Junior Ashton Perkins (who scored two of Jesuit’s three goals), junior Chris Tadros (who had two assists), and senior Braden Brignac (who scored the second goal)

Perkins with a throw-in

The Jesuit High School soccer team advanced to the semifinals of the LHSAA state championships with a 3-0 road win over Denham Springs High School.

Jesuit (18-3-4) took the lead early in the first half when a Chris Tadros corner kick ended up at the feet of junior Ashton Perkins. Perkins struck the ball on the half-volley with pace that left the Denham Springs keeper with no chance.

The second Blue Jay goal was almost a carbon copy of the first, except this time Braden Brignac finished the opportunity calmly. A 2-0 score favored Jesuit at the half.

Midway through the second half after some good build-up play, Perkins found himself in front of the Denham Springs goal. The junior hit a left-footed shot from 15 yards that found the back of the Denham net.

“When I was in the front of the goal, I tried not to think,” Perkins said. “Preston Bordes made the overlapping run and drew one defender out. That allowed me to do my thing on the left side.”

Final score: 3-0, Jesuit.

Head coach Hubie Collins in a post-game interview

The Jays (No. 15 seed) will travel to face No. 3 C.E. Byrd, which knocked off Acadiana, for the state semifinal in Shreveport (more info). The match is set for Saturday, Feb. 17 with kick-off at 4 p.m. This is Jesuit’s first semifinal appearance since 2015.

After the quarterfinal game, head coach Hubie Collins remarked, “I am proud of how focused the team was for tonight’s game. That can be a challenge with all the distractions at this time of the year.”

“Our next opponent is Byrd High School from Shreveport,” Collins added. “We will begin our mental and physical preparations in the morning.”

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