The Gonzaga-vs-Jesuit rivalry is back as both won semifinals Friday at the Boys HS National Championships.
Gonzaga Over Xavier
In a game that was more competitive than the score indicated, Gonzaga defeated Xavier 45-12.
Xavier had chances to score more but were stymied repeatedly, thanks in large part to the defensive work of back row of Andrew LaFrankie, Joey Hurley, and Burke Carroll. Those three shut the door repeatedly on a tough Xavier team.
With the ball Gonzaga was speedy and effective, scoring on the edge and also up the middle. Their bench was impressive and ensured they would finish strong.
St. Ignatius vs Jesuit
Defending champions St. Ignaitus knew they were in for a battle and they got it. The Wildcats let the opening kickoff hit the ground and that put them under pressure. Jesuit camped out in the Ignatius 22 for about 10 minutes and while Ignatius defended well, it was only a matter of time before Jesuit went over—Trenton Dewar racing over and TJ Pappas converting for a 7-0 lead.
Ignatius had hardly touched the ball but they did force a penalty by Jesuit. From that they took the lineout and mauled it for several meters before getting it over the line—flanker Cole Sutkus doing the honors. Aiden Pickston slotted the extras to tie it up.
Back came Ignatius and they worked their pattern to make their way into Jesuit territory where the Marauders were penalized. Pickston slotted the penalty for a 10-7 lead. But Jesuit did the same, and Pappas equalized.
Just before halftime, Pickston slotted his second penalty and Ignatius took a slim 13-10 lead into the break.
The second half saw Ignatius squander some scoring chances. They had two more mauls right to the line but were stopped, being held up on one occasion and unable to finish it off in the other. Finally Jesuit got out of trouble, and worked the ball side-to-side without gaining much territory. That is until Noah Sanchez broke through, evaded several tacklers, and was over. Pappas converted and it was 17-13 Jesuit.
St. Ignatius got some good work from Ryan Putka and also from Sutkus (who would have to leave with a worrying cut on his head). Finally the Ignatius forwards worked their short yardage pattern and after a longer period just short of the line, got it over. Pickston converted and it was 20-17.
But there was time, and Jesuit was able to get the ball back and once again play wide and fast. With no time left they found big prop Joe Mokofisi in the corner. There was no stopping Mokofisi from short range and that was the game-winner.
"They came out, punched us in the mouth ... it was just a very, very challenging game," said Sanchez. "We got lucky."
This was a truly entertaining game, a bit of a chess match and certainly also one that required every ounce of skill and determination from both teams.
Meanwhile
Herriman won convincingly over Rye to make the 5th-place final and they will take on Greenwich.
Rye and Regis Jesuit, the two teams new to the national championships, will battle for 7th. Both teams have shown ability, but this is a new experience for both teams. Regis did unleash some offense, losing to Greenwich 42-31.
