In Jesuit High School’s Homecoming game, students and their dates watched as the Marauders overcame an early deficit to defeat Davis High School, 42-27.

Jesuit came in to the game with a 5-2 record and a five game winning streak. Davis had a 4-3 record, having defeated Pleasant Grove High School in their previous game

Even with the Marauders heavily favored to win, the Blue Devils still put up a fight as Davis scored 27 points, the most Jesuit has allowed against any Delta League opponent this season.

Despite the margin of victory being 15 points, the game was tighter than the final score indicated. The Marauders got off to a rough start as they received the opening kickoff but were quickly forced to punt to Davis. The Blue Devils returned the punt to the Marauders’ 27-yard line and then settled for a field goal.

In Jesuit’s second possession, they had a solid drive down the field, but Davis intercepted a pass from Jesuit quarterback Hank Harvego ’19. The Blue Devils capitalized with a 75-yard touchdown run from senior Payne Barksdale.

With the underdog Blue Devils leading 10-0, the Marauders needed to answer with a score of their own, and they did just that as Isaiah Rutherford ’19 returned a kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown. 

With the momentum now on Jesuit’s side, Davis seemed to lose their early confidence. The newly energized Marauders would dominate for the rest of the game and put on quite a show for their homecoming crowd.

Jesuit’s Kendric Bailey ’19 intercepted a pass, and the Marauders took over on offense at Davis’ 32-yard line. From there, Harvego connected with wide receiver Nate Lewis ’21 for a touchdown and a 14-10 lead.

After his interception on defense, Kendric would proceed to catch back-to-back touchdown passes on offense. His incredible performance on both sides of the ball would be the leading factor in Jesuit’s victory despite getting injured later in the game. Kendric credits his performance to the work he puts in during practice.  

“Our team goes full speed in practice, which makes the practices feel like real game situations,” said Kendric.

Even though they won, Jesuit’s players know they could have played better, and they will need to against Sheldon High School this Saturday. The Marauders need to limit the turnovers on offense as they had two interceptions and a fumble against Davis.   

“Going forward, we need to work on tackling and taking care of the football,” said

Coach Jonathan Isaac.

Jesuit extended their winning streak to six games, but receiver Nate Lewis ’21 is focused on getting ready for the next game, not on his team’s success.

“We go game to game and handle our business,” said Nate.

The Marauders are now tied for first place in the Delta League, and they will need the support of the fans as they battle Sheldon, the team who shares their position at the top of the Delta League.

To see if the Marauders can extend their winning streak to seven games, watch them take on Sheldon at Hanson McClain Advisors Stadium this Saturday, Oct. 20. The Junior Varsity game is at 11 a.m. and the Varsity game is at 1 p.m.