Jesuit High School Sacramento’s Varsity Football Team’s first game of the season was Friday, Aug. 26 in Reno, Nevada against Bishop Manogue High School.

Jesuit had a tough game, but managed a slim victory in the end, with a final box score of 30-23. Jesuit’s next game will be an away game against Saint Ignatius College Preparatory in San Francisco on Friday, Sept. 2.

The Bishop game was a stressful one; it challenged both players and coaches. Coach Jonathan Issac thinks the team played well, regardless of some small errors. 

“You know, nobody’s perfect,” Coach Issac said. “We made a lot of mistakes, which we are hoping to learn from over these next couple weeks here, but overall I thought our effort was good, our intensity was good, and then obviously at the end of the day we won.”

It’s not just the coaches that feel this way, but also the players. Running back and defensive lineman Jagger Shaddix ’23 expects a good effort from himself and the team. 

“I have a lot to work on, and so does the team,” Jagger said. “[But,] it’s not anything that we can’t fix.”

Even though Jagger’s focus is on what he can do better, he still found himself nominated to be The Sacramento Bee Prep of the Week (Vote Here) for his amazing performance in Reno. 

Coach Sean Morris thinks that when it comes to this Friday’s game against St. Ignatius, Jagger will not be the only consideration for “prep of the week.”

“I think Ike should have a good game if he continues on the path we think,” Coach Morris said. “Garret Risley, Jagger Shadix, and Anthony Seibles, those guys should probably have a pretty good game.”

While looking forward to player performance in the next game, Coach Morris also knows how tricky playing St. Ignatius can be, and knows that the team needs to be focused. 

“[Players need to] be very disciplined to beat this team,” Coach Morris said. “[St. Ignatius tries] to confuse you, and you can’t fall for it.”

Coach Issac also shares Coach Morris’s sentiment, and thinks that because of the team’s conditioning and work, they have what it takes to beat St. Ignatius.

“You know [our players] need to be in shape; they need to be prepared for St. Ignatius,” Coach Issac said. “St. Ignatius does a lot of things, in terms of formations and motions, so our kids need to be focused on what we are preparing them for, and really performing their technique.”

If you find yourself able to be in San Francisco Friday night, kickoff for the game is at 7 pm.