Jesuit High School’s hopes of winning a 10th consecutive Holy Bowl were dashed Saturday night as the Christian Brothers High School Falcons pulled off a historic 30-27 upset in front of a packed crowd at Sacramento City College’s Hughes Stadium.

The game was a rarity among recent Holy Bowls: a game long tug-of-war that was decided by a Christian Brothers touchdown with four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. The night was filled with six lead changes, clutch plays on both sides, and thunderous applause — a testament to the fierce rivalry.

As the game clock hit zero, Christian Brothers students, parents, and cheerleaders stormed the field as the Falcons defeated the Marauders for just the third time since 1993.

Having dominated Holy Bowl over the past few decades, the feeling of defeat is one the Marauders have rarely experienced. Jesuit right guard and defensive tackle Carsen Keim ’21 wants his teammates to use the feeling as motivation.

“Obviously, it sucked. [It was] quiet in the locker room, and lots of emotions [were] going around,” Carson said. “It’s never fun losing, so we have to use that feeling for the rest of the season.”

The Falcons sprinted to an early lead, utilizing a ground attack as junior running back Justin Douglas scored his team’s first two touchdowns with runs of 4 and 30 yards.

Christian Brothers junior quarterback Jacob Stewart also contributed to the Falcons’ run-heavy scheme as he scored the game-winning touchdown on a 5-yard dash to the endzone.

Despite the loss, Jesuit had notable performances from running back Ace Saca ’21 and running back and safety Kai Santos ’22. Ace rushed for 210 yards and had three touchdowns, including a 61-yard score.

Ace attributes his brilliant level of play to his teammates and coaches.

“I credit my o-line for blocking well and giving me holes to run through.” Ace said. “Coach Blanton also called really good plays that got me the ball in space and allowed me to make big plays.”

Kai was excellent on both sides of the ball as he scored off a 1-yard rushing touchdown and had an interception.

As to why the Marauders lost to the Falcons, Kai points to his team’s lack of effort and preparation.

“We underestimated CB [and we] came out flat,” Kai said. “They fought harder than we did. We cannot take anybody lightly. We need to prepare for each game like it’s going to be our last.”

Even with the loss, Jesuit remains ahead of their rival in the all-time series with a 32-16-1 Holy Bowl record.

With an 0-3 start to the season, the Marauders have extra motivation to get their season back on track as they travel to Del Campo High School to take on Rio Americano High School on Sept. 20 at 7:15 p.m.