Over the past few weeks, the Blue Jay rugby team has put together an impressive body of work, beating the Nola Barbarians 55-3 and Brother Martin 24-17. With these latest victories, the Jays are 5-0 in league play and sit comfortably in first place having scored 203 against only 59 allowed. 

Against the Barbarians, the Jays came out fast and aggressive to take control of the match with a mixture of possession and territory. The Jays, though, were perhaps too fast, as ball handling errors caused the Jays to miss early opportunities. The Barbos took an early 3-0 lead from a successful penalty kick. The next ten minutes saw the Barbarians mount a brave defense against steady Jesuit pressure. It seemed, if for a moment, that the match was going to be a defensive slugfest. But the Jays eventually hit their stride, averaging one point per minute with 55 unanswered points over the next 55 minutes. The Jays’ success was all the more noteworthy in overcoming adjustments to their normal starting lineup. Senior halfback Dan Davilier was unavailable for the Barbos match, which saw senior wing Cole Radetich move into the vaunted “9” jersey. Radetich performed with aplomb, serving up the Blue Jay forwards with a platter of go-forward ball, which kept the Jays on the front-foot. On defense, senior “rookie” Jack Juge showed everyone how “inside support” defense should be played. His energy and technique kept the shifty Barbarian runners from finding any gaps – or any tries.

Against Brother Martin, the Jays faced a much stiffer challenge. The Jays again came out fast and aggressive, but jittery hands saw the overeager Jays fumble away early chances to score. The Crusaders, on the other hand, scored two try in the first 15 minutes of the match. Jesuit was facing a 12-0 deficit, the first such deficit against a league opponent in over two years. To their credit, the Blue Jays maintained their composure and stuck to their pattern. The Jays then scored 24 points against only five more for the Crusaders, for a final score of 24-17. The Jays again faced personnel challenges, missing senior captain Langston Goldenberg, who was playing in South Africa on invitation with Rhino Rugby. With Goldenberg chasing rugby glory in Africa, the Jays turned to sophomore Caden Pretlove, who earned his first start. Pretlove showed real maturity and grit, making several strong tackles and otherwise stepping ably into Goldberg’s very large shoes. Pretlove was matched by senior Byrne Muser, who showed what a lineout aerialist specialist he had become, stealing three Brother Martin lineouts and disrupting many throws.

Through the Lens…

View the Rugby vs. Barbarians Photo Gallery

Senior David Childs powers up the field against the NOLA Barbarians.

On the Horizon…

The Jays play their final league match this weekend (March 30) against the bruising Bayou Hurricanes at 12:00 p.m. at Marconi and Harrison.