On March 4, the Jesuit High School Marauders took the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Boys Soccer Championship in a close game against the Sheldon High School Huskies.

Jesuit faced off against the Huskies after the Folsom High School Bulldogs got disqualified in the semi-finals of the championship. This meant that Jesuit went against a team that had beat them 1-2 in a league game.

“I always say that you have to be good, healthy, and lucky to win a section title,” said Head Coach Paul Rose. “The team definitely played its best soccer in the last three weeks of the season.”

Jesuit was not a clear cut champion; they lost several games in the league with one of the losses owing to the Huskies on February 9, who they faced again in the finals. Jesuit clutched the rest of the season winning the remaining six games played.

“I thought we won each game as a team, not as individuals, and played each game as if it was our last,” said striker Lucas Churchill ‘17. “I was so focused on helping my team win that I forgot to cherish the moment.”

Jesuit constantly worked to improve their soccer game. For team members like Michael Galane ‘17 that effort paid off in the finals against Sheldon. Michael worked on his skills a striker and was able to make it clear that he practiced hard by scoring the game-winning goal.

“Finishing at the back post had been giving me a hard time all season so it was great to finally do it right at such an important time,” Michael said.

One of the noteworthy goals in the sections playoffs was Lucas’s 18 yard shot against McClatchy High School, during which he juked several defenders to score.

“I don’t score goals from far out like that too often, so it felt awesome,” Lucas said. “Scoring in front of my grandparents made it even more special.”

Jesuit is preparing for the next season by preparing junior teammates for their up and coming roles and looking for talent in the Sophomore class. Jesuit hopes to continue its tradition of quality soccer for the foreseeable future, starting with taking the section title again next year.