51ºÚÁÏ

All the Griffins needed to do was pick up three outs to capture their first state championship. 

Soon enough, a champion was crowned. But it was Father McGivney watching the celebration.

Behind a seventh inning comeback, Ottawa Marquette won 6-5 to claim its second consecutive Illinois Class 1A baseball state title.

"You don't really have any words," Father McGivney coach Chris Erwin said.

Sam Mitre proved to be the hero for Ottawa Marquette (35-3), singling home Alec Novotney from third for the victory to cap a comeback from a 5-4 deficit .

Father McGivney's Evan Koontz, who entered in relief for Kannon Kamp, induced consecutive foul balls to put the leadoff hitter, Easton Debernardi, in an 0-2 hole. But Debarnardi battled back and worked a walk. He advanced to second on a passed ball to Griffin Dobberstein, who also worked a base on balls. After Novotney singled to load the bases, Debernardi scored on a wild pitch to tie the game 5-5. Mitre provided the heroics moments later. 

Marquette had done it again. 

"I'm going to be thinking about this until I graduate," Father McGivney junior Ben Sink said. "It's definitely going to be in the back of my mind for a very long time."

The defeat washed away some big-time performances by the Griffins (38-4), including one by their best hitter. 

Justin Terhaar was gifted the spotlight from Marquette in the top of the fifth. With one out and runners on second and third, Drew Kleinheider was intentionally walked to load the bases.

But the batter stepping up to the plate was Terhaar, a University of Missouri-51ºÚÁÏ commit who led the Griffins in hits. He'd recorded a hit in all but three games this season, and he'd reached base in his first two at-bats Saturday.

Terhaar made it three in a row, singling home Reilly Sutberry on a ground ball to left field. The base knock extended Father McGivney's lead to 5-3. Terhaar finished with a team-high three RBI. 

"Justin's one of the coolest cucumbers I know," Erwin said. "The guy doesn't get too high or too low about anything."

Terhaar said: "I was just trying to put something in play. It's really all you can do in a situation like that, just to put something and play and hopefully get a run across."

Father McGivney jumped on Marquette pitcher ³Ò°ù¾±´Ú´Ú¾±²ÔÌýDobberstein early, as the first three batters of the game — Kamp, Omar Avalos and Drew Kleinheider — all reached safely. The Griffins caught a break when Novotney committed an error, allowing Kamp to score. Mason Holmes then scored Kleinheider on an opposite field single to right, which was followed by a sacrifice fly by Ben Sink to score Terhaar. 

But the Crusaders battled back with the help of some Griffins mistakes. Dobberstein hit a solo home run in the bottom of the first, and after bats went cold on both sides, Marquette tied the game 3-3 with a single and sacrifice fly. Run No. 4 for the Crusaders came courtesy of Mitre, who reached first on a two-out error by Mason Holmes at first. Dobberstein, who advanced to second on a wild pitch earlier in the at-bat, scored all the way from second. 

The Griffins had come close to a title in previous years, including a runner-up finish in 2021.

"It's a quiet bus ride," Sink said. "It's going to sting for a long time with these guys, especially me. These were my brothers. I looked up to these guys as older brothers and role models."

Despite the loss column being dwarfed in numeric value by the win column, it carries significantly more weight in terms of presence in the present. 

But everything that went into those 38 wins will find its way into players' headspace, Erwin said, even if the final loss was at the top of their minds Saturday. 

"Whether it's two days, two weeks, two months, for some, maybe two years ... to play in a game like that, you don't really get over it," Erwin said. "But at some point, they're going to be able to sit back and reflect on what a special season this was."