The smell of delicious food in the air, players come forward and parents clap. It’s award time, the end of the season, and it’s time to relish in the memory of ten well-played games. The freshman football teams recently wrapped up their seasons against Highland Park and R.L. Turner.
The Blue team defeated Highland Park 35 to 7, finishing off their undefeated season. “It was a great performance by the entire team,” said Coach Bob Wunderlick. He admired the defense’s performance against the “very good” offense of Highland Park and said, “Offensively, it was the Peter “The Bus” Buell show.” The Blue team won district, which running back and Blue MVP Jacob Jowdy ’19 said was his “favorite part.” Even so, he acknowledged that “the final part of the season…could have been better.”
The Gold team similarly beat R.L. Turner in shutout fashion, 28 to 6. “After a sluggish start, [we] dominated the Lions in the second half,” commented Coach Wunderlick. An important play was one of CB Pierce Strong’s ’19 punt returns, which he took into the end zone. They tied for first in their district.
Looking back on the season as a whole, Gold team quarterback and MVP Matthew Priddy ’19 remarked, “Throughout the season, our team matured on and off the field and improved greatly as a team and as individuals.” He appreciated the “opportunity to get to know…and bond [with one other].” Coach Wunderlick agreed, saying that “the teams improved each and every week.” He added, “in particular, the defenses really played well in the last month of the season.”
Challenges that the team had to overcome included injuries and a very large roster. Over 100 players came out to play this year, far more than the previous year. Nevertheless, Coach Wunderlick “was proud of how the teams played late in the season and how everyone pulled for each other.”
Mattew Priddy says that this season was an excellent start to the freshmen’s time at Jesuit. It’s looking like a sizable group will be moving on to the JV squad, and we wish them luck for their time here at Jesuit.
