Behind a packed crowd and an energized Gizzard student section at John Ryan Stadium, soccer earned a 5-2 semifinal victory over Baton Rouge High delivering a composed performance to punch its ticket to the LHSAA Division I state championship.

The Blue Jays set the tone early and maintained composure throughout a high-energy match that featured quality chances on both sides. With 6:40 left in the first half, senior Eli Liantonio found sophomore Jacob Kee near midfield along the left flank. Kee drove 50 yards, beat his defender into the penalty area, drew the goalkeeper, and slipped a pass across the box to junior Casey Parker-Karst, who finished into an open net for a 1-0 lead.

The Blue Jays doubled their advantage just before halftime. After Baton Rouge High cleared a Jesuit cross, the ball dropped into midfield, where senior Andrew Bordelon ran onto the bounce and struck a swerving volley that bent away from the goalkeeper. The shot clipped the inside of the upper post and found the net with 2:00 remaining, sending the Blue Jays into the break ahead 2-0.

Early in the second half, Jesuit turned defense into attack. With 38:00 remaining, Parker-Karst dribbled to the top of the box and delivered a precise pass that split the defense for Kee, who calmly slotted home his second goal of the night to make it 3-0.

Baton Rouge High responded. The Bulldogs converted a well-placed free kick with 36:00 left, finishing from the top of the six-yard box. At the 24:25 mark, they capitalized on a corner to the back post, where a defender’s header cut the lead to 3-2.

With 18:36 remaining, sophomore Carter Mallen sent junior Michael Breaux down the right flank. Breaux beat his defender and crossed to the top of the six, where Bordelon finished through traffic and past the goalkeeper to extend the lead to 4-2. The physical nature of the semifinal was reflected in a second-half yellow card, but the Blue Jays maintained control. With 10:35 to play, Kee sparked a counterattack, feeding senior Beau Hellmers into the area. Hellmers crossed to Parker-Karst, who created space with a shot fake and placed the ball into the lower corner for the final 5-2 margin.

With the win, the Blue Jays improve to 22-0-2 and advances to the LHSAA Division I state championship game. No. 1 Jesuit will face No. 2 Brother Martin on Saturday, February 28 at 7:30 p.m. at Southeastern Louisiana University’s Strawberry Stadium in Hammond. The Blue Jays defeated Brother Martin 4-2 earlier this season to clinch the district title and will look to complete its undefeated campaign with a state championship.