Looking for a Repeat: Jesuit built for another long haul in Division I soccer playoffs

by: William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor

It was execution at its finest.

For Jesuit to end its six-year state championship drought last season the Blue Jays completed a high-level set piece to claim their school’s 13th state crown with a double overtime golden goal against Catholic of Baton Rouge.

Bryce Barrere’s majestic 45-yard free kick found the head of Donnie Dove for a game-winning header, creating a wave of momentum that’s spilled over this season where Jesuit (16-0-1) takes a No. 2 seed into the start of the Division I state playoffs this week.

The Blue Jays open defense of their state title, hosting No. 31 Ponchatoula on Friday at 3:45. The Division I final is set for Feb. 22 at 5 p.m. at Strawberry Stadium in Hammond.

“There’s no doubt that his year’s team definitely feeds off of last year’s team,” said Jesuit coach Hubie Collins, now in his 24th season. “The juniors, who were on the team last year and are this year’s seniors, gained a lot of experience with a lot of them playing last year. Now that we’re heading into the playoffs it’s one game at a time. We’re just looking at the first round and who we’re playing, and take the games as they come, if they come.”

Jesuit followed a similar script to that of a year ago.

The Blue Jays rebounded from a season-opening loss to The Willow School in 2024 and marched to a 21-1-2 record, complete with their 1-0 victory over Catholic in a tightly contested final.

“A lot of times the games are decided on one goal either way,” Collins said. “That final last year, that game could have gone either way. They had some chances in the game. As the game went on and the longer the game went on, I felt a little more depth on our roster, we were able to bring some people in, and the game went our way.”

Depending on a particular rotation of players, Jesuit has been able to rely on a wealth of experience. The Blue Jays returned between six to eight players, and a veteran team with 15 seniors has paved the way for another state title run.

“They got a lot of playing time if they weren’t starters for us,” Collins said. “It’s nice to have that. You know you’re one injury away, an illness away from having to make a change. We’ve been doing a good job this year of trying to rotate to get some players playing time and get them experience to prepare in case of an injury or illness, and they could step up to the plate. We’ve had good senior leadership this year. The juniors who have come on this year have bought into what we’re trying to do. That’s exciting to see.”

Jesuit, which last won back-to-back state titles in 2012-13, opened this season at home with a 2-0 loss to Ocean Springs, Miss. 

The Blue Jays haven’t lost since. They wound up in a scoreless tie with Dutchtown on Jan. 12 in a tournament in Baton Rouge. 

Jesuit’s Andre Saleun | Photo Courtesy: Jesuit High School

“That was kind of like a wake-up call,” Collins said of last year’s setback against Willow, the Division III state champion. “This year we had Ocean Springs and that was an opener. Maybe a little wake-up call for us. Judging by those two games you would say hopefully things will work out for us again this year. It’s almost a replica of what happened last year.”

Following a 2-1 win over St. Thomas More, Jesuit mowed through its competition with seven consecutive shutout wins and a tie with Dutchtown. That stretch included a 1-0 road win over long-time rival St. Paul’s and a 2-0 win over Willow.

The Blue Jays took a 2-0 win behind two goals from Hayes Laibe against Ben Franklin, last year’s Division II state runner-up, and a 2-0 road win over Catholic where Laibe had another brace.

“We thought we had a pretty strong schedule in front of us,” Collins said. “It was nice to go to St. Paul’s and Catholic, to know that if you have to go on the road and play against a good opponent, we were able to handle the pressure of the adversity from the away fans. You’re not on your own pitch with your own fans. We were very motivated to play. I know they were, too. They were two hard-fought games, and we were fortunate to come out with wins.”

The overriding theme of this year’s run for Jesuit has taken place on the defensive end.

With senior goalkeeper Andrew Duncan, along with center backs Dove and Walker Schott, and outside backs Sean Gardner and Barrere – an all-senior contingent – the Blue Jays have registered 14 shutouts and allowed a total of five goals – or three after the season opener.

Duncan has moved into a full-time position after splitting time with standout goalkeeper Larson Klibert, the MVP of last year’s state final and a Spring Hill signee.

“They went 50-50 for the most part last year,” Collins said of Klibert and Duncan. “Andrew learned a lot last year. It was nice to have two goalkeepers competing for the No. 1 spot. We’re fortunate enough to have that on the field with two players competing for a starting spot. It’s nice from a goalkeeper’s perspective. It keeps them on their toes.”

Collins said he’s expressed the ability of his team to play complementary soccer.

“We always stress defense going into every game,” he said. “How well the defense plays for us, it really gives us confidence on the other end and vice versa. Our defense knows that we have a strong offense. It’s very rare that we’re shut out. It’s a nice combination that you’re not letting too many or any goals on one end, and confident you can score a couple of goals on the other end. It’s a nice balance.”

Laibe, a junior striker, leads a balanced offensive attack with an array of options, Collins said.

The Blue Jays boast a rare trio of twin sets—seniors Cameron and Quinn Grandbouche, juniors Gavin and Eli Liantonio, and seniors Drew and Jacob Lalla—who play a key role in facilitating the offense. They are joined by junior Beau Hellmers and seniors Grayson Savoie and Graham Hemel in driving the team’s attack.

Hemel has been a feel-good story this season, returning from a broken foot and another injury, to rejoin the team’s starting lineup.

“We have had a variety of different players that have scored from multiple positions and that’s kind of exciting for us,” Collins said. “We’re not a one-man team. We have multiple guys who can step up and put the ball in the net for us.

“Grayson has stuck with it when most kids might not have,” Collins said. “He probably wondered whether he was going to get the opportunity after the second time he got hurt. He worked hard to make sure that he did.”

Jesuit’s Grayson Savoie | Photo Courtesy: Jesuit High School

Collins commended his team’s single-mindedness during the always tricky break for Christmas and New Year’s, coupled with last week’s rare snow event that resulted in four days away from soccer.

“It’s one of the challenges during the high school season,” he said. “To try and keep your form. It’s a challenge, but I have to take my hat off to our players, they were able to do that. They’re experienced and know when they come back after a couple of days and focus. Luckily, we don’t have to deal with Mardi Gras this year from a distraction point of view.”

Jesuit finished the regular season with a 2-1 win over Bonnabel, improving its District 8, Division I record to 3-0, but wound up having to share the league title with Brother Martin when their scheduled match was canceled during last week’s inclement weather.

Jesuit’s return to the winner’s circle last season was a reminder of the program’s past history of excellence.

The Blue Jays enjoyed a spectacular run of 18 consecutive trips to the state semifinals from 1998 until 2016. Two years later, they completed an improbable run to the 2018 state title as the No. 15 seed with road wins over Catholic, Denham Springs, and Byrd and stopped a streak of four straight state titles by St. Paul’s with a 2-1 verdict. 

Jesuit followed that with a state runner-up finish, advanced to the state semifinal, and had three quarterfinal showings before breaking through in last year’s memorable final.

Collins believes this year’s path is filled with plenty of potential potholes. 

“There’s realistically there’s probably 8 to maybe 12 teams out there that have some form and real consistency and have beaten good teams,” Collins said. “If they got beat, they lost by the odd goal, or they won by an odd goal.

“Even though Denham Springs and Jesuit are No. 1 and 2, I don’t think there’s anyone out there that you would say is a mile ahead of everybody else,” Collins said. “A top 10-12 team, on any given day, could probably beat anybody.” 


Featured Image Courtesy of Jesuit High School