With their playoff chances on the line, the Jesuit High School Marauders upset the No. 6 ranked Elk Grove High School Thundering Herd in a thrilling 38-35 win.

It was a game-winning 26-yard touchdown pass on fourth down from Jesuit quarterback Daniel Susac ’20 to wide receiver Garrett McGriff  ’22 that put the Marauders ahead with under two minutes to go. 

That pass was one of Daniel’s five scores as he also scored on a 3-yard keeper and threw touchdown passes of 34, 59, and 16 yards. Daniel credits his performance to his teammates. 

“It all starts with the offensive linemen,” Daniel said. “They blocked great today, and the defense picks us up as well.”

While Jesuit scored on passing touchdowns, Elk Grove kept everything on the ground as senior quarterback Carter Harris only threw the ball a couple of times. Elk Grove ran a triple option attack, which got all of its senior running backs involved as Tre’von Frazier, Hunter Hall, and Damian Allen scored at least one touchdown. 

Although the final score doesn’t show it, Jesuit’s defense was excellent, holding a team that regularly puts up more than 50 points to under 40. Defensive tackle Carsen Keim ’20 believes the turnovers played a crucial part in the defense’s success. 

“Although we had some troubles, the biggest key with our defense was definitely the turnovers,” Carsen said. “We were able to give our offense the ball and keep rolling. Our defense also played hard from beginning to end. and that’s what made our defense successful.”

Besides increasing Jesuit’s playoff chances, wide receiver Jacob Hall ’21 is confident the win brought his teammates together. 

“Our team really felt a sense of how good we can actually be,” Jacob said. “We have seen our potential, and everyone is beginning to realize that if we buy into the program, we’re going to be a hard team to beat. This kind of game shows the fight that our guys have and how willing we are to get a win for our team.”

Jesuit will visit league rival Davis High School this Friday, Oct. 18, at 7:15 p.m.