Let the Playoffs Begin as Blue Jays Swat Pesky Purple Knights, 34-20

Posted November 8, 2014 / Last updated November 11, 2014

Jays and Purple Knights Will See Each Other Again as Playoffs Begin Friday, November 14

After the Jays scored their first TD, kicker Crew Jacobs squibed an onsides kick that was recovered by special teams player Jandon Briscoe (3).

After the Jays scored their first TD, Crew Jacobs pooched the kickoff that was recovered by special teams player Jandon Briscoe (3).

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In dispensing with St. Augustine – their final opponent of the regular season on Friday evening at Tad Gormley Stadium – the Blue Jays put on quite an offensive show, scoring four touchdowns in the first half and adding a fifth in the second half.

Jesuit’s vaunted defense struggled a bit. Just when fans of the Blue and White thought the Jays had this game sewed up, the Purple Knights dug in and were not about to roll over. Say this much for St. Aug: they put up a good fight until the final whistle.

Chris Mills glides toward the end zone for a 60-yard touchdown run to give the Jays the lead, 7-6.

Jesuit will play the Purple Knights again as the opening round of playoffs begins this weekend. Jesuit and St. Augustine will kick off on Friday, November 14 at 7 p.m. at Tad Gormley Stadium. Advance game tickets will be sold at Jesuit’s switchboard.

In Friday’s game, the Purple Knights threw a bucket of bird seed at the Jays by scoring on their first possession, on a long run that caught Jesuit’s defense flat-footed. St. Augustine tried to convert for two extra points, but failed. If the Jesuit side of the stadium suddenly looked worried, the Jays on the field were the picture of cool.

Jesuit wasted no time putting points on the board as Chris Mills caught a short pass over the middle from quarterback Trey LaForge and ran like a wild horse on the open prairie for 60 yards, the first of his two rushing touchdowns. Jesuit kicker Crew Jacobs hit 4 of 5 PATs.

“I have to give everything to our offensive line,” said Mills about his two scores. “They did an excellent job setting up the holes for me to make my cuts.”

The Jays twice surprised St. Aug with pooched kicks that Jacobs placed perfectly. Jesuit’s Jandon Briscoe (3) pounced on the first one and a couple of plays later, Charles Jackson ran 5 yards for the Jays’ second TD. LaForge threw a short pass to wide receiver Kalija Lipscomb who did the rest of the work, shedding his defender and high-stepping into the end zone for a 30-yard score.

The second pooched kick was recovered by Malcolm Ben and set up Mills’s second touchdown. Jesuit’s fifth touchdown occurred in the second half when Hunter Robert bulled his way into the end zone from two yards out.

This was the 48th game between Jesuit and St. Augustine. Coming into it, the Purple Knights led the series 24-23. Jesuit’s victory Friday night evens the series at 24 apiece.

“Our offense tonight got back on track and was much better,” head coach Mark Songy told reporters afterwards. “We’re proud to be 8-2 and in the playoffs.”

The game aired live on Cox Cable Sports (Channel 4). A replay is scheduled to air on Wednesday, November 12.

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SportsNola.com: Jesuit good enough to fend off St. Augustine, 34-20

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Football 2014 (Week 10): Jesuit vs. St. Augustine; Friday, November 7

The Jays emerge from the tunnel at Tad Gormley Stadium for their final game of the regular season.
The captains for the game march arm-in-arm to mid-field for the coin toss ceremony: Foster Moreau (82), Chris Mills (25), Dillon Knight (28), and Trey LaForge (11).
St. Augustine shocks Jesuit and on first possession, scores a touchdown. The 2-point conversion attempt failed. On the ensuing kickoff to the Jays, Charles Jackson is forced out of bounds.
Chris Mills glides toward the end zone for a 60-yard touchdown run to give the Jays the lead, 7-6.
With Harrison Daste holding, Crew Jacobs hit 4 of 5 PATs.
After the Jays score their first TD, kicker Crew Jacobs perfectly pooches the ball, catching the Purple Knights off guard...
... The loose ball is recovered by special teams player Jandon Briscoe (3).
Wide receiver Kalija Lipscomb picks up some yardage despite the facemask issue which was not called by the referees.
Charles Jackson plows in from 2 yards out to increase the Jays lead to 14-6.
Trey LaForge decides to keep the ball and run, picking up a first down.
Senior cheerleader Niko Ros stands on his toes to catch a glimpse of the action on the field.
Kalija Lipscomb catches a short pass from quarterback Trey LaForge and goes 21 yards for the Jays' third TD to put the Jays up, 20-12.
Crew Jacobs pooches another kick, and this time, Malcolm Ben (21) pounces on it.
Chris Mills has his jersey stretched by a defender.
Chris Mills carries on three consecutive plays, scoring his second touchdown on a 21-yard burst up the middle with 7:25 remaining before halftime.
Chris Mills gained 83 yards on nine first-half carries. Like his first TD, Mills runs untouched into the end zone.
Foster Moreau and Chris Mills celebrate the running back's second TD of the game.
Harrison Daste (39) has this Purple Knight wrapped up as Jonathan Giardina (43) and Mark Beebe (22) stand ready to back him up.
Always entertaining, the Jesuit Cheerleaders perform for the fans.
Coach Mark Songy shouts instructions to Jesuit's defense.
St. Augustine fumbles, but unfortunately for the Jays, the ball bounces safely out of bounds.
Harrison Daste (39), Dillon Knight (28), Jonathan Giardina (43), and Justin Helm (14) swarm this receiver.
Linebacker Jonathan Giardina ties up this St. Aug receiver as Mark Beebe comes flying in just in case.
Harrison Daste (39) hangs on to this receiver as Justin Helm (14) comes in from his safety position to help. Also in on the play are linebackers Robert Lobrano (55) and Jonathan Giardina (43). That's Malcolm Ben (21) flying through the air.
At halftime, the student section is happy as the Jays are holding on to a 27-12 lead.
Osman Torres (91), Jonathan Giardina (43), and Mitchell Melito (38) gang up on this tackle at the start of the second half.
Jonathan Giardina (left) snags a piece of the St. Aug runner while Hunt Robert (51) and Harrison Daste (39) move in for the stop.
St. Aug tries a long pass but the receiver is covered by linebacker Robert Lobrano (55) and cornerback Dillon Knight (28), who gets a hand on the ball and almost intercepts.
As this St. Aug defender discovers, Kalija Lipscomb is not easy to bring down after catching a short pass from Trey L:aForge.
St. Aug scores a TD with a 2-point coversion in the third quarter to cut the Jays' lead, 27-20, but Jesuit is threatening at the start of the final quarter. As Charles Jackson (9) gets close to the end zone, two Purple Knights lift him off the ground in an attempt to stop his forward progress, while big offensive lineman Emerson Wenzel (79) applies counterforce.
On 4th and goal at the 2-yard line, Coach Songy is confident the Jays can punch it in. Quarterback Trey LaForge hands off to fullback Hunt Robert (51), who finds a narrow gap opened by Jonathan Giardina (left) and tight end Foster Moreau (82). Robert, known as "The Fridge," crosses the goal line, and Crew Jacobs kicks the extra point, to give the Jays a 34-20 lead that holds up for the rest of the game. Robert is one of the team's few two-way Jays as he also plays on the defensive line.
Kalija Lipscomb leaps high to catch this pass, but unfortunately, he lands about 3 inches out of bounds.
Running backs Chuck Jackson, Chris Mills, and Alex Rabalais take a well-deserved break.
Trust these two Blue Jays who are on the injured list to fashion a novel way to watch the game from the sidelines...
... In case these two seniors with similar injuries are unrecognizable from the back, here is the frontal view featuring running back Michael MaMahon (left) and punter Shawn Walsh. McMahon hurt his ankle playing against Holy Cross while Walsh has been sidelined since the St. Paul's game.
Kalija Lipscomb surpassed the 700-yard mark for receptions and finished the regular season with 11 touchdowns.
Defensive backs Mark Beebe (22), Justin Helm (14), and Jakirai Wiley (4) watch the action from the sideline.
As the two teams meet on the field after the game, coach Mark Songy pays his respects to St. Augustine coach Cyril Crutchfield.
The players will be doing this once again when Jesuit and St. Augustine meet on Friday, November 14 in the opening round of the state playoffs. Same time, same station. The Jays and Purple Knights will kick off at 7 p.m. at Tad Gormley Stadioum.
Coach Mark Songy does a post-game interview with Haley Asaro, the sidelines reporter for COX 4 High School Football, which televised the Jesuit - St. Augustine contest as its “Game of the Week."
The football team faces the fans and together, they sing the Alma Mater.
With the band providing the music, the Jayettes and the fans in the stands - along with the Jesuit Cheerleaders on the track - sing the Alma Mater.
The players during the Alma Mater.
Chris Mills has a trio of fans who high-five him before he makes his way over to the post-game meeting on the field.
At the impromptu meeting on the field with his players, Coach Mark Songy congratulates the Jays, but also taking note of some key mistakes. He also praises the play of the special teams and minutes later tells Nola.com's Joseph Halm: “We try to do a real good job on special teams every week. We were able to recover a couple (of kicks) tonight, and they proved to be huge. I was not very pleased with the way we tried to finish this thing, but at the same time, I’m real proud to be 8-2. We’re on to the playoffs.”