It was the ultimate match-up.

It was King Kong vs. Godzilla.

It was the immovable object vs. the irresistible force.

It was the top-ranked Jesuit boys lacrosse team vs. No. 2 Lakeridge in the Oregon High School Lacrosse Association state championship at Ida B. Wells High School on Saturday, June 7.

The 2025 finale – held under sunny skies in upper-80s temperatures – lived up to the hype, too, with Jesuit closing within one goal in the final minutes before Lakeridge escaped to win 10-9 and secure its first state championship since 2013.

“We didn’t get the result we wanted, but our brotherhood got us here,” said Jesuit junior midfielder Elliott Hire, who finished with one goal and one ground ball. “We’ve been in scenarios like that before earlier in the season, so we knew if we all struck together, we could get back in this game.”

“It’s unfortunate it had to come this way to end, but I think the brotherhood (we had) … was the best part of (the season),” said senior midfielder Ryan Jack, who scored twice and collected six ground balls in the finale. “We had a few of those close games when we were down … against great Seattle teams and that just brought us back today.”

The Crusaders’ solid teamwork and camaraderie played huge roles in both their 2025 success and their late-game comeback against Lakeridge.

“It was just the connection that the team had,” said senior midfielder Thatcher Killian, who scored twice, had one assist and two ground balls against Lakeridge. “No matter whether you were a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior, it was a tight-knit group and that made every practice fun, every game fun. It just made the season as a whole a great time.”

“I think it was just the brotherhood and bond that we had,” Jack said. “We all know each other so well. We’re all great friends to start out with and that really helped through the season.”

With the loss, the top-ranked Crusaders saw their 13-game winning streak snapped and ended their year with a 20-2 overall record after winning the Metro League. Both of Jesuit’s losses came to Lakeridge, including a 5-4 overtime setback to the Pacers back on April 12.

The Crusaders were led by senior attack Brady Bayne’s three goals (along with one ground ball), and two goals each from Killian and junior midfielder Davis Dolp.

The second-ranked Pacers, meanwhile, won for the 19th straight time and finished their year at 21-1 overall after winning the Three Rivers League.

Lakeridge got two goals each from senior attack Davis Reardon (along with one assist), senior midfielder Sean McCarty and freshman attack Enzio Fedrizzi (along with one ground ball), while senior faceoff specialists Cash Groves and Tristan Martin teamed for 11 ground balls and senior goalie Nolan Darcy – the game’s Most Valuable Player – made seven saves.

The Pacers were also led by senior defender Kelley Lamb, the 2025 OHSLA Player of the Year, and senior midfielder Kellen Aird, who finished with one goal, one assist and one ground ball.

Jesuit broke on top early when senior Deuce Bechtold scored three minutes into the game, but the Pacers answered with three straight scores – two from Reardon and one by junior Beckett Godfrey – and carried a 3-2 edge into the second quarter.

Jesuit drew even at 4-4 in the second frame on back-to-back goals by Dolp and Bayne, but Lakeridge came back strong to score three unanswered goals before halftime, including two in the final 1 minute, seven seconds of the half.

Junior Jacen Wilbur kicked off that three-goal run when he took a pass from Reardon and scored from short range. Near the end of the half, Fedrizzi connected with 1:07 to go, and with just five seconds remaining, Wilbur set up McCarty’s first goal to give Lakeridge a 7-4 lead.

The two teams traded shots in the third quarter, with Jesuit getting goals from Dolp and Killian, while Lakeridge answered with scores from McCarty and Aird to take a 9-6 lead into the fourth period.

But the Crusaders strung together a 3-1 edge at the start of the fourth to close within 10-9 – their goals coming from Killian, freshman George Malkiel and Bayne – with Bayne’s score assisted by Hire with 1:59 left in the contest.

Jesuit had two more possessions in the remaining seconds, the first after Killian won a ground ball and the second after the Pacers turned the ball over with 35 seconds to go.

But Darcy, Lamb and senior defenders Charley Nauheim and Martin held strong down the stretch, with Darcy winning a late ground ball to seal his team’s victory.

“We worked hard. We found it at the end, and working really hard at the end showed that we can get back,” Jack said. “We were tired. They were tired, too. It was hard, but (the key) was just pushing through the heat.”

Despite the loss – which ended Jesuit’s three-year state championship reign – the Crusaders remained focused on their many accomplishments in 2025.

“I think what was different about this team is we had a lot more brotherhood,” Hire said. “The 2024 class was a special class so we knew we had to put in a lot of work and we had a lot of guys step up. Our offense was a lot more team-engaged and we really had to switch up our whole game plan and use all 10 guys on the field.”