Blue Jays and Tigers Kick Off at 7 PM at Hahnville High School

Senior defensive back Evan Loria jumps over a Roneagle receiver who almost fumbled after catching a pass during last week’s scrimmage against McDonogh 35.

View the Jesuit – McDonogh 35 Scrimmage Photo Gallery 

View the 2016 Jesuit Varsity Football Schedule

View the 2016 Jesuit Varsity Football Roster

Last season, the Blue Jays bested the Hahnville Tigers by shutting out the home team, 17-0, in the Tigers’ Jamboree in Boutte. That was one week after the Jays were embarrassed by their lackluster play in a scrimmage against McDonogh 35. In the 2015 regular season (before playoffs), the Tigers went 7-3 while the Jays finished 4-6.

Fast forward to now.

Taking a break during the McDonogh 35 scrimmage are key seniors on Jesuit’s defense, from left, defensive back Matt McMahon (41), linebackers Cameron Crozier (54) and Jacob Baxter (44), and defensive back Patrick Spiers (19).

Last week, the Jays enjoyed a terrific scrimmage against the Roneagles of McDonogh 35. The Hahnville Jamboree on Thursday night, August 25, is another story, and hopefully, one with a happy ending for the Jays.

Tickets at the gate are $7 each for adults, students, children. (The JV game is pushed back to start at 5:30 p.m; the varsity game’s starting time of 7 p.m. has not changed.)

The Jamboree is basically a pre-season exhibition game, but even the abbreviated time on the field is expected to give Jesuit coaches a better feel for the 2016 version of the varsity Blue Jays. Several defensive positions are pretty much nailed down with starters, such as the linebackers and most of the defensive line.

Perhaps the biggest question going into the Jamboree is which quarterback will lead the Blue Jays? Will it be the 5′ 10″ 170-pound senior Denny McGinnis, who has seen limited playing time while backing up the Jays’ starting quarterbacks since he was a sophomore. Or will junior Alex Watermeier, at 6′ 3″ and 190 pounds, but with even less playing time than McGinnis in the last two years, get the starting nod from Coach Songy?

The scouting report notes that Watermeier is a decent passer while McGinnis is a good scrambler. Who knows, maybe McGinnis and Watermeier will each play a half in the Hahnville Jamboree. Each half is only 15 minutes. Coach Songy has said he would prefer to have one starter rather than alternating the quarterback pair. He’s not totally opposed to using both quarterbacks, but it just depends on the situation.

Next Thursday (September 1), Jesuit opens Week 1 of the 2016 regular season against Warren Easton at Tad Gormley Stadium. In the 2015 season opener for both teams, the Eagles defeated the Jays 26-21. Jesuit still leads the series against one of its oldest rivals, 24-20-4. Kickoff for the non-district game is at 7 p.m. and the Jays will be occupy Gormley’s visitor’s side (Roosevelt Mall).