Tampa, FL – To outsiders, the Jesuit Tigers took a hit this offseason. Starting quarterback and Ball State commit, Kiael Kelly, leading rusher and Utah commit Ricky Parks and Florida commit Jordan Young all transferred to Gaither.
For the record, here is Jesuit the last two seasons:
2018 12-2 HC Matt Thompson District Champions 2 seed, Regional Champions
2019 11-3 HC Matt Thompson District Champions 4 seed, Regional Champions
A tough blow for any program to lose three players who were an intricate part of the team’s success the past two seasons. However, you move on. Where there is space, there is an opportunity.
Welcome 6-4 quarterback from Woodson High School in Fairfax, VA Joe Pesansky. He comes to Tampa with a bag of experience, a big arm, and high football IQ. The Tigers have four athletes competing for the starting position and or playing time. Joe is expected to be a big part of the offense and will allow the Tigers to get creative in their passing schemes.
Freshman Peter Pesansky has size and youth. At 6-2/235 he looks the part. When asked about Peter, head football coach Matt Thompson said “…And he’s very good. He will see some playing time tomorrow” as the Tigers travel to Bishop Verot for the first game of the 2020 season.
6-4/235 defensive end Jonas Jonsson is now part of the Jesuit roster. He has size and experience upfront. Matt Thompson expects him to be very disruptive consistently for the opposing offenses.
2022 Junior Vandeross returns. A skilled athlete who made his name in the secondary last season along with making a few splash plays on special teams. This season he’ll play a big role offensively. “He is experienced and has the ability to do everything on the field” Coach Thompson stated.
152 tackles last season for junior LB AJ Cottrill. He possesses leadership qualities, super knowledgable, and aggressiveness. 9 games last season Cottrill recorded 6 or more solo tackles and 10 games with 10 or more total tackles.
Another junior to keep an eye on if you can is Jaydn Girard. He has the speed for days, explosive and elusive on the offensive side of the ball. He brings experience to one of the thinnest receiver corps at Jesuit since coach Thompson tenure. 548 yards receiver a season ago with 8 TDs.
The Tigers will travel south Friday afternoon (9.4.20) to Fort Myers for the first game of the 2020 season versus Bishop Verot. The Vikings are a good football team. Ended the 2019 season with a 9-3 record in 3A region 3.