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Blue Jays achieve perfect season

Jesuit had been waiting 42 years for its first undefeated season, and Coach Vic Eumont wasn't about to give Holy Cross a chance at ruining it.

On fourth-and-1 at their own 44 with two minutes remaining, the Blue Jays went for it. Quarterback Anthony Scelfo plunged ahead for a first down, preserving a 24-21 victory over the Tigers on Saturday night at Tad Gormley Stadium.

"We (played good defense) all the way until that last drive there," Eumont said. "We let them get that big drive, and that's why we went for it on fourth down, because I didn't want (Holy Cross quarterback Sean) Santos to get the ball back again. If we kick it, there's a good chance it's either going to be a tie, or they're going to win it.

". . . (Finishing undefeated) is unbelievable. It's hard to imagine it's been since 1962, and (Tigers head coach) Barry (Wilson) and I were on the (Holy Cross) team that (Jesuit) beat."

Holy Cross (5-5, 1-4 in District 10-5A) was down 24-14 before going on a 10-play, 80-yard drive to pull within a field goal with 4:14 remaining, and the Tigers' defense appeared to have stopped Jesuit on the ensuing drive. After holding Blue Jays running back Stephen Carriere to runs of zero and minus-3 yards, the Tigers allowed him to break free for 20 yards on third-and-13. Carriere then rushed for 4, 3 and 2 yards before Scelfo's fourth-down conversion allowed the Blue Jays to run out the clock.

"It was a hard-fought game, and Vic and them did a great job," Wilson said. "We gave it everything we had, but we just made mistakes. . . . I can't be upset; the kids played as hard as they could."

The Blue Jays (9-0, 5-0) used their defense to jump out to an early lead. On the third play of the game, safety Sean Cronin recovered a Moncell Allen fumble and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown.

"It was my defense that helped me," said Cronin, who also had a 47-yard interception return early in the third quarter. "(Allen) put it on the ground, I saw it, picked it up and ran with it. All I saw after that was goal line."

In the first quarter, it didn't appear as if either defense would make any more stops. Allen broke through the middle for a 53-yard score on the Tigers' next possession to tie the score at 7, and then Jesuit came back and scored on a nine-play, 55-yard drive to regain the lead.

Holy Cross answered with a 78-yard drive that was capped by a 24-yard scoring pass from Santos to Lance Lacoste that tied the score at 14 with 1:40 remaining in the quarter.

Allen, who rushed for 104 yards in the game's first nine minutes, finished with 188 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries.

Jesuit will play a home playoff game next week. Holy Cross likely will make the playoffs, but it almost certainly will play on the road.

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Jim Derry can be reached at jderry@timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3839

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