On a night that Marmion celebrated its new digs, two-way senior standout Jack Lesher showed the Cadets and their fans how to really put on a celebration Friday.

The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Lesher is an all-state linebacker and running back who excels in two sports. He’s the reigning 182-pound Class 3A state champion in wrestling.

“Strength. Big heart. Great competitor,” Marmion coach Dan Thorpe said.

Indeed, Lesher was a game-changer for the Cadets during a 42-14 victory over Leo in a CCL/ESCC crossover at the renovated Fichtel Field at Regole Stadium in Aurora.

The newly named Regole Stadium honors the late Ed Regole, a St. Charles native and 1950 Marmion graduate whose generous donation provided much of the funding for a facility upgrade that includes new artificial turf, track surface and lights at Fichtel Field.

There’s also a new turf infield, bullpens and scoreboard for baseball at Joe Nardone Field.

Regole, who wasn’t able to play high school sports because he had to return home to work on his family’s dairy farm, considered donations to his beloved alma mater his legacy.

Lesher and his teammates celebrated the renovations in the team’s home opener. He ran for one touchdown, caught a pass for another and sparked an opportunistic defense for the Cadets (2-1) with 10 tackles, including three for loss.

Bryan Scales, a 5-5, 145-pound junior running back/defensive back, wasn’t surprised by Lesher’s outstanding performance.

“We just look for Jack to be a playmaker,” Scales said. “He’s a really reliable guy.”

The long and short of it for this game was that Lesher and Scales set the tone early.

Scales returned the opening squib kick 28 yards to the Leo 45. Lesher then accounted for 39 yards in a six-play scoring drive, capped by senior quarterback Jacob Sullivan’s 1-yard TD plunge.

Lesher shrugged off defenders on runs of 9, 11 and 3 yards and caught a pass for 16 but didn’t get the score.

“I don’t care about how many TDs I have as long as we’re scoring and the team’s winning,” Lesher said. “If it’s me or someone else, I’m just happy on any TD.”

On third-and-22, Leo (2-1) answered with a 55-yard TD reception off a deflected pass, but the Cadets followed with Lesher’s 8-yard TD run and Scales’ 9-yard TD pass from Sullivan.

Marmion’s defense did the rest, forcing five turnovers that Sullivan and Co. turned into 28 points. Sullivan completed 7 of 8 passes for 96 yards and two TDs and ran for a fourth TD.

That effort included two blocked punts, one by Chris Yarwood and another by the line’s surge, Scales’ interception and fumble recoveries from Kyle Muckerheide and Charlie Reynolds.

“TD by the big man,” Lesher said of Reynolds, a 6-0, 240-pound senior defensive end. “He’s a stud.”

Reynolds had moved to tackle when Chimaobi Oguike left with an injury.

“First of my career,” Reynolds said. “That was crazy. Saw the ball in the end zone and dove on it, but it took the refs about five seconds or more to decide.”

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Yarwood and Muckerheide joined Oguike on the sidelines on crutches by the game’s end.

“We just need to get healthy,” said Thorpe, who started the season with 33 players on varsity and began the game with several others unavailable. “We’re so beat up.”

The Cadets have undefeated Carmel and St. Rita next up on the schedule. Later, Joliet Catholic looms.

Lesher, who has a football offer from Akron and will visit Northwestern in October, has recruiting interest in wrestling, too. He’ll decide later, wanting to stay focused on Marmion’s season.

And this was something else.

“Tonight was awesome,” he said of Friday’s festivities. “It was such a cool event. Our team did a good job of not letting everything building up to this game get to us.

“We came out thinking normal football game, 100-yard field and take care of business.”