Jesuit hangs on for 59th rivalry win against Holy Cross
· BY CHRISTOPHER DABE | STAFF WRITER
· PUBLISHED OCT 17, 2020 AT 4:57 PM | UPDATED OCT 17, 2020 AT 6:12 PM
HAMMOND — Jesuit came into the season largely unsure of its full potential.
With five starters returning and two quarterbacks without a ton of playing experience, nobody could blame interim coach Scott Bairnsfather for tempering expectations.
But three games into the season, the Blue Jays look to be a more complete unit than many would have expected.
Jesuit played impressively on offense and defense to defeat Holy Cross 28-20 Saturday in the 101st game between the New Orleans schools.
That this game was played at Strawberry Stadium on the Southeastern Louisiana campus made this one a bit different than the others. But the thrilling finish that gave Jesuit its 59th series win should be familiar to anyone who has seen these teams play in the past.
“Our guys have been good at practice,” said Bairnsfather, who became the coach after Mark Songy stepped down just before the season. “They work hard. They play hard. And they play hard for four quarters. That’s what we need today. That’s why we won.”
Jesuit (2-1, 1-1 District 9-5A) scored all four of its touchdowns in the first half, with senior quarterback Luke LaForge leading two scoring drives and junior Jack Larriviere leading the other two. The Blue Jays took a 28-6 lead into the second half.
After halftime, Holy Cross senior quarterback John Dade Wooton threw two touchdown passes to senior wideout Jalen Johnson, including a 40-yard pass down the right sideline that cut the Jesuit lead to 28-20. Johnson finished with 15 receptions for 199 yards.
Holy Cross (1-1, 0-1) had the ball twice after that but could not get across midfield. The final drive began close to the goal line after Jesuit sophomore punter William Hudlow rolled a 44-yard punt to the Holy Cross 2.
Jesuit used junior linebacker Dennis Dougherty as the long snapper on that punt after the usual long snapper — that’s LaForge, the quarterback — went out with a shoulder injury.
Dougherty said he snapped once in a game last season and sailed the ball over the punter’s head. This time, his snap was on the money.
The Jesuit quarterbacks alternated possessions. Larriviere completed 11 of 14 passes for 123 yards and one touchdown. He rushed 10 times for 58 yards and another score. LaForge completed 5 of 10 passes for 116 yards and two touchdowns.
“We’re pretty much the same kind of guy,” Larriviere said. “We’re both big and we can run the ball. But it’s everyone around us that makes this work so well. Our O-line gave us time today. Our receivers played great.”
Jesuit senior wideout Luke Besh caught seven passes for 78 yards and one touchdown. Sophomore wideout Jace Larsen scored two touchdowns among his three receptions for 50 yards.
The Blue Jays' longest pass play in the first half was LaForge to Larsen down the right sideline for 40 yards and a touchdown with 29 seconds remaining.
On one touchdown drive, Larriviere completed two passes on third downs, including one third-and-12 strike to Besh near the sideline at the first-down marker. Two plays later, Larriviere ran 20 yards around the left end for a score.
For Holy Cross, Wooton completed 25 of 33 passes for 296 yards and three touchdowns. His other touchdown went to senior tight end Cole Trosclair in the first half.
Holy Cross missed two point-after kicks but converted a two-point pass from Wooton to senior Jaden Handy in the fourth quarter.
Jesuit senior defensive back Giovanni Licciardi intercepted Wooton twice, including once in the end zone.
“We didn’t make plays,” Holy Cross coach Nick Saltaformaggio said. “I’ve coached in districts where you’re going to get some gimmies. There’s no gimmies in this thing. There’s not, across the board. We came out against a team that every time you see them play with maximum effort. They execute very well. That’s what we ran into today.”
Next week, Jesuit plays against St. Augustine and Holy Cross faces Warrren Easton.
CONTACT CHRISTOPHER DABE AT CDABE@THEADVOCATE.COM
