Friday, Sept. 5 marked the kickoff of the 2014 Jaguar football season, the Jaguars hosting the Saint Thomas Aquinas Saints. The team fell short of a win against the Saints with a score of 24-34.

The Jaguars were the first to put points on the board in the first minutes of the game. A 27-yard field goal attempt by junior kicker Andrew Hicks was good, putting the Jaguars up 3-0 with 8:17 to play in the first quarter.

While Hicks made the first points of the game, he believes that special teams still have room for improvement.

“On special teams, we still need to do a lot more work on kickoff,” Hicks said.

After a quick kickoff and penalty, the Saints came back and put seven points on the board taking a 7-3 lead. 7:57 remained in the first quarter.

The Jaguars regained the lead after a carry into the end zone by junior wide receiver Christian Jegen. An attempted two-point conversion was successful, making the score 11-7 Jaguars with 6:03 to play in the first quarter.

Aquinas took control of the game towards the end of the first quarter. A touchdown was scored by the Saints with :30 to play in the quarter, yet the extra point was no good. The first quarter ended with a score of 11-13, Saints.

In the second quarter, many opportunities arose for the Jaguars. Unable to capitalize on these opportunities, the Saints intercepted a pass with 2:08 left in the half, leading to the last touchdown in the second quarter. The Jaguars trailed the Saints 20-11 at the half.

After the kickoff by Hicks to start the second half, the Saints ran 94 yards for a touchdown. The score was then 27-11 after a successful point after touchdown, and 11:47 to play in the third quarter.

The Saints put their final points on the board with a 48-yard touchdown run. The Jaguars trailed the Saints 34-11 with still 7:23 to play in the third quarter.

After consecutive touchdowns by the Saints, the Jaguars began to make a comeback, yet it was not enough to pull out a win.

Junior quarterback Logan Koch ran 13 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter with 6:26 to play. A failed two-point conversion followed, Jaguars trailing 34-17.

To end the game, Koch threw a ten yard touchdown pass caught by junior wide receiver Lucas Krull. A failed two-point conversion followed, sealing the Jaguars 24-34 loss.

At the end of the game, Hicks felt as if the team began to step it up.

“We did well at the end, we put ourselves in the position to win in the fourth quarter,” Hicks said.

The Jaguars will take on the Blue Valley Northwest Huskies this Thursday, Sept. 11. The game kicks off at 7 p.m. at the Huskies’ stadium.

After one loss, Hicks says the team has full capability of winning its next game.

“We learn from our mistakes,” Hicks said. “We are shaking off [last week’s] loss and coming in more prepared this week.”