It is hard to argue that St. Ignatius boys soccer is anything but a dynasty.
Hear from the captains below:
In his 31st season at the helm, head coach Mike McLaughlin has 14 state titles to his name.
“I just remember so many talented players,’ McLaughlin said. “And just so many amazing human beings.”
That culture goes beyond graduation. Take the 2023 OHSAA State title team: their four captains then, are all captains now, each at their respective Division 1 program.
“Yeah, I mean that's got to be unheard of,” said Nolan Spicer, now leading the way for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. “I've never seen anything like that, and it's just so cool.”
Cool, indeed. But not a surprise to the four of them.
"I grew up playing with a lot of those guys. I played with Nolan since I could walk,” said Owen Sullivan, now captaining UPenn’s team. “All the state championships were really meaningful, but that senior year one, just winning one with like my best friends, guys who I still talk to all the time [was special].
“I grew up, I think, going to every single game,” said Patrick McLaughlin, Mike’s son and Ohio State’s captain. “It's amazing to continue the legacy of that great school and hopefully, hopefully, keep it going in the future.”
“I think we all saw it in ourselves to go to college and do great things,” said Xavier’s captain Nathan Trickett “I think we've all done that... It was only natural for us to do that.”
Safe to say McLaughlin knows how to pick a captain.
