A Return To Tradition

THE RIVALRY

A Return to Tradition

Jesuit Takes Victory in Historic Rivalry

For the fourth consecutive year, the Golden Football remained to Carrollton & Banks. Playing one of their best games of the year against Holy Cross, the Jays left Tad Gormley Stadium as victors by a score of 51-7, the largest margin in the series for the past 29 years. The Jays now hold a 60-40-1 advantage in the series. All signs point toward an exhilarating 2022 matchup that will commemorate the 100th year of this historic rivalry.

The matchup continues to leave an impact on fans and players alike with festivities and traditions that occur before and during the contest. Before the game, thousands outside Tad Gormley gathered around the pots that alumni and parents tended throughout the morning while engaging in conversation.

As kickoff neared, the Jesuit band paraded around the in-stadium track to a rapt audience. Once the stadium settled, the historic game began.

Halftime featured another tradition: the honoring of the Distinguished Military Alumnus and the Legend of the Game. For the 2021 Rivalry Game, the Distinguished Military Alumnus was Arthur “Dooty” Patron ’51, and the Legend of the Game was John Hazard ’83.

After college Patron entered the naval flight training program in Pensacola, where he earned his “wings of gold” and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps. His four-and-a-half-year stint of active service at the end of the Korean conflict included deployments to Japan, the Philippines, and Okinawa.

Hazard, the Legend of the Game, played defensive tackle for the Blue Jays his freshman through senior year, which included the 1980 Jesuit-Holy Cross meeting in the Superdome. Leading the Jays as team captain, he was named to all-district, allmetro, all-state, and all-American teams and was a starter on the 1981 district championship team. After moving on to play football at Louisiana State University, he was honored as academic all-SEC, second team all-SEC, and honorable mention all-American. He was a team captain when LSU won the SEC Championship in 1986 and played in a Liberty Bowl and two Sugar Bowls.

Two students were also honored for their commitment to service and their academic prowess. The 2021 Royal Honda Community Service Award was awarded to senior Jacob Caldarera,

and the 2021 Scholar-Athlete award was presented to senior Jack Gasquet.

Reflecting on the on-field and offfield spectacles, first-year coach Ryan

Manale understood the importance of all the pieces that went into the historic matchup.

“What a great environment and game to be a part of,” Manale said. “It was great to have the Jays on top and for our student athletes to experience that game.” •

18 | JAYNOTES | FALL / WINTER 2021