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Blue Jays, Tigers renew rivalry

Copyright  © 1989, The Times-Picayune

By BILL BUMGARNER
Staff writer

Yes, Kelly Parenton and Craig Lydecker would probably admit that they are more familiar with athletes such as Bo and Bird and Magic and Marino than they are with Pat Screen and John Petitbon and O. J. Key.

But the generations of athletes who have contributed more to the legacy at Jesuit are more than names out of the past for these two Blue Jays.

"I don't know a lot of the great Jesuit players personally," said Lydecker.  "But I do know who they are."

So does Parenton - as well he should.  He is the sixth Parenton to attend Jesuit, following his five older brothers, O'Neil, Pat, Tommy, Mickey and Timmy, the last having led Jesuit to the 1978 finals against St. Augustine.

"I had a brother here before I was born," said Parenton.  "So I know a lot about the Holy Cross-Jesuit rivalry."

The 70th meeting between the Tigers and Jays takes place at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Gormley, each with a 1-2 record, each looking for a successful start to the District 11-AAAA race.

"This should be like a 15-round title fight," said Jesuit coach Danny Abramowicz.

In Jesuit's 7-0 loss Friday to Baker the Jays gave up a punt return for the only score.

"The effort was great," he said.  "I could not have asked for more of the players.  But the offense is not helping our defense, and that has to stop.  We had nine penetrations for procedure and offsides and stuff like that.  That has nothing to do with talent.  We have to psyche ourselves up to not make those kinds of mistakes."

The defense came through with a goal-line stand, stuffing Baker four times inside the 4-yard line late in the first half.

"We may have played well, said Parenton, a senior defensive back, "but we don't want to keep anything from last week.  We are looking to improve every week, and anytime we lose, it doesn't sit well with me."

"Our defense picked up its intensity last week," said Lydecker, a 5-foot, 7-inch, 165 pound linebacker.  "We expect a real good game this week."

"I was brought up in the Jesuit atmosphere and I know this game means a lot to the booster clubs and to the alumni.  We will give it our best."

"I know this is the oldest rivalry alive in the city," said Parenton.

"It sure is extra special and we're excited about it.  After two losses, we want to win this one badly."

"The longevity and tradition of this rivalry makes it special," said Tiger Coach Tom Gruber.

"It's always unpredictable, and when the teams play, it usually makes for a great show.  The fans get the most for their money."

"Holy Cross lost a heartbreaker last week, just like we did," said Abramowicz.  "They have a lot of great athletes, so we are going to have the best effort we can possibly give."

HOLY CROSS SCRATCHES PAST JESUIT, 14-7 IN OVERTIME

By BILL BUMGARNER
Staff writer

In the city's longest-running series, how appropriate that Jesuit and Holy Cross took a little longer than usual to settle their 70th meeting Friday night at Gormley.

Not until Holy Cross' Brian Newman leaped between two Blue Jay defenders and brought down a touchdown pass in overtime did Holy Cross lead, 14-7.

And not until Jesuit's bid for a tie or possibly a victory was snuffed out three plays later by an interception from Joey Martinez, were the Tigers victorious in their first District 11-AAAA game of the season.  The Jays fell to 1-3 overall and 0-1 in the league.

The game ended 7-7 after regulation play, and Holy Cross took first possession from the 10-yard line in overtime.

On second-and-eight, quarterback Martin Crawford rolled right and threw high to Newman, who skied for the catch.  Not only did Newman account for the TD, a late Jesuit hit by a defender resulted in a 15-yard penalty against the Jays on their next series.

So Jesuit faced first-and-goal from the 25-yard line, instead of the 10, with four plays to tie the score.  After two incompletions, Jesuit quarterback Aley Demarest was intercepted by Martinez to end the game.

"We were a lot more intense in the second half," said Tigers coach Tom Gruber.  "We told the kids to settle down at halftime."

Holy Cross, 2-2 overall, was limited to 45 yards rushing in the first half and 47 passing.  Jesuit gained 108 yards rushing in the half but was limited to 30 yards rushing in the second half.

The Tigers did manage one first half threat, as a 33-yard run by Chip South was the key play on a drive to the Jesuit 12-yard line.  But a 30-yard field goal by Tony Bouie never came about because of a high snap.

Jesuit then marched 88 yards in nine plays to take the lead.  But Jesuit got a bad break on its best play of the game.  On third-and-two at the Blue Jay 47-yard line, Keith DiMaggio broke free on a sweep and was headed for an easy TD when he pulled up lane at the 20-yard line.  He hobbled 13 more yards before going out of bounds.  His brother Todd scored from seven yards out at the 2:07 mark of the second quarter for a 7-0 lead but Keith was finished for the game with a hamstring pull after gaining 88 yards on 11 attempts.

In the second half, the Tigers drove to the Jesuit 19, but a fourth-down pass by Crawford was incomplete.

The Tigers finally tied the game at the outset of the fourth quarter, going 62 yards in six plays.  A 45-yard run by Danny Giardina on the first play got the drive in motion.  Crawford and Newman teamed up for their first score at the 9:17 mark from 10 yards to tie the score 7-7.

Giardina led the Tigers with 88 yards in 13 attempts.  The Jays were limited to only 38 yards in the second half, including 1 of 10 passing with two interceptions.

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