Tampa Jesuit over Jesuit 21-14
Kyle Bennett

The quarterback questions appear to be a thing of the past for the Jesuit Tigers as Aaron Paulsen took 52 of the 59 snaps, leading the Tigers to a 21-14 win over the Belen Jesuit Wolverines. Although a close score, the play on the field was not as close as it seems. Jesuit controlled the flow of the game and ate up over 30 minutes of clock converting 7-12 third down conversions and 21 total first downs. Paulsen finished the game going 8-12 for 120 yards and one interception. He also added 56 yards rushing and the game-winning touchdown.

Following a strong summer by Tommy Eveld there were questions about who would be the starter for Jesuit, but after getting the nod Paulsen led a 19 play-75 yard opening touchdown drive which ate up 11 minutes and 19 seconds of the first quarter. On the drive the Tigers converted three third downs and two fourth downs as Paulsen scrambled for 18 yards and went 2-2 passing for 22 yards.

Head Coach James Harrell said that the quarterback race was still heated heading into last night’s game, but that Paulsen separated himself early. “They were pretty much dead even coming into the game; It’s all about what guy gives us the best chance to win,” he said. “If we get into a situation where we need to take advantage of Tommy’s skills, we will do that.”

Defensively the Tigers featured a bend don’t break scheme as they struggled to stop the quick inside running game of Imani Davis who rushed 13 times for 154 yards including a 66-yard touchdown run. Later in the game Frankie Hernandez ripped off a 75-yard touchdown. Combined the two long runs accounted for 141 of the Wolverines total 274 yards.

Head Coach James Harrell acknowledged the team’s defense emphasizing that it only allowed 14 points.
“We got a lot of work to do. We got to tackle better, trust the system, trust each other and not try to do too much.” he said. “But at the end of the day we bend, but don’t break.”

In the closing minutes the Wolverines mounted its best drive of the game getting the ball inside the 10 yard line. With time ticking down Belen ran a play-action pass which was intercepted by senior Tavonte Russell at the goal line to secure the win.

If things coach Harrell decides to make a change at quarterback expect to see a broader passing scheme. Eveld is a prototypical pocket passer with a great arm and tremendous size. At 6′ 5“ he has the size, but lacks the speed and quickness that Paulsen possesses.

Jesuit Tigers notable players from Friday night’s game:

Kyle Statz played very well on both sides of the ball running seven times for 60 yards including a touchdown. He intercepted a pass in the second quarter at the 20 yard line and brought it out near midfield breaking a few tackles and making guys miss.

Parker Clonts is Jesuit’s bruiser who showed skills in short yardage plays and impacted the game from the linebacker position as well. He finished off the opening drive with a four-yard touchdown run and finished with 37 yards on nine carries, breaking a long run of 13 yards.

Travis Johnson was the most targeted WR and led the team with three catches for 42 yards. Listed at 6‘ 4“ 200 lbs Johnson used his big body to box out the Wolverine secondary on two catches as he slipped in behind the linebackers to make the catches in front of the safeties.

Kevin Newman is an intriguing player to watch. He is a freshman who saw a fair amount of playing time. Listed as a WR and RB Newman was used mostly as a blocking back and recorded two carries for four yards. He also saw time on the defensive side of the ball coming from the secondary to help with run support.