After two convincing opening week victories, pressure was on both sides to continue the streak as Jesuit-Carmichael made the trip down to San Francisco to take on St. Ignatius in a battle of Jesuit schools. Under St. Ignatius's new stadium lights, a fierce battle ensued for the next four quarters.
The teams battled and battled, both sides giving up nothing on the defensive end, but ultimately it was Jesuit who came out on top, making big plays in big moments en route to a 17-7 win.
“The intention was to score more points than these guys,” Jesuit head coach Marlon Blanton said with a laugh. “We thought our offense would perform better, but our defense really did a great job today. They’re a really good football team, and we came out with a good win.”
The visiting Marauders defense came prepared. Through three quarters, they shut out an SI offense that put up 41 points in a half the previous week. Throughout the game, whenever the Wildcats came knocking on the door, the Jesuit defense never folded. They greeted the St. Ignatius with loads of pressure in the backfield, forced incompletions and sacks to push them well out of field goal range.
Jesuit (2-0) was led by safety Drew Vassar. He not only led the team in tackles but forced a huge fumble at the Jesuit 7-yard line to protect a one-score lead late in the game.
“Bend but don’t break,” said Blanton. “When they got down the field we had to try to make a big play, try to be consistent, not give up first downs, and I think we did that and we had a few big plays that changed the game.”
Early in the game both teams were struggling to find their rhythms on offense. Tied at 0-0, every yard was a struggle, first downs were celebrated like touchdowns, and big plays were no where to be found.
Another punt seemed inevitable on 3rd & 15 for the Marauders, but much to the crowd's dismay, something finally clicked as quarterback C.J Lee scrambled out to his right and threw a perfect pass to an open Jonah Luhrsen for a 24-yard gain.
The Jesuit offense didn’t stop there, as multiple first down runs from running back Anthony Seibles set them up nicely in the red zone. Two plays later, Lee connected with Seibles for a 14-yard touchdown.
“We made adjustments,” said Blanton. “Lot of mistakes on offense. We need less mistakes and better execution with our plays and play design, and our players need to be better. But that was an example of what we can do.”
The bright spot for St.Ignatius (1-1) was their defense. They held Jesuit’s potent run-based offense to just seven points through the first three quarters. Anchored by a strong defensive line led by sophomore John Mills and captain Santino Franco, the Wildcats made Jesuit earn every yard. They did all they could to help their offense, including recovering a fumble at the Jesuit 36 yard line, as well as an interception by linebacker Atticus Moustakas that he returned to the Jesuit 35. They’ll need more of that to compete in their tough Western Catholic Athletic League schedule.
“They’re a good, physical run-oriented team,” said St.Ignatius head coach John Regalia. “I thought our defensive plan was great going into the week, we did a good job prepping during the week."
"I thought for the most part we did a good job executing tonight, forcing some turnovers, making some key stops," continued Regalia. "The guys played physical against a physical style offense and that's a good thing”
Coming off two convincing wins, Jesuit looks as ready as can be for the 51st annual Holy Bowl against Christian Brothers-Sacramento.
Meanwhile, St.Ignatius will look to bounce back during a trip to Stockton to play a St. Mary’s team that has outscored it’s opponents 105-7 over the past two weeks.
