Jesuit HS of Sacramento won the Northern California single-school title Saturday as expected, but it wasn’t anywhere near as comfortable as expect.

Jesuit had to come from behind to beat Dixon 17-15 Saturday morning in Rio Linda, Calif.

Stung by a series of penalties, mostly in and around the ruck, Jesuit had a tough time getting anything going. The teams changed ends tie 7-7 and then Dixon scored a penalty and a try to lead 15-7.

But led by solid games from lock Robert Paylor, and with scrumhalf Blake Xavier having a solid game, Jesuit because to come back. Xavier had already scored a try, and then helped set up backs captain Chris Baydeline for a try. Both of those were converted by Baydeline, who then also added a penalty to seal the victory.

“Dixon came in with nothing to lose and played really well,” said Jesuit Head Coach John Shorey. “It was tough for us. We’re just happy to get the win.”