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The Football Tradition for the Prep League in
1948:

GLOOMY YEAR FOR JESUIT: TIGERS GET REVENGE

The 1948 football season proved to be a low point in Blue Jay football fortunes.  In a rare losing season, the Jays came up with a single victory and a tie.  Holy Cross, on the other hand, was setting up a football dynasty, as they would the first of five straight over Jesuit to bring the series record to a more respectable level.

Joe Heap was the story for Holy Cross.  Operating as tailback out of the single wing offense, he was the best back in the city.  100-yard plus games were routine for Heap.  He later went on to Notre Dame for a fine college career.  

But the year's top story was Fortier.  They defeated Holy Cross for the city title and went all the way.  It would mark the last time that a New Orleans public school would win the state title in the 20th century.

Holy Cross victory of Jesuit, at 55-0, would be their greatest margin ever in the series and the first shutout for the Jays since 1941.  This year also saw Jesuit lose for the first time to both St. Aloysius and Nicholls. 

Now, for the official article on the game played on Sunday, Nov. 14, 1948

Copyright © 1948, The Times-Picayune Publishing Co.

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Heap, Bertrand, Mayeaux Run Circles Around Jesuit as Holy Cross Triumphs 55-0

 Tigers Win Catholic School Title; Set for CYO Invite

 Third Intra-Prep Victory Scored by Bengals

BY N. CHARLES WICKER

Holy Cross’ Tigers captured the Catholic school gridiron championship and automatically qualified for the CYO Bowl game to be played some time next month on a Sunday afternoon when they trounced the Jesuit Blue Jays at City Park Stadium 55-0 before a crowd of 6500 fans in one of the worst defeats ever suffered by a Jesuit team.

Joe Heap paced the Tigers to victory in their march toward a successful defense of the prep school championship which they shared with Warren Easton last season.  The Tigers chalked up their third straight intraprep win of the season and their seventh victory of the year against one defeat.

While it was Heap who did most of the Tigers’ scoring and all of the Tigers’ passing, it was some stellar running by Hayden Mayeaux at the center of the line that picked up plenty of ground for the Bengals.

Lloyd Bertrand also turned in his share of gains as the Tigers got sweet revenge for last year’s 26-0 stunning setback.

Defensively Roland Hymel, Billy Burtschaell, Charley Corne, Bobby Howard and Don Perret aided the Tigers in their rout.

Heap tallied three times, passed for two and set up still another touchdown.  Mayeaux scored twice and kicked seven extra points from placement to win scoring honors over Heap with 19 points, Heap having 18.  Billy Callery, Clarence Zimmerman and Lloyd Bertrand scored the other Tiger touchdowns on passes from Heap.

Offensively, it was all Gerald Griffith for the Jays.  With nothing much in front of him in the way of a line, the Blue Jay back stayed in there and pitched and never gave up.  Defensively, Bobby Brown was the best for the Jays.

Holy Cross scored in every quarter.  They tallied once in each of the first and second periods, added two more in the third quarter and turned the game into a rout with four scores in the final quarter.

Victorious over the Jays, Holy Cross won its way into the CYO bowl.  The Tigers are not far from the prep school championship which they were picked to win this season.  They must defeat the Nicholls Rebels and Fortier Tarpons on successive weeks before they can lay claim to the crown.  They play Nicholls this coming Sunday and Fortier on November 28.

Heap scored for the Tigers the first time he put his hands on the ball early in the first quarter.  He took in George Groetsh’s first punt of the game on Jesuit’s 25-yard line and returned it 75 yards for the score.  Mayeaux placekicked the extra point.

Holy Cross marched 67 yards for their second tally which was made by Heap on a 24-yard end run.  Mayeaux, whose ground gaining featured the march, placekicked the extra point.

The third Bengal score came in the first part of the third period on a 34-yard smash at the center of the Jay line by Mayeaux.

The Tigers scored their fourth TD on a beautiful 44-yard pass from Heap to Zimmerman, who deflected the ball into the arms of Billy Callery.

Heap made his third score on a plunge from the two-yard line for touchdown No. 5.

Mayeaux, who missed only one extra point from placement, made the sixth tally on a 43-yard plunge through center.

A pass, Heap to Zimmerman, who made a nice catch of the ball on the run, gave the Bengals their seventh score on a play that was good for 45 yards. 

After Piglia intercepted a Jay pass, Heap stepped back and heaved to Bertrand for the final score of the game.

Jesuit got into the Tiger Territory but once; and that advance was to the Tiger 25 yard line.

 * - Yards gained were not shown in the newspaper article.

 Series Record: Jesuit leads 19-6-2

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