Brother Martin defeats Jesuit, 45-42, in shootout

In a great rivalry which lived up to its billing, Brother Martin prevailed in a Catholic League thriller over Jesuit, 45-42 Saturday night at Hoss Memtsas Stadium.

Senior running back Jaylon Spears had four touchdown runs for Brother Martin (2-0), including the game-winning score with 18 seconds left in the game. On the prior play, the Crusaders converted a third down and 20 from the Jesuit 21 yard line when junior quarterback Garrett Mmahat found senior tight end Logan Farrell across the middle.

On first and goal from the one-yard line, Spears powered his way into the end zone for the knockout punch for the Crusaders.

Senior quarterback/wide receiver Luke LaForge scored five total touchdowns for the Blue Jays (1-1) in the loss. LaForge threw three touchdowns, caught another from senior quarterback Jack Larriviere and also had a rushing touchdown.

Mmahat had two touchdown passes for Brother Martin and came up huge in several key situations.  Freshman running back Austin Jackson scored on an 80-yard catch and run with 1:51 left in the first half, and senior tight end Damiern White caught a bomb over the middle and broke away from the Jesuit defense for a 95-yard touchdown early in the third quarter.

Senior wide receiver Luke Besh had three touchdown receptions for Jesuit, including a nine yard score to put the Blue Jays up 42-38 with 3:18 left in the game. Larriviere had two touchdown passes as he rotated at quarterback with LaForge, and Sophomore wide receiver Jace Larsen added a touchdown reception in the fourth quarter.

Spears finished with 20 carries for 138 yards and four touchdowns while Mmahat was 15-of-22 for 295 yards and two touchdowns and he rushed six times for 72 yards. Jackson had eight receptions for 140 yards and a touchdown while White finished with three catches for 139 yards and a score for the Crusaders.

Brother Martin accumulated 510 yards of total offense while Jesuit had 465 yards of offense.

Both Blue Jay quarterbacks excelled as Larriviere was 11-of-18 for 216 yards and two touchdowns while Laforge was 10-of-16 for 159 yards and three scores. Luke Besh was outstanding with 10 catches for 139 yards and three touchdowns.

“This was a typical game in the Catholic League,” said Brother Martin coach Mark Bonis. “Every game is tough and is a test. We had to overcome adversity. Our offense played very well. We have a lot of weapons and experience on that side of the ball and we are still a work in progress on defense. We got the final drive when we needed it. This was a well-earned win.”

The win was the sixth straight for the Crusaders over the Blue Jays. The last Jesuit win in the series came in 2014, when the Blue Jays won the Division I state championship.

Brother Martin will look to improve to 3-0 against St. Augustine next Saturday at 7 p.m. at Tad Gormley Stadium while Jesuit seeks a bounce-back win against Holy Cross at Hammond’s Strawberry Stadium in a game that you can watch at CrescentCitySports.com and on Cox Sports Television.