Jaguars advance to sub-state with win over Pittsburg
A 56-21 win over Pittsburg names Jaguars sectional champions, furthest the team has advanced in school history
November 14, 2015
For the first time in school history, the Jaguars are one of the four teams left in the 5A football playoffs. After a 56-21 win over the Pittsburg Purple Dragons in sectionals on Friday, Nov. 13, the Jaguars advanced to sub-state and will face Saint Thomas Aquinas for the second time this season.
Senior wide receiver Christian Jegen led the team to a win, completing seven touchdowns — four rushing and three receiving. Head coach Joel Applebee credits this to Jegen’s constant effort.
“He had an unbelievable night,” Applebee said. “He ran very hard when he was in the backfield. He ran extremely good routes and caught some great balls.”
While Applebee acknowledges Jegen, Jegen thanked his teammates for assisting him in his performance.
“[Seven touchdowns] felt pretty good,” Jegen said. “I couldn’t have done it without the blocking of [senior wide receiver Lucas Krull] and the rest of the team.”
The first quarter remained scoreless until the last two minutes, as senior quarterback Logan Koch passed to Krull for a touchdown. The PAT by senior kicker Andrew Hicks was good to give the Jaguars a 7-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
To begin the second quarter, the Purple Dragons tied the game at 7. This tie was broken quickly as Jegen completed a one-yard touchdown run for the with 8:23 to play until the half. A successful extra point brought the score to 14-7.
Jegen completed two more of his seven touchdowns before the half. A pass from Koch and a second one-yard carry gave the Jaguars a 28-7 lead going into halftime. Sophomore quarterback Brody Flaming said the team “kept the focus in and kept doing what we do” in order to hold a strong lead throughout the game.
The first points of the second half came from a touchdown pass by Koch to Jegen. Hicks’ extra point was good and the Jaguars extended their lead to 35-7.
Back-to-back touchdowns by the Purple Dragons and the Jaguars later in the third quarter drove the score to 42-14.
Koch left the game with an injury in the middle of the third quarter. Flaming took his place for the rest of the game.
An interception by senior cornerback Sebastian Peterson led to a touchdown pass from Flaming to Jegen. Despite nerves, Flaming was able to use his teammates’ encouragement to play well.
“I was a little nervous,” Flaming said. “But all my teammates were helping me shake off the nerves, and I came out prepared.”
The score at the end of the third quarter was 49-14.
Each team scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter, with Jegen running his seventh for the Jaguars. After the game, the team was awarded the title of sectional champions.
For Krull, the win is a result of the work put in the past week.
“We had a great preparation week and all around great team effort, Krull said, “[This week, we will prepare] just like any other game.”
According to Flaming, the post-game celebration in the locker room was as exciting as he expected.
“I can’t explain [the team’s vibe],” Flaming said. “It’s crazy. That’s what you expect from a 56-21 win over a good team.”
This win brought the team’s record to 10-1. The Jaguars will play Aquinas on Friday, Nov. 20 at home at 7 p.m. In their first game of the season, the Jaguars defeated the Saints 38-20 away. With the success of this week, Jegen said the team is prepared to face Aquinas again.
“This is probably the best game we’ve had, defense and offense,” Jegen said. “We’re ready for Aquinas.”
