Swimming

UNDERDOGS

FLY HIGH

JESUIT CAPTURES HARD-FOUGHT STATE SWIMMING TITLE

On the evening of Friday, November 19, the LHSAA Division I finals pre-meet psyche sheet placed the Jesuit swim team behind the meet’s three-time defending champions from Catholic High School by 131-points. Blue Jays swimmers accepted this challenge from the Bears, resolving to rise to the occasion.

“The guys came in hungry and confident knowing that they were much better than their seed times had indicated,” said newly tapped Jesuit assistant swim coach Brett Dipuma ’14. “They wanted to win this meet and did everything that we had asked them to and more during this crazy season.”

After a trying season in which the team never got the chance to compete in a regulation indoor pool until the finals meet itself, the underdog Jesuit swimmers seized the state title with an exhilarating crescendo of hard-won races in the Sulphur Parks and Recreation natatorium.

The moment was marked by a triumphant roar from the crowd as senior Egan Trahant, junior Truman Breithaupt, and freshman upstart Enzo Solitario exuberantly stretched their arms into the water to celebrate

with relay-mate junior Lee Reymond just three minutes and nine seconds after the morning’s final relay began. The quartet’s 400-freestyle relay performance sealed a Blue Jay victory in which the team swept all three relays. This clean sweep set the team apart from the competition, making up nearly a third of the team’s 379 points at 40 points per relay.

Trahant also swam in the 200-yard medley relay with sophomore Jack Primeaux and fellow seniors Zachary Davis and Parker Shaffer. Lee, Primeaux, Shaffer, and Solitario swam to a first-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle relay.

Head swimming coach Bret Hanemann ’85 characterized the group as resilient and tenacious, refusing to give up despite the uphill battle that they faced from the previous day’s prelim results.

Individual races were also a critical component of the team’s success. A standout performance from Primeaux ensured a first-place finish for the Jays in the 100-yard backstroke. In the 200-yard free, Breithaupt placed second with a time of 1:44.26 with sophomore Joseph Capo close behind with a time of 1:44.44 in third. Trahant and Davis placed third (1:58.05) and seventh respectively in the 200-yard medley.

In the 50-yard freestyle sprint, Reymond swam a 21.78, placing fifth, significantly improving his eighthplace prelim finish; he was just in front of sixth-place Shaffer, who swam a 21.94, and Solitario, who placed seventh with a 22.07. Solitario led the team in the 100-yard butterfly with a second-place finish (53.03); Primeaux and Trahant also swam in the event, placing fourth and sixth respectively.

The victory was Jesuit’s 40th state swimming championship, a success that comes alongside the team’s 39th consecutive district championship, which the Jays picked up in October. For Hanemann, who was named the Times-Picayune coach of the year, the title is his 18th as head coach. Despite the impressive number of trophies that have been delivered to Carrollton & Banks under his watch, Hanemann still emphasizes character, humility, and Blue Jay Spirit to his athletes.

“As a coach, you want your team to peak at state and leave it all in the water, but I remind our guys that the trophy isn’t what’s important,” he said. “What’s important is that they swam their hardest for their school and for the love of the sport. That’s what they’ll remember and take forward with them.” 

Football Wins District, Takes Runner-Up at State

From confident resolve to unexpected excitement, the 2021 Jesuit football season provided every kind of emotion for players and fans alike.

When the exhilarating season came to its end, the Blue Jays (10-1) boasted an undefeated regular season record, a district title, and a state runner-up finish.

In the first year of the Ryan

Manale era, a new chapter started for

Jesuit football. With a mix of veteran seniors and feisty underclassmen, the Jays demonstrated an explosive offense and a durable defense as they shattered expectations. Whether battling in the trenches or throwing the ball down field, this team showed tremendous versatility that allowed it to win highly contested games down the stretch.

“The expectation was to bring a winning culture on and off the field and to compete in our district,” coach Manale said.

“Words cannot describe the impact this team has made on me and how proud I am of this group for bringing back excellence.”

In the beginning of the year, Jesuit showcased its superior offensive prowess by defeating Riverdale,

Holy Cross, and St.

Augustine by a combined score of 145-19. As a part of the offensive onslaught, senior quarterback Jack

Larriviere connected with junior receiver Jace

Larsen for a 96-yard touchdown during the

Holy Cross game, breaking the record for the longest play in Jesuit history, which was set last year when Max Milano ’21 caught an 89-yard pass from Luke LaForge ’21. Before Milano’s reception, the record had stood since 1954. In those games, the offense was led by Larsen and Larriviere. No matter the situation, the combo maintained a bountiful connection throughout the season that led to crucial first downs and long touchdowns.

The intimidating defensive front consisting of seniors

Joseph Barnett

and Andrew Besh never let any opposing quarterback or running back feel comfortable. When anyone did make it past the two-headed monster, senior linebackers Jake Cannizzaro and Dennis Dougherty and junior Dominic LoGiudice stopped them in their tracks.

While Jesuit put together some impressive numbers, the regular season matchups against rivals John Curtis and Brother Martin came down to the wire. In the earlier of the two matchups, Jesuit faced Brother Martin, hoping to defeat the Crusaders for the first time since 2014.

A defensive battle ensued, and regulation was not long enough to crown a victor. After the third overtime, Brother

Martin claimed the hardfought victory by a score of 21-14 at Tad Gormley Stadium.

A lesser team would let this loss suffocate any positive thought for the rest of the season. The Jays chose to do the opposite and let the loss fuel their incredible run. When the squad faced an impressive John Curtis team a couple of weeks later, they did not back down.

With John Curtis leading 1310 in the final quarter, Larriviere dropped back and found senior tight end Chance Whitfield on a designed screen. Whitfield followed his blockers for 32 yards, finding the end zone to give the Jays the final lead with nine minutes remaining.

The Jays went on to win the rest of their games against the likes of Rummel and Shaw. After the LHSAA released a ruling that negated the Brother Martin loss, the Jays were named undefeated Catholic League champions going into the post season.

Facing John Curtis once again, the Jays took an early 14-0 lead. With less than a minute to go in the game, John Curtis’s running back found a hole for a 26-yard touchdown to bring the score to 14-13. The game seemed destined for overtime.

Senior defensive end Barnett, who refused to accept this fate, rushed up the middle during the extra-point attempt and blocked the kick. After recovering the on-side kick, Jesuit punched its ticket to the semifinal round against Brother Martin.

The result was Jesuit’s first onfield victory against the Crusaders since 2014. The offense did its part by scoring 28 points, including a 54yard touchdown reception by Larsen, and the defense held one of the best offenses in the state to 10 points.

Only one more game remained: the LHSAA Football Division I championship. After traversing the long road to Yulman Stadium for the chance to face down the Catholic High School Bears, Jesuit came up four points short of Catholic to finish the season as state runner-up with the Jays capturing their first district championship and finals appearance since 2014.

After the tough loss, the team bussed back to Carrollton & Banks and kneeled in the Chapel of the North American Martyrs, thanking God for an unforgettable season. 

ARTIFACTS FROM 174 YEARS OF JESUIT EDUCATION IN NEW ORLEANS

Celebrating the 500th anniversary of St. Ignatius’s cannonball injury and the 400th anniversary of his canonization, this Ignatian Year year aligns with the 174th year of Jesuit education in New Orleans. These artifacts represent a small sample of Jesuit’s rich institutional archives, which will now be housed in the Madonna della Strada Building.