Jays Outfly Eagles in Battle of the Birds, 28-0

Posted October 22, 2018 / Last updated October 25, 2018

Don’t look now, but the Jesuit football team is above .500 in both overall and Catholic League records. The Blue Jays now have some breathing room in their quest to finish with a winning record. That sense of breathing room was felt by Jays in the halftime locker room, after they flew past Shaw behind the hands of Noah Varnado and the legs of Brayton Whittington to shut out their district rivals, 28-0. Friday afternoon’s “Battle of the Birds” saw the Jays’ defense hold Shaw to just 95 yards.

Whittington and Varnado, who each scored two touchdowns in the first half, complemented each other on the Blue Jay’s first scoring drive. After the offense was provided excellent field position at midfield, the Jays quickly found themselves going for it on fourth-and-9. Varnado caught an open-field pass from Robert McMahon and raced all the way to the 2-yard line. Whittington then took a hand-off in I-formation and powered through the tackles for an easy score.

Following an Ethan Kerrigan interception, McMahon found Varnado in the right corner of the end zone. In the second quarter, the duo connected again in the left corner of the end zone. To seal the game, Whittington plowed in for another touchdown run before halftime.

Through the Lens…

Cornerback Vincent Loguidice downs Max Scheurich’s punt that came all the way from the opposite 30-yard line. The 69-yard punt landed around the Shaw 20-yard line and rolled perfectly to the 1.

View the Photo Gallery from the Jesuit-Shaw Football Game

By the Numbers…

Jesuit: 225 yards of total offense (123 rushing, 102 passing)
Shaw: 87 yards of total offense (17 rushing, 70 passing)

Passing: Robert McMahon, 7-12, 102 YDS, 2 TD, 1 INT.
Rushing: Brayton Whittington, 9 CAR, 21 YDS, 2 TD; , 8-30; R. McMahon, 10-55, Willie Robinson, 8-38, Grant Jordan, 2-7, Kyle Wickersham, 1-9
Receiving: Noah Varnado, 5 REC, 81 YDS, 2 TD; Zack Charneco, 1-11; Brenden Berggren, 1-10.

Scoring Summary

FIRST QUARTER		JHS	ARHS
	TD 7:10 Brayton Whittington 2-yard run Max Scheurich kick	7	0
	TD 1:50 Noah Varnado 10-yard pass from Robert McMahon Max Scheurich kick	14	0
SECOND QUARTER
	TD 9:57 Noah Varnado 20-yard pass from Robert McMahon Max Scheurich kick	21	0
	TD 3:07 Brayton Whittington 2-yard run Max Scheurich kick	28	0
THIRD QUARTER – NO SCORING		28	0
FOURTH QUARTER – NO SCORING		28	0

In His Words…

Matthew Sauviac and Paxton Dinwiddie combined forces to pick up a big sack that ended the third quarter and backed the Eagles closer to their end zone. Head football coach Mark Songy discussed the stout defense, which finished with three sacks and nine tackles for a loss.

“We feel like we have a pretty good defensive front. The back end is playing pretty well, too,” Coach Songy said. “I was glad to be able to pull some of those guys in the second half and let some of our younger guys play.”

On the Horizon…

The Homecoming Court presentations and Senior Night are Friday, Oct. 26. The Blue Jays, ranked No. 9 in the New Orleans Advocate Large School Super 10 polls, will face No. 6 Destrehan (7-1) in a non-district contest. The Senior Night game will take place at Tad Gormley at 6:00 p.m.

Galleries

Week 8: Jesuit (28) vs. Shaw (0), Tad Gormley Stadium, Oct. 19, 2018

Band director Joe Caluda leads the group in the playing of the national anthem.
Drum major William Mentz then leads the march towards the bleachers, and the...
...Jayettes follow the band three by three.
Receiver Noah Varnado stiff-arms the Eagle defender.
Running back Brayton Whittington finds a hole.
Center Brian Balestra stands tall before snapping the ball.
On 4th down, Varnado picks up a first down and reaches the ball forward after a gain of 35.
Whittington follows his blockers into the end zone.
Cornerback Ethan Kerrigan intercepts a pass, and safety William Hawkins points towards the open field.
After his interception, Kerrigan returns the ball to the 35-yard line.
Quarterback Robert McMahon drops back and looks downfield.
Linebacker Jimbo Hotard stares down the Shaw tailback.
Linebackers Marc Dougherty (#43) and Roman Bankston (#37) line up to the right of defensive lineman Sonny Hazard (#90).
Receiver Brenden Berggren picks up a 10-yard punt return.
The flag crew is ready to run after another Blue Jay touchdown.
Kicker Max Scheurich converts the extra point.
Defensive end Perry Ganci makes a nice tackle for a loss.
Dougherty catches the ball carrier in stride.
Tailback Willie Robinson races past defenders.
The Blue Jay sideline watches as...
...Whittington takes a hand-off, follows lineman Jack Juge, and...
...keeps his legs moving to score the Jays' fourth touchdown! This score put the Jays up 28-0, which would become the final score.
The Blue Jay Band marches down the field during its halftime performance.
Varnado returns the kickoff to start the second half.
Safety William Hawkins wrestles this Eagle to the ground.
Quarterback Grant Jordan runs the ball in open field.
The Jesuit Cheerleaders raise their pom-poms.
Defensive coordinator Troy Baglio points out assignments for the next drive.

Jesuit High School of New Orleans