Boys soccer: Dublin Jerome stuns St. Ignatius to win first state championship
Monday, November 10, 2025
By Michael Rich
mrichnotwealthy@gmail.com
Dublin Jerome’s Brady Delmore (center) watches as his header beats the St. Ignatius defense for a goal during the Celtics’ state championship victory Monday at Historic Crew Stadium. Photo: Kevin Rouch
Facing a program that has won the last six Division I state championships and down a goal at the half, Cal DeWalt knew the Dublin Jerome boys soccer team wasn’t finished.
It didn’t matter that the Celtics had been outshot 11-3 or that they had just one shot on goal in a first half that was dominated by Cleveland St. Ignatius.
And it didn’t matter when Jerome found itself down two in the shootout. At every turn, the Celtics made plays.
First Brady Delmore scored two goals. Then, Sean Dempsey clinched Jerome’s first state championship 3-2, winning 4-3 on penalty kicks in a cold, windy night Nov. 9 at Historic Crew Stadium.
“I just have the ultimate confidence in these guys I play with,” said DeWalt, a senior defender. “The willingness to go out and execute and the willingness to just put your head down and work hard that everybody on this team has – I was just positive (we were going to come back).”
Jerome (15-3-5) was in its fourth state tournament and first state title game since the school opened in 2004. Conversely, St. Ignatius (18-1-2) had won six in a row coming into the match and 14 overall – all since 2004.
“It wasn’t about six (in a row),” said St. Ignatius coach Mike McLaughlin, who is in his 30th season. “It was 80 minutes of tonight. That had nothing to do with these guys tonight. It was just them and their season in 80 minutes. That stuff is for things you talk about when you’re fishing when you’re 80 years old. Right now, it’s just about coming out and playing your best. Tonight, we came up a little bit short.”
The Dublin Jerome team rush toward their fans with the championship trophy in tow after the Celtics beat St. Ignatius for the OHSAA Division I title at Historic Crew Stadium Monday. Photo: Kevin Rouch
Down 3-1 in the shootout, goalie Mason Jestice made three consecutive saves for the Celtics. It followed a busy night in net where he stopped nine balls as the Wildcats outshot the Celtics 27-14.
“I’ve been playing goalie for seven years,” the senior said. “I’m super confident in myself. I’m super confident in the guys in my back line, the guys throughout the whole field, honestly.
“We allowed nine shots (on goal) today. It could have been more. We’ve seen what Ignatius has done to other teams. (My teammates) trusted in me to make a couple of saves when they needed it. But to give (St. Ignatius) the few shots that they had, I have to give credit to my teammates.”
Delmore scored both of his goals in the first five and a half minutes of the second half off Crew Maust assists.
He said he had confidence after the first time the two teams played. St. Ignatius defeated Jerome 2-1 in the regular season finale for both teams on Oct. 11 in Cleveland.
“Based on past performances, I knew we had more in the tank,” the senior defender said. “Getting that goal – I wouldn’t say that it was lucky – but it definitely helped us change momentum. All of us just worked our (butts) off the whole game and got it done.”
Both Delmore’s goals came off set pieces. His first was a header to the top left of the goal off a Maust corner with 38:34 remaining in the second half. The second came off a Maust free kick just 4 minutes, 4 seconds later.
Dubln Jerome goalie Mason Jestice makes a stop of a St. Ignatius penalty kick after two overtime periods failed to provide a winner. The Celtics prevailed, making one more PK than the Wildcats to capture their first state championship. Photo: Kevin Rouch
“I think Dublin Jerome started the second half strong,” St. Ignatius senior defender Declan Walters said. “That (first) goal gave them a lot of momentum. It was hard for us to answer. We finally did but we still lost.”
Sammy Trivisonno led the Wildcats with eight shots, including the game-tying goal with 9:59 remaining in the second half.
All the pieces fell into place for the Celtics, including a couple of balls that bounced off posts by St. Ignatius in the overtime periods.
Josh Stibel made a game-saving block for Jerome with Jestice on the ground.
The only thing that went against the Celtics was when Pedro Maamud appeared to have knocked in the game-winner in the 93rd minute only for it to be negated by an offside call.
“The way the game went tonight is a true testament of what these guys did when they put their minds together,” said Jerome coach Jack Maust, who has led the program since the beginning. “They put their teammates first … it just showed tonight with how they came out in the second half and then overtime and an up-and-down PK shootout and find a way to win. It’s just awesome.”
Maust, Jacob Dahi and Delmore also scored on penalty kicks in the shootout for Jerome while Trivisonno, Declan Walters and Tyler Yohman scored for St. Ignatius.
Nathan Gray scored off a Matthew Smith assist in the first half and Johnny Mulloy made four saves for the Wildcats.
“I don’t think it was about stopping their run (of state championships),” DeWalt said. “I think it was more about proving that we belong on the same stage. That Dublin Jerome is a team that can compete for state titles.”
OHSAA Division I state champions. Photo: Kevin Rouch