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The Football Tradition for the Prep League in
1959

1959 was another championship year for the Pat Screen-led Jesuit Blue Jays.  They took care of every team on their regular schedule, except for their nemesis, the Pensacola Tigers.  After the regular season, they made it one step further and got to the state finals, where it was again Istrouma that was their downfall.  At least the Istrouma team only defeated them by a close score, and not a rout, as they did in 1958.  Warren Easton won the Public title in 1959 and was defeated by LaGrange in the first round of the playoffs.  Jesuit, which had a bye, beat LaGrange to advance to the finals.  Unfortunately, we do not have much information about Holy Cross for 1959, except what is reported below.  However, the Tigers must have been a fine team, as they extended the Jays to the final quarter before bowing.  The Tigers and Jays met on Friday, November 20, 1959.

Jesuit Explodes Late, Beating Holy Cross, 33-20

TIGERS LEAD AT HALF, 13-0

Jays Capture Catholic Title With Win

Copyright © 1959 The Times Picayune

By N. CHARLES WICKER

Trailing 13-0 at the end of the first half, the Jesuit Blue Jays exploded for 33 points in the second half to down the Holy Cross Tigers, 33-20. in a Catholic district football game Friday night at City Park.

With victory went the Catholic district championship and a trip into the state AAA playoff semifinals.  Jesuit will meet the winner of the Warren Easton-LaGrange opening round playoff contest.

Fumbles set up five of the game's seven touchdowns and a poor punt set up a sixth.

The Blue Jays' one-two punch of Pat Screen and Kenny Martin paced the Jays to victory and a successful defense of the title they won last year.

Screen scored three touchdowns and Martin two.  Joey Leblanc converted for three extra points.

Billy Truax accounted for eight of the Tiger points.  Paul Ballard and Mike Hindelang scored the other two touchdowns.

It was Truax's height and ability to catch passes that sent the Tigers out front and kept them in the ball game.

Mike Calamari recovered a fumble by Pat Screen the first time the Jays ran the ball from scrimmage in the opening period at the Jesuit 15.  A Hindelang to Truax pass put it on the one from where Hindelang went over on a keep and Truax converted.

Beranger Brechtel recovered a fumble by Martin near the end of the first half at the Jesuit 38 and the Tigers moved to a score with Hindelang passing to Truax in the end zone from the four.  The score came with 21 seconds left.  Truax missed on the attempted conversion.

Holy Cross kicked off to the Jays who fumbled and Mike Calamari recovered at the 40 but before a play could be run the half ended.

In the second half, it was the Jays' turn to get the breaks.

A poor punt by Herbert Monie of the Tigers traveled only 18 yards from the Holy Cross 27 to the 45 and it was from there that scored with Screen tallying from the 11.  Joey Leblanc failed to convert from placement.  There was 5:46 left in the quarter.

Jesuit came right back again.  Larry Ecuyer recovered a Holy Cross fumble by Cortez at the Holy Cross 35 and from here the Jays moved to their second score.  Pat Screen fumbled but Ken Vairin was there to recover the ball after a couple of Tigers let it get away at the Holy Cross 8.

Three plays later Martin scored and again Leblanc failed to convert and the Tigers held a 13-12 lead at the end of the third period.

But before the period was over Holy Cross fumbled and Vairin recovered for Jesuit  at the Holy Cross 25.  It was from here Jesuit scored the go ahead touchdown with Screen tallying.  Leblanc converted and Jesuit took a 19-13 lead.

Jesuit kicked off and after Holy Cross failed to move the ball Jesuit took over at its own 30.  On the second play Martin raced 68 yards for a score that put Jesuit in front 26-13.

But Holy Cross didn't give up.  John Roppolo fumbled and Ballard picked up the ball and raced with it 27 yards for a touchdown that put the Tigers back in the ball game, 26-20, when Truax converted.

This time it was Holy Cross' turn to kick off to Jesuit.  The Bengals did, held the Jays' running attack and forced Jesuit to kick.  Roppolo punted to the Holy Cross 40 and for awhile it looked like the Tigers were headed for a score and victory as Hindelang passed to Truax for a first and ten at the Jesuit 25-yard line.  But Ken Marr stopped the threat, intercepting a pass and returning it to the 27 from where Screen went 73 yards for the game's final score, and Leblanc converted. 

Editor's note:  We apologize for the lack of statistics and lineups for this game.  That's all that was published in the newspaper article.

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