In a battle of writer vs. football player, not much would be expected in terms of true competition. But the senior varsity football squad would challenge that statement with an inspiring comeback from a 0-6 deficit that the skillful Roundup team put up in the first 5 minutes of competition in the 3rd Annual Expository Bowl.
The Roundup, led by quarterback Will Fynes ’18, led the writers down the field for a dominating 6-point opening drive. Unfortunately, a talented defensive stand from the football team prevented the PAT making the score 6-0 in favor of the pencil-pushers.
“It felt great to see all The Roundup fans in the stands at the Expository Bowl, and it was awesome to see those who write the articles take on their subject matter,” senior Tom Whitaker (Viewpoint Editor) exclaimed. “The highlight of the game is definitely seeing our managing editor, Will Aberger, snag a one-handed touchdown pass in triple coverage. It was almost unbelievable.”
The football seniors had no comment on the unbelievable “one-handed snag.”
Seeming to be the obvious victor of the matchup from the first whistle, The Roundup’s dominant opening drive looked to be what spectators would be seeing for the rest of the game. However, the varsity seniors managed to scrape a couple of points up before the half, putting them just ahead of the Roundup 21-6.
At the half, Coach Hickman and Coach Thompson put together a battle plan to reclaim the lead. An emphasis on short pass plays and a couple of flea flickers would make all the difference in mounting a second half comeback.
As the writers lined up on defense to start the second half, the football seniors faced them, hoping to upset their clearly dominant opponent.
A slight misstep by the rock-solid defense and a bit of luck by the football team, landed the varsity seniors another touchdown. Twice.
“This year, we were lucky enough to field a strong team,” Editor-in-Chief Martin Flores ’17 commented. “However, the football team’s natural talents and speed were too much for us. QB Fynes kept us in the game, but our defense was overwhelmed by the Ranger attack.”
Just within reach of the lead, The Roundup fought back with another touchdown that definitely made the score 34-24. Unfortunately, the football team just held on to lead and upset the Roundup 41-24.
“Looking back we could’ve played better 9th down defense,” Varsity Football Defensive Coordinator Billy Thompson commented. “But that 18 point touchdown really helped get us back in the game. I walked away from this year’s Expository Bowl really impressed with the collection of athletes writing for The Roundup and I’m intensely motivated to beat Dr. Degen next year.”
“My months of mapping out just the exact plays on the field clearly produced the results I needed and the crowd witnessed Friday night,” Dr. “Coach” Degen explained. “With two wins under my belt, I’m just a bit concerned that Hickman’s and Thompson’s jobs may be in jeopardy. I may be open to sharing some tips.”
Although suffering a heartbreaking loss, The Roundup players had a lot of fun. Junior Editor Michael Miramontes explained that he “thought the game was a really great, relaxing game. Nothing was too serious, but at the same time, it was still competitive.” Miramontes continued to say that he “had lots of fun, and even though the newspaper and the football team are pretty different, the Expository Bowl really showed how, in the end, we’re all Jesuit students.”
Others defended the loss with statistics and reason. Junior Editor Connor Thomas explained by saying he “thought we lost for a couple of reasons. We weren’t as big or as strong or as fast as them.” He concluded: “Also we don’t play football.”
Varsity Football Head Coach Brandon Hickman praised that “The Roundup team came out very strong the first drive of the game, putting a quick 6 points on the board.” He continued to explain how he “was proud of all the guys; they really gave it their all and left it on the field.”
Hickman admitted that “Dr. Degen and Mr. Asche obviously out-coached us and we couldn’t bounce back after the first drive and put anymore drives together or get many stops. You have to give credit to the Varsity football seniors and their new player Cullum Rushing who had the big TD that shifted the momentum of the game.”
Varsity senior football running back Evan Jackson commented that “the Expository Bowl was a great opportunity to merge the seemingly diverging worlds of the football team and the newspaper in a fun way,” Jackson commented. “Playing against the guys on the Roundup brought us all closer together as we competed on the football field.”
Overall, everyone had a great time and looks forward to next year’s Expository Bowl.
