After losing to premier football program, Jesuit prepares for Monte Vista

Plank Article Nick Araj ’21

After losing a tough game against one of the nation’s perennial high school football powerhouses in De La Salle High School, Jesuit High School Sacramento will match up against the Monte Vista High School Mustangs of Danville, CA on Saturday, April 10.

Jesuit now holds a 1-2 record following the 42-7 loss against De La Salle on Thursday, April 1. Monte Vista is coming off a 21-14 loss to Clayton Valley Charter and is still looking for its first win of the season as they currently hold an 0-4 record. 

Jesuit lineman Jack Hemmert ’22 believes that Jesuit can learn from the loss at De La Salle and that the team will continue to improve during practices and film sessions.

“The score of a game doesn’t dictate how well we played,” Jack said. “We learned as a team we can compete with anyone we stack up against on the field, on a team and individual level. Playing against De La Salle helped us understand the importance of preparation and learning our scout.”

Running back and defensive back Jackson Hagopian ’22 believes that the Marauders are very close to fulfilling the team’s potential that has yet to be seen so far during this unconventional season.

“We just need to stay locked in and focus on what we need to work on, and not how good the other teams are,” Jackson said. “If we fix a few of the minor mistakes, we will be a very tough team to beat. After playing De La Salle, I think it has proven to the team that we belong on the field and that we can compete with anybody.”

Running back and defensive back Kai Santos ’22 echoes Jackson’s opinion that limiting mistakes can help the team reach their potential. 

“We need to keep our heads up high and continue to fight no matter the score,” Kai said. “We need to build off of the good things we saw and continue to work as a team. Besides a couple of bad plays we showed that we can hang with the top team in Northern California. We have potential to be a great team.”

When asked what the Marauders should be focused on ahead of this weekend’s contest, kicker, receiver, and defensive back Alejandro Rojas ’22 said he wants his team to have their eye on one thing, getting the win.

“Our focus right now is to win against Monte Vista,” Alejandro said. “That’s exactly what I want them to focus on.” 

Coming off their toughest game on the schedule, the Marauders will look to even up their record and add another win when they face Monte Vista this Saturday, April 10 at 5:30 p.m. in Danville.