Flying With the Jays

Tennis Nets District Title

Jesuit is district champions yet again as the tennis team, led by Travis Smith, was crowned codistrict champions to end a short season.

“We had such a senior heavy team,” coach Smith said. “This team had such high expectations as players were looking forward to this season for years, and I could not be happier for this group of district champions.”

The Jays were not able to play their highly anticipated matches against co-district champion Brother Martin and the skilled group of Newman, but they did dominate their four matches against St. Augustine, Rummel, Country Day and Holy Cross before COVID-19 hit Louisiana.

Yet, their biggest moment happened in Mobile, AL, in the McGill-Toolen Invitational where Jesuit showed that they could compete with anyone in the state.

Jesuit’s A-team made it all the way to the “Final Four” where they lost a hard-fought match to defending state champion Catholic. Even after the loss, Jesuit showed that they would not back down and might serve as a preview for matches to come.

They would not get a chance to play another match for the blue and white, but the team’s effort and determination never wavered on or off the court. While the seniors did not get the sendoff that they were hoping for, two tremendous players will be looking to improve upon their achievements in college.

Captain Jojo Sandoz will be heading to Christian Brothers University in Memphis. Sandoz has been competing at line-one singles since his freshman year, including a regional singles championship in 2018. Also, Sandoz has matched his superior play by being a leader off the court for four years.

Pierce Westbrook will also pursue his dream at Howard University as he has gone from a junior varsity player during freshman campaign to varsity line-one doubles his senior year.

Smith could not be prouder of his older squad for sticking through the oddest season in recent memory and obtaining a co-district title. •

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FLYING WITH THE JAYS

Golfers Claim District Crown

After going 8-0 in the fall portion of the season, Jesuit continued its success by winning its first two matches of the spring against Rummel and St. Augustine in decisive fashion.

Captain Andrew Barreca and fellow senior Jude Donnaud were dominating the field to start the year as Barreca posted a one under 35 against Rummel, and Donnaud led the team at five over against St. Augustine. The Jays were paving the way to extend beyond a district title and finish as state champions under coach Owen Seiler. Even though the season ended after two matches, the Jays claimed the district title, their 12th in the past 13 seasons.

“We had a good group of kids,” Seiler said. “I think we would have been competitive throughout the state tournament with this group.”

While the Jays could not battle off the virus, the team left it all out on the course. Also, Jesuit does have a lot to look forward to as the team only loses two seniors and has many young players who will be coming through the system.

Who knows what would have happened if the 10-0 Blue Jays would have continued, but we know that coach Seiler is excited to get back to the links with his superior and spirited team to win another district title. •

Soccer

Veteran coach Hubie Collins pushed his team throughout the year, and the hard work paid off going into the LHSAA State Tournament as the Jays captured a 16-4-4 record during the regular season by beating the likes of Holy Cross, Rummel, and Dutchtown. Those 16 wins were good enough to receive a bye as the five seed in the big dance.

After the bye, the team was all set to face Central Lafourche and did not hold back.

The windy conditions could only hold the Jays back so long as senior Davis Laibe put one into the back of the net and assisted the second goal to junior Trevor Reichman, which put the Jays up two nearing halftime. Unfortunately, Central Lafourche did not go quietly, adding one of their own before half.

But this was the Jay’s day, and they would not relinquish their lead as junior Christopher Schmidt put one in from 30 yards out to go up two goals. Shortly after, Laibe put the game out of reach with his second goal of the night and Jesuit’s fourth to win the game four to one.

Next up was a familiar foe: Dutchtown, a team that Jesuit beat earlier in the year by two.

Sadly, Dutchtown would not be denied on their home field, but even after the go-ahead score, Jesuit continued to battle throughout the match. The Jays would eventually fall to the Griffins two to one in the quarterfinals.

Some Jays played their last match against Dutchtown, but two will continue on as senior Sebi Maraldo committed to Millsaps College in Jackson, MS, and senior Seth Trotter will utilize his skills at Johnson & Wales in Miami, FL.

The team chemistry should not be overlooked as the Jays won clutch games down the stretch to obtain a first round bye even when it seemed out of reach. Spirits are sky high entering the 2021 season as the chase for greatness continues. •

Wrestling

Three Jays were recognized in the top six at the state tournament in Bossier City. Junior Luke Battaglia finished third in the 145 pound division, junior Parker Anderson finished fifth in the 152 pound division, and captain senior Charlie Cyrus finished fifth in the 160 pound division.

Cyrus was successful all year and showed up in the most competitive matches of the season for the Jays as he won five of his seven matches in Bossier City.

In a year of rebuilding, head coach Sheridan Moran led his young squad to a 10th place finish at the state tournament. Now, Coach Moran has the foundation to build on. Battaglia and Anderson return for their senior seasons to add to a young squad that is hungry for another shot at a title. •

Basketball

Jesuit basketball had multiple exciting district contests in 2020, but none compared to the rivalry that formed between the Jays and the Shaw Eagles. Every game was decided by five points or fewer with Jesuit managing to win all three matchups. The first game foreshadowed the rest of the series as it took a senior Kyle Haupt three-point shot to tie the game to force overtime and the eventual Blue Jay win.

Jesuit ended the season with a 17- 16 record and had big wins against John Curtis, Rummel, Landry-Walker and Eleanor McMain. The Jays did not stop there. They had a matchup with regular season rival Shaw in the first round of the playoffs.

The postseason duel was just as intense as expected. The constant back and forth play kept the whole stadium on its feet as Jesuit pulled out a 54-53 victory.

The Blue Jays’ season ended in Scotlandville, where they lost to the eventual champions in the quarterfinals. Haupt who is headed to Millsaps College in Jackson, MS, to continue his clutch shooting. Haupt was a constant bright spot for the Jays and will have the chance to prove his ability for the purple and white.

Looking forward to next season, veteran coach Chris Jennings ’78 will continue to push his squad to its limits and challenge his players to form the best team possible in 2021. •

Baseball

During limited action, the Jays showed why there was so much hype. They swept through the Jesuit Invitational and won in walk-off fashion. Junior Tripp Haddad hit a monster home run to win the game and the tournament against the Catholic Bears.

In their second tournament, they continued to build on their success as Jesuit took three out of four games in the Jay Patterson Shootout in Gonzales.

Shining through these games were players that will be moving on to the next level. Led by Louisiana State University signee senior Will Hellmers, who had two home runs against St. Amant in the Shootout, Jesuit won seven consecutive games between the two tournaments and seemed determined to continue their superiority.

Alas, it was not to be, but four Jays will be continuing their progress into college. Hellmers will be attending LSU, senior Parker Serio will move on to play at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux.

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