Jays Face Eagles in Opening Round of Division 1 Playoffs

Posted November 13, 2015 / Last updated November 13, 2015

Jesuit and Shaw Kick Off at Tad Gormley Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 6 PM

Five seconds remain on the clock when Peter Hontas throws to Kalija Lipscomb, who incredibly, gets loose in the Crusaders' secondary...

Five seconds remain on the clock in the Jesuit – Brother Martin game last week when Peter Hontas throws to Kalija Lipscomb, who incredibly, gets loose in the Crusaders’ secondary.

View the Photo Gallery of the Jesuit – Brother Martin Game

Live Stream of Jesuit – Shaw Game on SportsNola.com

The opening round of the Division 1 playoffs begins this weekend with Jesuit hosting Archbishop Shaw on Saturday, Nov. 14, at Tad Gormley Stadium. Kickoff is at 6 p.m.

Pre-sale tickets are $6 for adults, students, and children (ages 6-11). Pre-sale tickets will be on sale at the Jesuit switchboard on Friday from 8 a.m – 4 p.m. Students can also purchase tickets on Friday during lunch in the Student Commons. All tickets purchased at the gate are $8 each. Student IDs and season passes will not be accepted at the gate.

Quarterback Peter Hontas runs for a first down on this play in the Brother Martin game. He completed 35 of 49 passes for 469 yards and four touchdowns, his best passing game so far this season. He threw to seven different receivers.

A radio broadcast of the game can be heard locally by tuning into WGSO-990AM. Can’t tune in to WGSO Radio? Then watch and listen to a live stream of the game on SportsNola.com. The video stream will feature only one camera, but the audio portion will be the WGSO Radio broadcast. Handling the play-by-play action will be Jesuit alumnus Danny Riehm ’00 who will be joined by Nick Nolfe in the broadcast booth high above Gormley. Nolfe is a science teacher and an assistant football and baseball coach. Fans of Blue Jay football might remember that Riehm and Nolfe teamed up to call the exciting 2014 state championship game Jesuit and Curtis played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

In Week 8 of the season, Jesuit defeated Shaw, 42-14, at Hoss Memtsas Stadium for its sole district win of the regular season. The Blue Jays, seeded eighth in the Division 1 bracket, should not expect to enjoy another cakewalk over the ninth-seeded Eagles. It’s the playoffs, after all. The winner will face the top-seeded Rummel Raiders the following week.

Jesuit’s broadcast team of Danny Riehm ’00 and Nick Nolfe are ready to call the plays when the Blue Jays host Shaw in the opening round of the Division 1 playoffs at Tad Gormley Stadium on Saturday. Kickoff is at 6 p.m.

The Jays are 4-6 overall and 1-5 in District 9-5A and come into the playoffs after sustaining a tough loss, 49-46, to Brother Martin in the final week of regular season play. Prior to the Crusaders, the Jays had defeated Shaw and a very good Franklinton team, 19-16. The Eagles are also 4-6 overall and 1-5 in district. Shaw’s only district win was in Week 6 at the expense of St. Augustine, 42-39.

The only other opening round game for Division 1 teams features St. Augustine and Holy Cross dueling on Friday evening, Nov. 13, at Tad Gormley Stadium. The winner will play the number two seed, Evangel Christian Academy, which along with five other Division 1 teams, has a bye in the opening round.

Galleries

Football 2015 (Week 10): Jesuit (46) vs. Brother Martin (49); Tad Gormley Stadium; Friday, Nov. 6

Kalija Lipscomb has a total of 50 receptions for 880 yards through Week 10.
The Criusaders score a TD on this pass play. Defensive backs Mark Beebe (22) and Michael Hull can't stop the receiver who is a couple of yards shy of the goal line.
With seven seconds left in the third quarter, a pass to Kalija Lipscomb in the end zone is broken up by the Crusaders' defensive back.
Bryce Musso catches a pass and extracts some extra mileage from it, breaking tackles...
... Bryce Musso is finally brought down, but not before picking up a first down for the Jays. Through Week 10, Musso has 26 catches for 338 yards and four touchdowns.
Quarterback Peter Hontas can't find an open receiver, but sees plenty of daylight on his right side. It's first and goal for the Jays, who have fallen behind, 42-24, with eight minutes left to play.
Connor Prouet scores from one yard out with just under eight minutes left in the fourth quarter and the Jays go for a two-point conversion. Peter Hontas throws to tight end Evan Slattery for the two points to cut into BM’s lead, 42-32.
The Jays' defense forces the Crusaders to punt and Kalija Lipscomb goes to work with about five minutes left to play. He catches this pass...
... Kalija Lipscomb shakes free from his defenders for a 50-yard touchdown, his second of the game. With Crew Jacobs kicking the PAT, the Jays cut into the BM lead, 42-39.
Kalija Lipscomb had seven receptions against Brother Martin for 191 yards.
Bryce Musso and Kalija Lipscomb celebrate the touchdown that puts the Jays within striking distance of the Crusaders, who hold a slim lead, 42-39.
Crew Jacobs sends this PAT through the uprights.
The Jays’ defense once again prevails on the ensuing series and the Crusaders are forced to punt with 4:11 showing on the clock. With 75 seconds left in the game, the Jays have a first and 10 at the BM 31-yard line. Hontas throws a short pass to Kalija Lipscomb...
... Kalija Lipscomb once again runs like a wild Colorado stallion into the end zone. With Jacobs’s kick, the Jays now lead, 46-42.
The Jays are driving when Kai Rozas (24) fumbles just shy of the 50-yard line. It's the first fumble of the season for Rozas, who had nine carries for the night for 40 yards. Through Week 10, Rozas has rushed 55 times for 351 yards and caught three passes for 59 yards.
About one minute is left in the game, and the Crusaders have somehow managed to drive to Jesuit's 35-yard line. Two successive time outs are called, one by each team. During the timeouts, the Jesuit coaches tell their players to be alert and watch for the "hook and ladder," a trick play the Crusaders have pulled off successfully a few times earlier in the season. As the wide receiver with the ball is tackled by a pair of Jays...
... The receiver laterals the ball to the Crusaders' running back...
... The running back has no Blue Jay that can touch him and he quickly covers 25 yards for the go-ahead (again) touchdown. The Crusaders lead, 49-46.
Five seconds remain on the clock when Peter Hontas throws to Kalija Lipscomb, who incredibly, gets loose in the Crusaders' secondary...
...Kalija Lipscomb caught the ball around Jesuit's 30-yard line, so he has 70 yards to cover...
... Kalija Lipscomb is flying down the Jesuit sideline and it looks as if he might just pull a rabbit out of his helmet...
... But this stallion has been around the race track. Can he cover the final 13 yards and make it into the end zone for a miracle victory?
... Kalija Lipscomb is caught by this Crusader at the 11-yard line...
... But Kalija Lipscomb doesn't go down without a fight. He makes a desperate dive for the end zone - with no time left on the clock...
... Kalija Lipscomb is four and a half yards shy of what would have been his fourth TD of the game. Lipscomb lay still for several seconds after he was pushed out of bounds. He was face down for so long that athletic trainer Ken Trahan and athletic director Dave Moreau (far right) make sure he's all right. And he was OK, just disappointed he couldn't get into the Brother Martin end zone.
The two teams meet on the field.
The Blue Jays sing the Alma Mater.
Coach Mark Songy says a prayer with the team. He later told players he was proud of their efforts, but mistakes have to be eliminated if they have any desire to repeat as the Division 1 champion.
Connor Prouet had 11 carries for 100 yards and nine receptions for 67 yards.
Jesuit's senior co-captains are, from left, defensive back Mark Beebe, center John Sewell (injured earlier this season), quarterback Peter Hontas, and defensive lineman Zack Robert.
Jesuit's MCJROTC Color Guard faces the Blue Jays' side of Tad Gormley Stadium for the invocation and National Anthem.
The Blue Jays take the opening kickoff and drive down the field with Connor Prouet leading the rushing attack.
Connor Prouet sweeps around left end and breaks into the open, running 35 yards for a touchdown. Two minutes into the game, the Jays are on the scoreboard, and with Crew Jacobs's PAT, take a 7-0 lead.
On the ensuing kickoff, Brother Martin puts together a drive that culminates with a 54-yard touchdown run and extra point to tie the game, 7-7.
When the Jays get the ball, Connor Prouet sprints 51 yards and dives for the end zone. The ref is there to make the right call: Prouet went out of bounds on the two-yard line.
Quarterback Peter Hontas finds tight end Evan Slattery in the end zone and the Jays take back the lead, 14-7.
Linebacker Ro Harper (36) and defensive end Henry Moreau stop this Crusader at the line of scrimmage.
Linebacker Cameron Crozier brings down the Crusaders' quarterback.
At the start of the second quarter, Jakirai Wiley (4) tackles this receiver, but something goes wrong...
... Jakirai Wiley's injury brings Jesuit's medicine men onto the field as well as Coach Mark Songy (with headphones). Kneeling on either side of Wiley are team physician Charlie Haddad '91 (left) and athletic trainer Ken Trahan. Standing are assistant trainer Mike Guillory and assistant defensive coach Benny Baptiste '81.
The diagnosis is not good for Jakirai Wiley or Jesuit. The senior cornerback and return specialist is helped off the field after tearing his ACL. Wiley will miss the rest of the season, not just in football, but possibly in basketball as well. Wiley's stats through Week 10: rushed 12 times for 113 yards and one touchdown. His longest run was 56 yards. He also had two receptions for 39 yards. Defensively, Wiley had 28 solo tackles and 22 assisted ones. He deflected four passes and had one interception.
Zack Robert (92) and Cameron Crozier team up on this tackle.
The Blue Jays make their entrance onto the field.
Wide receiver Bryce Musso snags one of his 10 receptions for a total of 127 yards. On this play, he picks up 30 yards.
With just under a minute left in the first half and the score tied at 14-14, the Jays attempt a 31-yard field goal. Denny McGinnis handles a high snap...
... Crew Jacobs sends the ball through the uprights and Jesuit takes a 17-14 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The drum corps of the Blue Jay Band stokes the spirits of the student section, also known as The Boosters.
Jayson's pals have their mascot's back.
The Blue Jays emerge from the home team's locker room and through the tunnel that leads to the field, high-fiving young fans along the way.
With a total of 13 touchdowns scored by Jesuit and Brother Martin, the Cheerleaders were frequently perched on the shoulders of their teammates whenever it was time for a kickoff.
Malachi Hull had five receptions for 52 yards, including this catch. The Crusaders make Hull pay by shoving him out of bounds, perhaps a bit aggressively. But the ref keeps the penalty flag in his pocket...
... Coach Songy gives the ref some feedback for not calling a personal foul against the Crusaders on the Malachi Hull catch and tackle.
After Jakirai Wiley's injury in the first quarter, wide receiver Kalija Lipscomb rallies the troops and enjoys a phenomenal second half. Here, he catches a short pass for his first of three touchdowns.
On the kickoff to the Crusaders, Edward Rice (29) brings down the ball carrier almost immediately.
Linebacker Jacob Baxter (44) and defensive back Michael Hull team up to tackle this Crusader runner.
The Boosters cheer on their team, which at this point in the third quarter has jumped back out in front, 24-21.