Justin Wang ‘25, Jesuit football press writer

Game Information

Tompkins Falcons (6-4, 5-3 district) at Strake Jesuit Crusaders (7-3, 5-1)

Kickoff time: Friday, 7 pm

Location: Clay Stadium, Strake Jesuit campus

(winner faces Heights (7-3, 5-1 district) or Memorial (4-6, 4-3 district) next week)

Strake Jesuit Players to Watch

RB Johnny Hebert: 280 carries, 2,724 rush yards, 272.4 rush yards / game, 29 total TD

QB Bryson Easley: 54.2% completion rate, 834 pass yards, 11 pass TD, 7 INT

TE Heger Davis: 17 catches, 271 receiving yards, 38.7 rec yards / game, 4 rec TD

CB Otto Leone: 28 tackles, 13 PBU, 7 INT, 2 FR, 1 FG block

LB Brody Bazirgan: 23 tackles, 4 TFL, 1 sack, 2 INT, 2 FR

Tompkins Players to Watch

RB Ethan Meadows: 186 carries, 1,164 rush yards, 116.4 rush yards / game, 21 total TD

QB Justin Thierheimer: 61.2% completion, 1164 pass yds, 403 rush yds, 16:5 total TD:INT ratio

WR Bisi Bello: 38 catches, 563 receiving yards, 56.3 rec yards / game, 3 rec TD

LB Josh Davis: 104 total tackles, 5.0 sacks, 7.0 TFL, 1 INT

Crusaders Team Overview

This has been a banner year for the Crusaders. Their 7-3 record is their best since 2019. The team’s re-emergence has been keyed by a return to the power running scheme after several frustrating years of inconsistent spread offenses. Offensive coordinator Billy Noonan, hired from district rival Fulshear before the season, has engineered a smashmouth rushing attack featuring fullback Kolbe Stewart and a strong offensive line opening lanes for Johnny Hebert, whose lethal blend of speed, agility, and physicality has made him the state rushing leader (he leads Division 6A by over 600 yards).

Once tired opposing defenses begin to commit more personnel to stopping the run, Jesuit’s play-action passing attack becomes a threat. QB Bryson Easley isn’t called upon to pass very much, but he can efficiently deliver deep shots and midrange throws, as shown in his 8-12, 171yd/3TD performance against Taylor and a 9-13, 148yd/1TD showing vs Foster. In 6’8” tight end Heger Davis and receivers Luke Omanga, Jackson Hebert, and Dario Contreras, Easley has an array of capable receiving targets. At its best, this offense wears down the defense by running the ball at them relentlessly for all 4 quarters. To win against Tompkins, they’ll need to do just that.

On defense, the Crusaders have experienced upperclassmen and promising newcomers throughout the lineup. The secondary is anchored by ballhawking seniors FS Henry Omanga (2 INT, 3 FF) and CB Otto Leone (7 INT, 2 FR), who are both perhaps the best in the district at their positions. Fellow DBs Bryce Samuels (last year’s district INT leader), Michael Finger (1 INT, 1 FF, 1 FR), Daniel Yarbrough, and Luke Leone (1 INT each) have been solid in coverage as well.

Patrolling the middle of the field are inside linebackers Thomas Fote (43 tackles), Wesley Stewart, and Joey Uschold – who also caught the Crusaders’ longest passing touchdown of the season, a 47-yarder against Alief Taylor. Senior outside linebacker pairing Brody Bazirgan (2 INT, 2 FR) and Luke Rasch form Jesuit’s defensive front alongside disruptive linemen Brandon Ukonu (12 TFL, 7 sacks), Christian Clark (10 TFL, 4 sacks), and MacGregor Byers (9 TFL, 8 sacks).

The Crusaders’ special teams unit has become more reliable throughout the season. Placekicker Paolo La Matta has been impressive, going 43-45 (96%) on extra point attempts and drilling a 47-yard field goal against Foster last week. Senior punter Parker Broach has overcome a rocky start to the season, averaging 37.0 yards over his last 13 punts, good for second-best in District 20-6A over that span.

Can Jesuit establish the ground game?

The Crusaders’ identity as a power running team has propelled them to their first winning season in five years, and now is the time to rely on it more than ever. Coordinator Noonan’s offense doesn’t rely on complexity or misdirection – it’s built around overpowering defenses by going straight through them. Every single opponent this season has known that Jesuit would run the ball a lot, but stopping it is much easier said than done. The Falcons, who have an undersized defensive line and have been shaky at times against both the run and the pass this year, will prioritize stopping Hebert, which would slow down SJ’s play-action game as well.

It’s not a stretch to say that whoever wins this battle will win the game. If Jesuit can get Hebert going early on, they have a path to take control of the game: start hot, force Tompkins to overcompensate against the run, then branch into a more balanced play-action approach to exploit the gaps at the edges of the Falcons defense. They’ll also aim to sustain drives, giving their defense time on the sidelines to stay fresh. But if they start slow and fall behind, it’ll be hard to catch up against a faster-paced Tompkins attack. Either way, the offense must perform to keep this special season going. They have the tools – Hebert’s skillset, Easley’s bootlegs and scrambles, Omanga’s speed, Heger Davis’s size – but they’ll have to put everything together when it matters most.

Stopping Tompkins’ high-flying offense

The Tompkins offense resembles Jesuit’s in some ways, but beyond their shared run-first approach (72% run on 1st down in their last five games), there are interesting differences. They run a spread scheme focused on stretching defenses horizontally and making explosive plays downfield. So while the Falcons often start 1st downs with run-pass options (RPOs), they morph into more of an medium aerial attack on 2nd and 3rd down.

They have the personnel to match the scheme. Sophomore running back Ethan Meadows led Katy ISD with 1164 rushing yards, and his speed combined with quarterback Justin Thierheimer’s size, scrambling ability, and throw-on-the-run accuracy has made the RPO a big-play threat. A receiving corps led by WR Bisi Bello, KJ Madison, and big TE William Mayes has feasted on intermediate crossing routes; they seem to always be on the same page as Thierheimer. The Falcons haven’t had much trouble scoring: outside of a 35-0 shutout loss to state powerhouse Katy, they’re averaging 36.4 points and 358.9 yards per game in district play, both good for third-best in a powerhouse 19-6A.

Jesuit’s defense will have its hands full dealing with Tompkins’ speed-based attack. The defensive priority will be to contain the RPOs and rollout scrambles that Meadows and Thierheimer have excelled at. They also must limit the mid-range crossers, the bread and butter of the Falcons offense.

In addition, they’ll look to continue a season-long trend of generating well-timed takeaways. The SJ secondary has generated 17 turnovers in 10 games, including 4 returned for touchdowns. Corner Otto Leone, has created a turnover in 9 of 10 games this season (his 7 picks are tied for third in 6A), and safety Henry Omanga’s hard hits, coverage skills, and intelligence have led to five more. One or two clutch takeaways on Friday night could swing the game’s momentum in the Crusaders’ favor.

Prediction

This game might be the true definition of a toss-up. At their best, Jesuit and Tompkins both look like teams that can make a run in the playoffs. The Crusaders will look to dominate Tompkins’ defensive front with the run and contain their spread attack, while the Falcons will aim to stuff Hebert early on and bury SJ with rapid-fire scoring. The side that imposes their will on the other – while minimizing costly penalties and mishaps – should come out on top.

Having followed Jesuit this entire season, I believe they will be that team. What this game means to the Crusaders – an opportunity to continue the best season of their high school careers with a playoff win at their home field – cannot be understated. And even though they’re 7-3, I still don’t think we’ve seen Jesuit at their best for a full game yet. Under the lights of Clay Stadium, in the program’s biggest game in years, I’m picking the Crusaders to leave everything on the field and win the same way they’ve won this season: by playing with relentless physicality and intensity every single down.

Kickoff is Friday night at 7 pm. Be there to cheer your Crusaders on! (Ticket link here.)