The Jesuit Crusaders beat the Mountainside Mavericks last Friday with a final score of 28-23, inserting themselves at the top of the Metro League.
Last year, the Mavericks took the Metro title from the Crusaders on October 18, 2024 with a final score of 58-35.
With key athlete Joe Stimpson back, the Crusader’s passing game looked phenomenal, with Stimpson catching 6 balls for 144 yards including a 62 yard touchdown.
“It feels great being back playing with my brothers, our whole team made the difference against Mountainside. We still have 2 regular season games left so we’re just focused on 1 game at a time”, Stimpson said.
The victory puts the Crusaders to 8th on the 2025 Oregon High School Football rankings.
The game started off strong for the Crusaders defense with Junior Justin McCarthy forcing a fumble, allowing the Crusaders to recover it.
With the ball in their hands, the Crusaders were looking to score in the first quarter. In the redzone, Junior QB Jack Wilson threw an interception to give the Mavericks the ball back.
The Mavericks were able to drive the ball back to the endzone and finish the first quarter with a 29 yard touchdown pass from Cade Mitchell to Sean Gerigk.
The Crusaders opened up the second quarter hot, however, with a successful drive followed by a 4 yard touchdown run from Luke Ortner.
After strong defense from the Crusaders, Mountainside had to settle for a field goal. With a 29 yard field goal from kicker Max Ryusaki, the Mavericks were up 10-7 in the middle of the second quarter.
The third quarter was a defensive battle, with neither team able to put any points on the board. Both defenses stepped up, making key stops and shutting down every scoring opportunity.
Senior Jaden Hedges made a huge play, sacking Mountainside QB Cade Mitchell and giving the momentum back to the crusaders heading into the 4th quarter.
“I was unblocked off the line and it almost seemed too good to be true, but l was just glad I could stop mountainsides momentum and fire up my guys going into the 4th. I looked back at the sideline after the sack and saw everyone hyping me up including my teammates as well as the student section. It makes plays like that so much sweeter when you have that kind of support”, Hedges said.
Unlike the 3rd quarter, the 4th turned into an all-out battle, featuring 4 touchdowns as both offenses operated at peak efficiency.
On the opening drive of the 4th quarter, a failed passing attempt turned into a rushing touchdown for Jesuit QB Jack Wilson. The kick was then blocked, making the score 20-10 with 9:45 left in the 4th.
The game was far from over, however, with Mountainside QB Cade Mitchell throwing a 45 yard touchdown pass to WR Sean Gerigk. Luckily their 2pt attempt failed, keeping the score 20-16.
The Crusaders quickly regained momentum, not even a minute passed before Jack Wilson threw a 62 yard bomb to Joe Stimpson, a huge play for the Crusaders followed by a 2pt conversion completion caught by senior Nick Zervis, upping the score 28-16 with 4 minutes left deep in the 4th.
With 2 minutes left, Cade Mitchell threw yet another touchdown for the Mavericks, making the game less than one touchdown apart.
The Crusaders were able to hold onto the ball and drain the clock for the remainder of the game, winning and getting revenge on last year’s Metro League champions.
Following the 28-23 Victory, the Crusaders sit atop the Metro League heading into their final home game of the regular season.
For senior night, the Jesuit Crusaders face the Southridge Skyhawks on Cronin Field this Friday, October 24, free admission with student ID.
