Gallery • 20 Photos

By Annie Myers

Redirecting his path, senior Logan Talley avoids Aquinas defenders to advance the ball on Friday, Sept. 21. The Jaguars fell to the Saints 24-13.

The Jaguars lost to the St. Thomas Aquinas Saints 24-13 on Friday, Sept. 21. With this loss, their record falls to 2-2.

Going into the game, the coaches worked with players to put together a defensive plan to counter the Saints’ style, according to senior defensive back Eli Midyett.

“They run the same offense every year, so over the years we’ve tried to figure out the best game plan,” Midyett said. “Honestly, I think we had a great game plan [defense-wise] going into the game, but they just had some big plays.”

Likewise, in addition to strategy preparation, each player had to individually mentally prepare, according to junior running back Tyler Green.

“[Our preparation] was pretty much how it always is. We spent every day going through our film and going through everything we need to do,” Green said. “I thought about my role and how to attack this game. I said a prayer and then I did it.”

The first quarter remained scoreless. Midway through the second quarter, senior wide receiver Matt Wittenauer and sophomore kicker Chris Tennant gave the Jaguars a 7-0 lead with a touchdown and extra point.

The Saints quickly answered with a touchdown of their own with 2:09 left in the quarter. Later, they took the lead with a field goal and the score was 10-7 going into the second half. After halftime, the Saints came out with a quickstart and scored another touchdown less than a minute into the third quarter, extending their lead to 17-7.

The Jaguars came close to tying the score with two field goals made by Tennant early in the fourth quarter. However, the Saints then scored another touchdown with 7:12 left in the game, extending their score to 24-13. This would be the final score.

The Jaguars will look to rebound at home against the Blue Valley North Mustangs next week on Friday, Sept. 28.

Despite the loss, Midyett is looking forward to the challenges of the coming games.

“We improve every week; we battled hard throughout the whole game. I think this has been one of our best games strategy-wise,” Midyett said. “I think we’re hungry for more.”

Likewise, Green is confident that the team will continue to improve.

“Even though we took a loss, there’s a lot we can learn from this game. We still need to work on attacking and coming together as a unit,” Green said. “Coming into Blue Valley, we’re going to work on strategy and I know that we’re going to come together. We have the confidence we need to win.”