Ethan Epley ’16

Friday night Jesuit played its cross-town rival St. Thomas High School. An important and popular game even outside of the two all-boys Catholic school communities, this year the game was voted the KPRC Friday Football Frenzy Game of the Week. After two consecutive defeats in the past two games of a fifty-one game tradition (1964 – 2014), Jesuit was prepared to turn things around. The student section came ready to cheer until the end, and the stands were packed on both sides with alumni from both schools as well as family, friends, and Houstonians looking for an amazing matchup. The spirit built up over the week was almost tangible, and hearing the deafening roar of the crowd throughout the game made the rivalry seem all the more intense.

The game was incredible in its defense on both sides, but on offense both teams struggled to put together consistent drives. The SJ defense played a tight game with an inspirational four-down goal line stop towards the end of the fourth quarter. The defense held the Eagles to just 3 points until the last 14 seconds of the fourth quarter when STH went up 11-7. Overall the team put in amazing effort and made their peers, fans, and their school very proud. This Crusader team will bounce back and will continue to improve so as to be a force to be reckoned with for the rest of the season. The renewed support from the student body should only boost their ability in the coming weeks. Strake Jesuit (1-1) plays Dallas Jesuit (1-1) 7:00pm this Friday at Crusader Stadium.