Against Rummel in Week 7, the Blue Jays Wage a Fierce Battle, but Emerge on the Short Side, 17-10

The Jays’ big lineman Corey Dublin hoists Connor Prouet after the running back caught a screen pass from quarterback Denny McGinnis and raced 39 yards for a touchdown in Jesuit’s game against Rummel.

Jesuit’s Next Opponent: Archbishop Shaw
When: Saturday, October 22
Where: Zephyr Field on Airline Drive
Kickoff: 4 PM (Gates open at 3 PM)
Admission Info: $6 pre-game tickets ($3 children ages 6-11) are available at Jesuit’s switchboard from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., beginning Tuesday, Oct. 18 – Friday, Oct. 21. Tickets will NOT be sold at Jesuit on Saturday. Tickets at the gate are one price: $8. Students with IDs from Jesuit and Shaw get in free; students from other schools must buy their tickets. Season passes will be honored for this district game.
Parking at Zephyr: $5 per car
On the Radio: WGSO 990-AM is broadcasting the game live with Jesuit alumnus Jude Young ’95 handling the play-by-play duties and Joey Latino, who is head coach of Blue Jay baseball and the school’s assistant athletic director, providing insightful analysis.

Into the Lens: View the Jesuit – Rummel Photo Gallery

You might describe the Jesuit – Rummel game played Saturday night, Oct. 15, at Joe Yenni Stadium as a clash of two titans, an old-fashioned head-on collision between a pair of well-coached Catholic prep behemoths.

Wide receiver Collin Kulivan is upended on a kickoff return in the first quarter of play.

The sound effects emanating from the action on the field could make the casual sideline observers wince. Yes, indeed, they hit hard. And then everybody shakes hands. So it goes and so it went for Jesuit’s 54^th game against its cross-parish Catholic rival, which leads the series 31-23. Jesuit did its best to spoil Rummel’s Homecoming, and since luck has nothing to do with it, the Raiders might be feeling, well, fortunate that they escaped with a 17-10 win to remain undefeated in the Catholic League.

“They’re a good defensive football team and gave us trouble throughout the night,” said Coach Mark Songy, nodding towards the Raiders while walking towards his own players who had gathered in the end zone for a quick post-game meeting. “It’s old-time Catholic League Football where both teams think defense is really important. Defense is first and on both sides, the defenses played real hard. Our guys played real hard, we just came out on the short end.”

The Jays piled up more total yardage than the Raiders. Jesuit had 274 yards of offense and Rummel had 256. The Jays had 145 yards in the air via 15 completions by quarterback Denny McGinnis, who attempted 32 passes. Ashton Loria had six receptions for 66 yards with his longest 29 yards. Bryce Musso had four receptions for 23 yards.

Jacob Baxter (44) and Cameron Crozier (54) chase a Raider.

On the ground, the Jays rushed 29 times for 129 yards. Connor Prouet had a 100-plus night with 19 carries for 62 yards, in addition to his one touchdown reception for 39 yards, for a total of 101 yards. Prouet has 585 yards rushing so fare this season plus 93 yards catching passes. Will Robinson IV and Michael Torry, Jr. each had four carries with Robinson netting 34 yards and Torry 33 yards. On defense, a trio of Jays each had eight tackles: Evan Loria, Jacob Baxter, and Cameron Crozier. Hunter Faust, and Patrick Spiers each had seven tackles.

The most disappointing aspect of the game was, of course, the Jays not winning for the second week in a row (last week, it was a 14-7 loss to John Curtis), and falling below .500 with a 3-4 overall record (1-3 in District 9-5A).

“When we work as hard as we do and we’re in the meat of our schedule, and we lose a ball game like this, it’s tough,” said Coach Songy. “It’s difficult to watch and have the kids go through that.”

Fortunately, the Jays did not sustain any serious injuries. Something else that’s positive week-in and week-out: “We played really hard for 48 minutes,” said Coach Songy.

The Jays have three games remaining in their regular 2016 schedule, including two district contests that will take place at a new venue for Catholic League teams this year – Zephyr Field on Airline Drive. Week 8 brings Jesuit and Archbishop Shaw to Zephyr Field on Saturday, Oct. 22, with a 4 p.m. kickoff. The Jays are the home team for their game against the Eagles.

In Week 9, Jesuit plays Franklinton at Tad Gormley on Friday night, Oct. 28. And in Week 10, the Jays and Crusaders wrap up their regular schedules with a Friday night game at Zephyr Field. The Jays will be the visiting team for this contest.

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The New Orleans Advocate: Rummel holds off Jesuit in defensive battle