First Win Still Elusive for Jesuit Football
Print
Email
ShareThe Blue Jays dropped the second game of the season in an away match-up against St. Paul’s of Covington, 31-6.
Senior tight end Drew Black clears the St. Paul’s defender with an agile move to avoid the tackle.
After a loss in the season opener to Warren Easton, the Blue Jay football team was looking for redemption, seeking its first win of the season on the road Friday night against St. Paul’s of Covington. The two teams came into the contest evenly matched, though in contrasting ways offensively. St. Paul’s knew they would struggle on the ground and have to rely on their passing game, and Jesuit would flip the scales by gaining most of their yards on the ground and still seeking to make connections in the air.
View the Jesuit vs. St. Paul’s Photo Gallery
The contest proved both sides to be right, but costly Jesuit mistakes throughout the game made the stats sheet almost irrelevant. At the beginning of each half, big mistakes deflated any Blue Jay momentum or confidence for the ensuing quarters. On the very first play of the game, St. Paul’s intercepted a 15 yard slant pass that brought the Wolves’ fans to their feet and set the tone for the first half. St. Paul’s then set the tone again in the second half by returning the halftime kickoff all the way for a touchdown.
The entire Jesuit defense swarms in to make the tackle in the St. Paul’s backfield.
“We’re still making mistakes that we’re having a hard time recovering from,” said head football coach Mark Songy. “We got beat deep a couple times on defense and had some costly mistakes on special teams that made it hard to gain any momentum in the game.”
And the special teams mistakes weren’t limited to the returned kickoff after the half. St. Paul’s blocked a punt at the end of the first quarter that set the Wolves up in excellent field position for their second touchdown of the game. In the second half, St. Paul’s found themselves in good position again, this time after Jesuit fumbled a punt recovery.
St. Paul’s also gained half of their receiving yards on two plays, each nearly 50-yard receptions for scores. Without those 28 points lost on big Jesuit mistakes, it would have been a very different ball game.
“I did see improvements in many areas that may be hard to realize from the sidelines. I still think the effort is there from our guys, and we were able to move the chains more effectively this week than last. We had a tougher time protecting the quarterback this week, but again, our guys are playing very physical football, and I continue to be proud of that effort.”
The physicality of the Jesuit defensive line shut down the Wolves’ running game, only being allowed 38 yards on the ground. Junior lineman Perry Ganci led the effort with 9 solo tackles, and junior Ethan Kerrigan added 5.
Senior tight end Drew Black led the receiving corps on offense with 4 receptions for 25 yards and a touchdown. Adding to the effort, senior Michael Torry ran for 76 yards on 15 carries.
The Blue Jays are next in action on Friday night at 7 PM at the Shrine on Airline when they take on Central High School of Baton Rouge.
Read More…
The New Orleans Advocate – “St. Paul’s bounces back against Jesuit, evens record with 31-6 win”
NOLA.com – “St. Paul’s 31, Jesuit 6: Johntae McDowell throws 4 touchdowns as Wolves roll”
Galleries
Week 2: Jesuit (6) vs. St. Paul's (31), St. Paul's School, Sept. 8, 2017
-
Cameron Helm shuts down this attempt by St. Paul's on the end zone. -
The Jesuit cheerleaders lead the crowd in cheering on the Jays. -
Senior quarterback Alex Watermeier rolls out of the pocket to create some room for the pass. -
Senior Matthew Frischhertz sneaks past his defender to make the tackle. -
Later in the drive, Drew Black gets his hands around the ball for the only Blue Jay score of the night. -
Senior tight end Drew Black pulls in the nice one-handed grab across the middle. -
Senior Matt Alexander makes a hard cut during his punt return. -
Junior Marc Dougherty makes the open field tackle. -
Senior Michael Torry tucks the ball in as he prepares to pick up extra yardage. -
The drum line provides the cadence for the band to exit the field at the end of the performance. -
...accompanied by the Blue Jay Marching Band. -
The Jesuit Jayettes take the field at halftime... -
Kicker Max Scheurich sends this punt down field right before halftime. -
Junior Michael Hull breaks up this St. Paul's pass in the end zone. -
Head football coach Mark Songy fires up his team before kickoff. -
Junior Robert McMahon tries to get position on the St. Paul's defensive back on this end zone attempt. -
Senior tight end Drew Black clears the St. Paul's defender with an agile move to avoid the tackle. -
The entire Jesuit defense swarms in for the tackle. -
Senior tight end Dylan McKeough picks up a few yards after the reception. -
Senior quarterback Alex Watermeier fires a pass across the middle. -
The Jesuit offense takes the field at St. Paul's stadium. -
Roman Jackson and Marc Dougherty combine for the tackle in the St. Paul's backfield. -
Seniors Andrew Ryan and Aubert Waguespack break away from the students section to show their Blue Jay spirit. -
Junior Michael Hull leaves the Wolves' defenders in the dust on this kickoff return. -
...and junior Marc Dougherty sweeps in to finish the tackle. -
Owen Melville and Perry Ganci set up a wall against the Wolves' running game... -
Junior running back Willie Robinson bounces outside on one of his 12 attempts on the night. -
Senior Michael Torry finds a hole during a kickoff return.
