Jesuit’s Late Surge Secures Comeback Win Over John Curtis in Catholic League Showdown
by: Mike Strom // GeauxPreps.com Contributor
METAIRIE, La. — If nothing else, Jesuit’s football team is a direct reflection of grit, determination, and resiliency.
All of which were on display Friday night as the unranked Blue Jays scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns and drove 91 yards in the final five minutes for the winning score on a 1-yard quarterback sneak by Taylor Norton that culminated a rousing 17-10 District 9-5A Catholic League victory against state-ranked John Curtis at the Shrine on Airline in Metairie.
Norton and Jesuit’s offense had been kept in check for much of the first three periods until finding themselves in the final 12 minutes to drive 46 and then 91 yards to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat against a John Curtis team that was ranked as high as No. 5 in the state by geauxpreps.com.
The Blue Jays defense then turned back Curtis in the final 76 seconds. The Jays did allow two first downs but then forced four consecutive incompletions from the Jesuit’s 42-yard line to put the offense in victory formation with 16 seconds remaining.
Jesuit (5-3 overall, 3-2 in District 9-5A) rebounded from a hard-fought 21-9 loss to reigning league champion Karr last week to win for the second time in three games and move into no worse than a tie for third place in the Catholic League with two weeks remaining.
The Blue Jays also possibly may earn a Top 10 power rating among Division I Select teams this week after entering at No. 13. John Curtis was No. 11 in the LHSAA power ratings for Division I Select teams.
Jesuit additionally snapped a three-game losing streak against Curtis to narrow the Patriots’ series lead to 11-4. The Blue Jays are 3-3 versus Curtis in their last six meetings dating to 2021.
“What a game, what a game,’’ Jesuit coach Ryan Manale proclaimed afterward. “There were a lot of shifts in momentumand I’m just super proud of our players. It was a battle.
“Offense, defense, special teams, all three phases, these two teams went at it. We found a way to be on top. I thought we just kept fighting. I thought there was a handful of times (during the game) where we may have not been at our best. Our kids were resilient.’’
John Curtis (4-3 overall, 3-2 in District 9-5A) entered carrying a state ranking in two separate polls. In addition to geauxpreps.com, the Patriots were ranked No. 9 in Class 5A in the Louisiana Sports Writers Association poll.
“It was a game just like I thought it would be, very physical,’’ John Curtis coach J.T. Curtis said. “We made some critical mistakes and they made some fabulous catches. That’s what it came down to. We made some mistakes that we should not have made.’’
Wide receiver Roman Larre’ had two stellar catches among the four receptions good for 113 yards and a touchdown he hauled in from Norton.
The first of those two connections of consequence was a 20-yard scoring pass that Norton delivered just inside the front right corner of the end zone on the third play of the fourth quarter.
Larre’ responded with a fabulous over-the-shoulder grab while being able to drag his feet inbounds before crossing the sideline. That catch followed by the first of two Ethan Cabos successful PAT kicks culminated a 10-play, 46-yard possession which tied the score at 10 with 10:29 remaining.
On Jesuit’s next possession, which started at the Blue Jay’s 9-yard line, Norton and Larre’ connected again, on the drive’s second play with a 45-yard bomb that Larre’ snatched from the air before going out of bounds down the left sidelines at Curtis’ 40-yard line.
Running back Gavin Palmisano, Jesuit’s leading rusher with 86 yards on 21 bruising carries, carried five times for 24 yards on the drive that also featured a 16-yard completion from Norton to sophomore wide receiver Calvin McGee to convert third-and-6 from Curtis’ 36-yard line.
Five running plays later, Norton scored the winning points on a 1-yard sneak that game officials initially delayed signaling touchdown until they confirmed Norton had possession of the football.
“That was a championship drive for us,’’ Manale said. “I’m super proud of our guys for staying together and finding a way. The offensive line did a great job. Palmisano did a good job on the drive. Our coaches did a great job under the tent making corrections. Then our leaders, who are the guys on the field, and they believed. They made the plays.’’
Jesuit actually was kept in check for much of the evening except for the dramatic final march covering 91 yards and another possession covering 75 yards on the Blue Jays’ opening drive. That first possession resulted in a 33-yard field goal by Cabos that produced a 3-0 lead.
The Blue Jays totaled 251 yards of offense and 13 first downs to the Patriots’ 264 and 15 first downs. But subtract the combined 166 yards of those two drives from Jesuit’s final total and the Blue Jays managed only 85 yards on their other six possessions excluding a ninth and final, one-play, kneel-down to ice the victory.
Norton shook off two interceptions by Curtis cornerback Trey Brown to complete 12 of 19 passes good for 155 yards and the 20-yard touchdown to Larre’ in addition to scoring the game-winning TD. McGee totaled four catches good for 37 yards.
“I had a lot of trust in our receivers and our running back and our O-line,’’ Norton said of the 91-yard, game-winning drive. “Looking at everybody’s faces, I knew we were going to drive down the field and score. We had it in us. We dug deep. The receivers made great plays. Running back Gavin Palmisano was pounding through the line. I love to see it for those guys. I’m super proud of them.’’
Punter Andrew Bordelon proved to be another Blue Jay of consequence with three punts that averaged 46.7 yards. Bordelon’s two final punts covering 49 and 57 yards, were downed at the Curtis’ 6- and 2-yard lines respectively in the second and third periods.
Palmisano, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound junior, paced a Jesuit rushing attack that totaled a deceiving 96 yards which included 30 yards lost on three snap. One nearly proved catastrophic when a high shotgun snap over Norton’s lead produced a team fumble and 19-yard loss one play before Norton feathered in the 20-yard scoring pass to Larre’.
“Taylor was playing one of his weaker games early in the game. But he’s a winner. He has that,’’ Manale said. “He’s gaining that ‘it’ factor each week. Right before half, we talked with him about what do you want to do and I’m trustinghim. As the game went on, you could see in his eyes that he was going to keep leading the football team. And that’s what he did.’’
“The last drive, I don’t know if we got a little tired,’’ J.T. Curtis said. “They’ve got a big, physical offensive line. But that last drive, we’re going to look at the film and try to make that correction for whatever happened. Whether we started pressing a little bit, I’m not sure. But we’ll look at the tape and make the adjustments.’’
“I was just making sure (the other offensive players) were focused and locked in as they were,’’ Taylor said of the huddle prior to the fateful 91-yard scoring drive. “I just called the play, get to the line, snap it and we go drive down the field.
Defenses controlled much of a first half in which Curtis scored all of its points to take a 10-3 lead to intermission after overcoming an early 3-0 deficit.
Running back Jacobi Boudreaux weaved his way 36 yards through the Blue Jays to score the first half’s lone touchdown five minutes into the second quarter. Boudreaux’s run capped a 12-play, 56-yard possession set in motion by Curtis’ defense that forced the Blue Jays to punt from their own 13-yard line.
The Curtis drive featured a 2-yard run by quarterback Reggie Johnson to convert fourth-and-1 one play before Boudreaux scored on his initial sweep of the left side in which he cut back across the middle and then turned upfield to dash past the befuddled Blue Jays.
An interception by Brown on a Jesuit out route four plays before intermission set up Curtis’ second score, a 30-yard field goal by Lucas Kippers, who also hit a PAT kick.
Boudreaux carried five times for 64 yards with the 36-yard score and Johnson the quarterback rushed for 40 yards on 15 attempts. Johnson and Curtis’ passing game proved erratic with 6 of 17 passes totaling 89 yards.
John Curtis resumes Catholic League play next week with an important pairing against two-time reigning league champion Karr scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at Morris Jeff Stadium in Algiers. Curtis defeated Karr, 42-0, last season to deprive the Cougars of a second consecutive undefeated Catholic League championship.
“We’ve got to regroup and go play a great Edna Karr team,’’ J.T. Curtis said. “That’s the only focus I have now.
Jesuit meanwhile plays host to Rummel at 7 p.m. Friday at the Shrine on Airline.
“I feel like we were a Top 20 team coming in (before the season),’’ Manale said, echoing the sentiment he expressed prior to Jesuit being selected to finish eighth out of eight teams by geauxpreps.com. “I didn’t know how high that was going to go. This John Curtis team is a Top 10 team in the state and we found a way to beat them. So I don’t know how high it goes.
“But I do know when you play in this league, there are bumps and bruises, there are health issues. Every game is a different game. Every week is a different week. We’ve got to find a way to stay in another game next week.’’
“I do feel like we are a Top 20 team,’’ Norton said. “We have a great team here. We have a state championship team. I feel like we’re going to go far. I’m super proud of these guys.’’
As for Jesuit’s superpower, Norton said, “It’s just the grit, the grit of the whole team, the leadership, the player leadership, we love to see it. We have a bunch of seniors. We have (under) classmen being leaders, guiding the team. It’s awesome.’’
JESUIT 17, JOHN CURTIS 10
Jesuit 3 0 0 14 — 17
John Curtis 0 10 0 0 — 10
JES JC
First downs 13 15
Rushing 96 175
Passing 155 89
Total offense 251 264
Passes 12-19-2 6-17-0
Punts 3-46.7 5-33.2
Fumbles/lost 1-0 4-0
Penalties 6-37 8-55
SCORING:
JES: Ethan Cabos 33 field goal.
JC: Jacobi Boudreaux 36 run (Lucas Kippers kick).
JC: Lucas Kippers 30 field goal.
JES: Roman Larre’ 20 pass from Taylor Norton (Ethan Cabos kick).
JES: Taylor Norton 1 run (Ethan Cabos kick).