Jays Fall Short of Easton, 14-27

Posted August 31, 2018 / Last updated September 6, 2018

“There can be no joy of the fall without the brutal heat of June, July, and August,” famous sports writer Wright Thompson once argued.

The Jesuit football team took the heat on Thursday night, falling to home-team Warren Easton at Tad Gormley Stadium. The 27-14 season-opening defeat may sting for the Blue Jays, but their never-quit attitude was evident against a talented Eagle team that finished 10-3 last season.

When Easton took a 14-0 lead before the first quarter horn, Jesuit’s Willie Robinson slipped through the holes just four minutes into the second quarter and spun into the end zone. Two minutes later when Easton scored again, Jesuit’s Noah Varnado found the pylon on a 24-yard pass from quarterback Robert McMahon and kept the Jays within a score at the half. This back-and-forth mentality by the offense was comforting for Blue Jay fans. And even after giving up 27 points, the defense clearly improved from last year’s opener when it surrendered 40 to the Eagles.

Through the Lens…
View the Photo Gallery of the Jesuit-Easton Football Game

Senior wide receiver Noah Varnado reaches the ball out, crosses the pylon, and scores Jesuit’s second and final touchdown to make it a one-possession game.

By the Numbers…

Jesuit: 200 yards of total offense (97 rushing, 103 passing)
Warren Easton: 368 yards of total offense (216 rushing, 152 passing)

Passing: Robert McMahon, 6-15, 103 YDS, 1 TD, INT.
Rushing: Willie Robinson, 7 CAR, 22 YDS, 1 TD; Brayton Whittington, 11-55; Robert McMahon, 16-25; Will Moran, 1-(-6).
Receiving: Noah Varnado, 6 REC, 103 YDS, 1 TD

Scoring Summary

FIRST QUARTER		JHS	WE
	TD 7:21 Kiaeem Green 22-yard pass from Lance LeGendre (Jahmal Sam kick)	0	7
	TD 0:45 Green 5-yard pass from LeGendre (Sam kick)	0	14
SECOND QUARTER
	TD 8:24 Willie Robinson 6-yd run (Max Scheurich kick)	7	14
	TD 6:00 Jewell Holmes 35-yd pass from LeGendre (Sam kick)	7	21
	TD 3:15 Noah Varnado 24-yd pass from Robert McMahon (Scheurich kick)	14	21
THIRD QUARTER
	TD 5:46 Ashaad Clayton 28-yd run (run failed)	14	27
FOURTH QUARTER
NONE		14	27

In His Words…

“We’re still making a few mistakes that really talented teams will exploit,” Coach Songy said after the game. “I’m still really proud of how hard we fought, and I’m not surprised by the result. This is a better team than we faced last week, so we’ll continue to expect a good fight from teams moving forward.”

On the Horizon…

While the Jays’ season opener was at Tad Gormley, it was not technically the home opener. The home opener will be played against St. Paul’s on Friday, Sept. 7, at Tad Gormley. The Wolves (0-1) lost to Karr, 33-30 in week one.

Galleries

Week 1: Jesuit (14) vs. Warren Easton (27), Tad Gormley Stadium, Aug. 30, 2018

The Jesuit Flag Crew consists of seniors Langston Goldenberg, , Josef Ernst, Carter Montalbano, Dowen Fife, and Gus Bongiovanni.
Game captain Jacob Kieff pumps up the team before they...
...run through the tunnel and banner!
Kieff was joined by senior captains Perry Ganci, Robert McMahon, and Marc Dougherty for the coin toss.
Cheerleaders lead the hand-twirl for the first kickoff of the 2018-19 regular season, kicked by...
...senior Max Scheurich.
Linebacker Roman Bankson assists defensive tackle Sonny Hazard as the duo sacks the Easton quarterback.
Hazard is pumped up after the sack!
Robert McMahon looks downfield for receiver Will Moran but decides...
...to tuck the ball and run for a first down.
Running back Willie Robinson spins into the end zone for Jesuit's first regular season touchdown!
Receiver Noah Varnado one-hands this ball, maintains possession,...
...and runs into the end zone for Jesuit's second and final touchdown of the game.
The student section, also known as "The Gizzard," goes wild after Varnado's touchdown.
Varnado claps simultaneously with the student section.
The Gizzard celebrates with a roller-coaster cheer.
Senior Cael Meilleur plays the horn during halftime.
The Jayettes perform at halftime.
Freshman Shreyash Singh, freshman Jacob Askar, pre-freshman Gabriel Schwarz, and freshman Evan Powers march together while playing the saxophone.
Co-captain Dina Alawamleh, co-captain Elizabeth Scaffidi, co-captain Jordan Arsenaux, Caroline Sauter, and Anne Marie Licata dance on the track while...
...senior band captain Lucas Deane leads the Blue Jay drumline.
McMahon finds another running hole, thanks to blocker Jacob Kieff.
Later in the game, Ganci delivers another solid hit on the Easton tailback. Ganci wraps up the ball-carrier and...
...wrestles him to the ground.
Defensive lineman Paxton Dimwiddie sacks the Easton quarterback.

Jesuit High School of New Orleans

Jays Fall Short of Easton, 14-27