'It never gets old.' Mariemont's boys return to Ohio DII state semifinals in lacrosse

Scott Springer, Cincinnati Enquirer
·4 min read

MARIEMONT – In the nightcap of a Mariemont boys and girls lacrosse regional final doubleheader, coach Steve Peterson's Warriors were in line to defend their 2021 Division II state championship.

But, someone forgot to tell the Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy team to lay down. Coming in undefeated, the Eagles scored first and after a pair of Will Saxby goals and one by Jonah Lang, led Mariemont after a quarter, 3-2.

Nick Wilkowski's goal would extend CHCA's lead to 4-2 early in the second quarter as the blue and gold fans got jittery on the wet aluminum seats.

Peterson simply told his crew to keep playing hard.

More: OHSAA boys lacrosse: Southwest Ohio teams, players to watch ahead of the 2022 tournament

More: OHSAA girls lacrosse: Mariemont Warriors capture 4th consecutive regional title

Not to fear, Mariemont responded with a six-goal flurry to jump out 8-4. By the time Max Tepe added his fourth goal of the half, Mariemont led the Eagles 9-5.

"Playing hard is one of our monikers," Peterson said. "I knew if we continued to play hard, we'd be fine. And, we had to can our shots. We weren't canning our shots in the beginning."

Mariemont attacker Max Tepe (15) runs with the ball against Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy defender Tobi Aina (77) in the first half at Mariemont High School May 26, 2022.
Mariemont attacker Max Tepe (15) runs with the ball against Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy defender Tobi Aina (77) in the first half at Mariemont High School May 26, 2022.

Mariemont's boys blew it open in the third quarter as a brief rainbow appeared, a welcome sight after the day's rain. The Warriors scored all 10 goals of the quarter, opening up the comfortable margin of 19-5.

"Sometimes it takes us a few minutes to warm up I guess," Tepe said. "After that, we had the momentum and we didn't let up the gas pedal 'til the end of the game. It ended up being a great game for us."

Out went the varsity and in went the junior varsity for Mariemont with the running clock. Peterson hoped to get the reserves some playing time before the state run. CHCA scored all seven goals of the final frame to make the score look a little more respectable at 19-12. It was Mariemont's 11th regional championship.

"It never gets old," Peterson said of the latest piece of lacrosse hardware that needs a home. "The CHCA boys had a nice team, they had a nice year and we're glad to be advancing to the final four."

Senior attack Tepe led Mariemont with six goals. Senior midfielder Drew Rhoades and junior mid David Dorsten had three apiece. Senior attack Sam Ciolino had a pair and seniors Boden Gall, Connor Souders and Drew Fiorenza, plus juniors Evan Morgan and sophomore Stuart Wells all had single goals.

Mariemont attacker Max Tepe (15) reacts after scoring a goal with midfielder Sam Ciolino (12) in the first half against Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy at Mariemont High School May 26, 2022.
Mariemont attacker Max Tepe (15) reacts after scoring a goal with midfielder Sam Ciolino (12) in the first half against Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy at Mariemont High School May 26, 2022.

"Tepe's money, I'll tell you," Peterson said. "He's probably the best player to play offense at our school in the history of Mariemont lacrosse and that's saying something."

Tepe will play club lacrosse at Indiana University next spring.

"This is my last game at Kusel (Mariemont's stadium) so it really meant a lot to me to play in this game," Tepe said. "I didn't want this to be my last game so I had the team hyped up and did all I could to help get the win."

Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy attack Roman Mahlerwein (9) plays the field against Mariemont in the first half at Mariemont High School May 26, 2022.
Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy attack Roman Mahlerwein (9) plays the field against Mariemont in the first half at Mariemont High School May 26, 2022.

The Warriors have now made the state semifinals 11 times (including a club season in 2000). They have been state champions in 2007, 2013, 2014, 2017 and 2021. They were runners-up in 2003, 2009, 2015 and 2019.

Mariemont is now 17-2. Their only losses came to Division I Moeller and Elder out of the Greater Catholic League-South. They had scored 20 or more goals in their first three playoff games and surely would have Thursday night had the varsity remained in the game.

CHCA came in undefeated and back-to-back champion of the Miami Valley Conference. They were seeking their first-ever trip to the state semifinals. Their tightest game was a 12-11 overtime triumph over Indian Hill in the second round of the playoffs.

Mariemont midfielder Connor Souders (27) reacts after scoring a goal with attacker Boden Gall (5) in the first half against Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy at Mariemont High School May 26, 2022.
Mariemont midfielder Connor Souders (27) reacts after scoring a goal with attacker Boden Gall (5) in the first half against Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy at Mariemont High School May 26, 2022.

After their 4-2 second-quarter lead, they were outscored 17-1 until the stat-padding fourth quarter.

Mariemont now advances to play the winner of St. Francis DeSales/Columbus Academy at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 31, at Bellbrook.

Mariemont defeated Columbus Academy 13-10 on April 23.

The Ohio Division II state final is 1 p.m. Saturday, June 4, at Crew Stadium in Columbus.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Top seed Mariemont advances to DII state semifinals in boys lacrosse