenseman, Peter Aronshteyn, Liam Pierce, and Jason Gilligan, round out a talented close/LSM defensive unit. Sophomore Forrest Griffin adds physicality at the close defense position. All this talent plays in front of the recent Alabama-Huntsville goalie commit, Vance Ames (7 saves). This defense has big shoes to fill after losing the 2023 OCC Player of the Year Cade Galko (Albany 2027).
Davidson faceoff unit - A dynamic duo. Senior Caden Wilson (Cleveland State commit) and sophomore Noah Roche share time at the dot. Two-way middie, uncommitted 2025 Kaiden Davis, often takes wings and excels in transition.
Adam VanVoorhis - 2024 Ohio High School Box Lacrosse League (OHBLL) All-Star. Adam will be following his brother Alex’s footsteps at Cleveland State next year. He had 2 goals and an assist in this matchup.
Evan Hughes - Also a 2024 OHBLL All-Star, Evan tallied 3 goals in the first half.
Dylan Rose - The freshman (2027 Ohio Black) got the nod at the starting lefty attack position. He scored his first varsity goal with 3.5 seconds left in the first half off an assist from 2025 Cooper Granson.
Davidson midfield - Jack Byard (Elmhurst ‘28), Cooper Granson, Carson Henning, and Job Hickey round out their talented midfield unit, which is often the party starter for the Hilliard offense.
Saint Ignatius
Ignatius defense - Piloted by captain, enforcer, and Utah commit John Klinge. A pair of 2025s, Nathan Smith (Providence ‘29) and Brody Olsen (Merrimack ‘29), add physicality and speed. Uncommitted 2025 Ryan Lynch and 2026 Logan Wolfe (SSDM/pole) have impressive feet and often do not need to be slid to. Mars Hill commit Cross McKinney contributes tenacity at the SSDM position. Goalie Freddy Webster had an impressive 5 saves in the second half, holding Davidson scoreless. Up and coming goalies Cal Connelly (2026) and Brennan Reilly (2027) back up Webster, giving Ignatius possibly the most depth at that position in D1 Ohio lacrosse.
Ignatius faceoff unit - The Wildcats wield the quickness and consistency of 2025 Bryant commit Jacob Roubic. Jacob’s younger brother, Colin (2027), shows promise of being a lefty contributor on the offensive end.
Ignatius attack - Sophomore Michael McManamon (2G & 2A) tied senior captain Ben Taliak with a game high 4 points for SIHS. Uncommitted 2025 Bryce Allen tallied a goal off of a relentless Ignatius 10-man ride. Captain Jack Geary (2G) completes the attack unit.
Ignatius midfield - Along with Ben Taliak’s four points (mentioned above), sophomore Henry Ferguson tallied two goals of his own with a lefty and righty shot on the run. Junior Tyrus Seighman had the first goal of the game. The list of shot-takers for Ignatius ends with captain Carmine Periandri.
Other notable players for St. Ignatius include: Owen Hilliard, Joe Butinski, Will French, Luke Sindyla, JJ Golebiewski, Michael Klecar, and Stephen Tirpak.
Should these two teams meet again, it would be in the state championship game. Both teams have shown in early season scrimmages that they have the talent to make it that far, although neither team will have an easy road. Ignatius will likely meet northeast rivals Hudson or St. Edward's and potentially rematch Dublin Jerome in the final four. Davidson will need to find a way to make it to the championship game with the potential for tournament games against teams such as Upper Arlington, Worthington Kilbourne, St. Xavier, and more.