James Davis ’18

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Over spring break, Jesuit’s Varsity lacrosse team journeyed to New Orleans, Louisiana. The Crusaders had three games scheduled for the trip and many other exciting activities to boost team chemistry. The first day the Crusaders arrived at Strake Jesuit at 7:00 a.m. and loaded the bus. The Crusaders then traveled for six hours non-stop and arrived in New Orleans at 1:30 p.m. After arriving at the hotel the men prepared for the game against St. Paul’s School. St. Paul’s were finalists in the Louisiana State Championship but lost in the final round. The Crusaders arrived at St. Paul’s and played a hard fought game, but lost 10-5.

The first day the Crusaders arrived at Strake Jesuit at 7:00 a.m. and loaded the bus. The Crusaders then traveled for six hours non-stop and arrived in New Orleans at 1:30 p.m. After arriving at the hotel the men prepared for the game against St. Paul’s School. St. Paul’s were finalists in the Louisiana State Championship but lost in the final round. The Crusaders arrived at St. Paul’s and played a hard fought game, but lost 10-5. The Crusaders were disappointed by the loss but did not feel that they played their best lacrosse.

The next day the Crusaders had a game scheduled against New Orleans Jesuit. The Crusaders had attended mass and were given a tour of the New Orleans Jesuit campus, and were very excited to play their brother school once again. The Crusaders began the game strong and played great team lacrosse in the first half. The game became closer in the second half as New Orleans Jesuit came back and tied the game. With forty seconds left in the fourth quarter, New Orleans scored, giving them the lead. Off the face-off, the crusaders won the ball and used their last timeout. The Crusaders scored the tying goal with four seconds left in the quarter. The game then went into overtime, but neither team scored in first or second overtime. In the third overtime, New Orleans Jesuit won the ball and scored. Both teams went out for a post-game dinner, allowing both teams to bond with each other. The brother schools were able to connect and create a lasting relationship.

The final game of the trip was against the Brother Martin Crusaders. Jesuit arrived ready to play after being defeated in overtime the day before. Jesuit began the game strong again and gave themselves a three-goal lead going into the half. After halftime, the Brother Martin Crusaders made it a game by cutting the Jesuit lead to one goal. The game then became very intense as tempers began to flare, with a few controversial calls from the referee. Jesuit then began to extend their lead and they won the game 11-7.

Though the Jesuit Crusaders did not win all of their games, it was a great experience for the whole team and brought the players closer together.