In round one of the Sac-Joaquin Section football playoffs, Jesuit High School defeated Woodcreek High School, 49-7.

The heavily-favored Marauders came in with an 8-3 record after finishing the regular season  second in the Delta League. The Timberwolves had a 7-4 record and finished fourth in the Capital Valley Conference.

Despite winning by a significant margin, the Marauders got off to a rough start as they fumbled in their first possession. Luckily for Jesuit, Woodcreek couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity.

The Marauders rebounded as quarterback Hank Harvego ’19 connected with wide receiver Kendric Bailey ’19 for a massive touchdown on Jesuit’s second possession of the game.

In the second quarter, Jesuit’s offense was on full display as Hank rushed for a 27-yard touchdown. The struggling Timberwolves would finally score a touchdown as senior Carter Krupp threw a 51-yard touchdown pass to junior Brennon Harris, which would be Woodcreek’s only score.

The Marauders answered with a 25-yard touchdown run from Cade Cunningham ’19 to increase their lead to 20-7. Before the end of the half, Hank would rush 18 yards for his second touchdown of the game.

In the second half, the Marauders continued to dominate all aspects of the game. On special teams, Isaiah Rutherford ’19 returned a kickoff 65 yards for a touchdown. With a comfortable lead, Jesuit would run the ball for the rest of the game, adding two more touchdowns before the game was over.

One of the biggest contributors to Jesuit’s win was quarterback Hank Harvego, who threw for 146 yards and rushed for 68 yards.

“We had high energy and high effort,” said Hank. “We didn’t execute perfectly, but everyone makes mistakes. However, we played fast and physical. Most importantly, we played like Marauders.”

Another star for Jesuit was Kendric Bailey, who had two game-changing catches, including the touchdown that set the tone for Jesuit early in the game. But even with the amazing performance, Kendric credits his teammates for the victory.

“Hank threw the ball well, and we came out hungry for the win,” said Kendric.

Despite the easy win in round one, Jesuit knows they will face tougher opponents as they go deeper into the playoffs. The Marauders will battle against Granite Bay High School in round two, which will be a tough game for Jesuit as the Grizzlies defeated the Marauders in the regular season.

For their next game, Coach Isaiah Frey ’08 is confident the team can perform well as long as they follow their assignments.

“Going forward, we need to continue to know our jobs and do them to the best of our ability,” said Coach Isaiah. “If we can do that, the sky’s the limit.”

This Friday’s game is at 7 p.m. at Granite Bay. Come out and support the boys.