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VYPE U: Strake Jesuit Heads Into Shadow Creek Game with Strong Momentum
Three games into their season, Strake Jesuit's football team has begun to settle in comfortably after picking up their first win over Alief Hastings. The Crusaders dominated the Bears by a score of 45-7 and were led by senior quarterback Connor O'Hara, who threw for three touchdown passes and ran for one rushing touchdown.
O'Hara has been utilizing his offensive weapons to the best of his ability, having completed 40 passes to 11 different receivers and recording a 56.3 completion percentage through the first three games. Standing out among O'Hara's offensive arsenal has been senior receiver Robert Smith, who accumulated an impressive stat sheet of seven receptions for 90 yards and a touchdown in the game.
Receivers like Smith have been key to helping the Crusaders find their rhythm, especially in the passing game. Entering into this week's matchup versus the reigning 5A Division I State Champions, Shadow Creek, the Crusaders offense averages 12 yards per catch. When O'Hara was asked in a postgame interview how the team will transition from a huge win over Hastings into their toughest matchup of the season thus far, he responded with "We gotta be confident in ourselves and our ability, stay humble, and take one day at a time."
Despite being 0-2, Shadow Creek yields admirable talent on both sides of the football, notably in their backfield. The Sharks' senior quarterback Kyron Drones is committed to Baylor, while junior running back Kelvon Brown has rushed for 145 yards off of 20 carries, which includes an 81 yard rushing touchdown. Both players were a part of the Championship team in 2019. Strake Jesuit's defensive line, however, has been performing well against the run game and on third downs. Led by Harvard commit Jacob Psyk and inside linebacker Jayce Bordelon, the Crusaders' defense has caused at least one turnover in all three of their games, which has led to more scoring opportunities for their offense.
With a solid core in the running and passing game and a gritty defense that refuses to let up, Strake Jesuit plans to open up against Shadow Creek riding off of lots of momentum and high intensity. The matchup will take place at Strake Jesuit's Clay Stadium on Friday at 7:00 PM.
VYPE Football 2020 Preview: Class 6A - No. 19 Strake Jesuit Crusaders
Welcome to the 2020 football season. What a weird offseason it was for everyone. There was not a summer camp circuit for player to go showcase their talents at. In-person recruiting came to a screeching halt and the COVID-19 Pandemic has affected everyone.
But VYPE has still done what we have always done when it comes to previewing Texas high school football here in Houston. With that said here are the No. 19 Strake Jesuit Crusaders!
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Last year, the Crusaders reached the third round of the playoffs for only the second time in history after another 10-win season. Could they go farther in 2020?Strake Jesuit returns 13 starters. Offensively, the line will be solid led by first-teamer Max Merril, who has offers from schools in all Power 5 conferences. He will be helped on the line by Luke Melton (first-team) and Sean Lade (second-team). They will have to replace the production of Will Dickason at QB and Texas baseball-signee Dylan Campbell at RB, who rushed for more than 2,000 yards. Alex May and Joel Crawford will be looked towards to fill his shoes. Defensively, Harvard-commit Jacob Psyk will lead the line as they try to be the No. 1 rush defense in the district again. Other names to remember include FB Jake Foster (first-team), WR Robert Smith (second-team), TE Thomas Jewett, DE Reid Codwell (first-team), ILB Jayce Bordelon and DB Lance Saizen.