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Craig Royal leads his team in a pep talk before a game
Strake Jesuit looks forward to new era in 2021 season
After a COVID-ridden 2020 season, Strake Jesuit Football looks to return to some kind of normalcy, albeit with a new head coach.
As former head coach, and now San Francisco 49ers defense quality coach Klay Kubiak departed for the Bay Area in February, the Crusaders' defensive coordinator Donovan Fikac was named HC immediately.
While Fikac has years of experience as a coach at Strake Jesuit, there is still a major hole in the program as of now; there has not been anybody named to take over for Kubiak in his offensive coordinator role. It's clear that, though most players are somewhat worried about the position being filled, they have given Coach Fikac their full support.
WR Leland Smith, who has been practicing with some of his SJ teammates in the last few months, said "This class (2022) understands our situation with a first-year head coach, and we're all hands on deck moving forward to make sure that this transition is as smooth and easy as possible."
The Crusaders, coming off of a rocky 4-6 (4-3 in district) 2020 season, including a first-round exit against Clear Falls, are looking to make some huge steps forward with not only the coaching changes but fresh, younger players at some skill positions.
It seems like, just as they had last year, there will be a battle deep into the preseason to decide who will start at quarterback for the Crusaders in Week One. This competition seems to be between rising senior Alex Buettgen, and 2023 Pro-Style QB Bryce Fucik.
When asked about how he is handling the situation right now, Buettgen said "I've been working a lot with my Jesuit receivers to make sure we have chemistry going into the season." He also noted that he has been focusing on his deep-ball accuracy and reading coverages.
As for Fucik, he said, "There's nothing I can do more than compete, just compete.". Fucik, just like Buettgen, has been tearing up the 7 on 7 scene throughout the country and has been attending positional camps.
2022 RB Joel Crawford is expected to be given the lead running back spot, after splitting carries with Maurice May this past season. Crawford finished the season with nearly 800 yards from scrimmage, and is excited to have an expanded role in the offense this season.
"To be completely honest, it's not something I ever thought would happen. I see being both top running back and captain as blessings, and I hope to use these as ways to lead my team this season," said Crawford, who is one of the biggest leaders in the classroom at SJ, in addition to his commitment to football.
As all games scheduled for the 2020 season were either postponed or canceled as a result of UIL phasing in 5A & 6A football, Strake Jesuit hopes to have a little bit more consistency with the schedule this year.
The Crusaders will be playing Alief Hastings, Pearland Dawson, and Alief Elsik at their home, Clay Stadium, and they will make road trips to face Pearland, Shadow Creek, Alvin, and Alief Taylor. They will also take on three teams out of District 23-6A: C.E. King, Westfield, Dekaney. While Dekaney and C.E. King were on the original 2020 schedule, the addition of the Westfield game comes as a result of the home-and-home series between Strake and Dallas Jesuit being called off.
VYPE U: District 23-6A Recap
After an abnormal start to the 2020 high school football season, 5A and 6A schools are finally entering the playoffs.
District 23-6A finished up with two teams having dropped out of competition due to COVID breakouts, leaving only six teams standing, and after an overtime upset, the district outcomes were solidified.
Dawson defeated the reigning 5A D1 state champions, the Shadow Creek Sharks, right before the Thanksgiving Break in a thrilling back and forth game that was decided in overtime. The victory can be widely attributed to the rushing of Jaden Stewart (28 carries for 157 yards) and Torrence Burgess Jr. (14 carries for 57 yards, 2 TDs), the overtime-winning kick from Carter Brown, and their success on the defensive side of the ball. The upset victory over Shadow Creek capped Dawson's regular season with an undefeated record (9-0, 7-0).
Dawson's overall success rides not only on the shoulders of their running backs, but also the leadership of quarterback Colin Johnson (3 TDs, 709 yds, 101.3 yd/gm). The main takeaway from the Eagles' undefeated season thus far? They dominate the rushing game. Jaden Stewart (117 carries for 731 yds, 12 rush TDs, 1 rec TD) leads the team in touchdowns and yardage, and he makes quite the unstoppable pair with Torrence Burgess Jr. (83 carries for 522 yds, 11 rush TDs, 1 rec TD, 1 KOR TD). Together, the running backs led Dawson to their undefeated season. Leading the team defensively is Jordan Stewart (41, solo tackles, 53 total tackles, 3 sacks, 1 INT), Cameron Whitfield (32 solo tackles, 44 total tackles, 5 sacks), and Blake Smith (28 solo tackles, 38 total tackles, 3 INTs). This team, with their chemistry and drive, was destined to make a deep run into the 6A DI playoffs and extend their undefeated season. However, with continued success, the Eagles found themselves up against back-to-back state champion, North Shore. The Eagles fell in the second round to North Shore 38-7.
The Shadow Creek Sharks finished second in 23-6A after 33-0 and 20-6 wins over Strake Jesuit and Pearland respectively. Quarterback Kyron Drones (13 pass TDs, 1069 pass yds, 2 rush TDs) continues his strong leadership. Other big contributors commanding the offense for the Sharks successful district play are running back Kelvon Brown (84 carries for 574 yards, 4 TDs), wide receiver CJ Guidry (17 catches for 339 yds, 8 TDs, 207 kick return yds and 1 returned TD), and Greg Hancok (24 catches for 545 yds, 5 TDs). On the defensive side of the ball, Terrence Cooks III (33 solo tackles, 55 total tackles, 2 sacks) and Byron Roberson (52 solo tackles, 78 total tackles, 1 sack) combine to apply immense pressure on the quarterback and prevent the opposing offense from moving downfield. The team has an incredible amount of potential, and the Sharks are thirsty for a return to the State Championship in Arlington. While the Sharks struggled a bit throughout the season, they were expected to go far in the 6A DII playoffs. However, the Sharks fell to Katy in the third round with a 49-24 loss.
Coming in third was Pearland after a couple of close losses to Dawson and Shadow Creek. Pearland is led by quarterback Jake Sock, who has thrown 678 yards for 10 touchdowns this season. Darius Hale (97 carries for 586 yds, 5 TDs) and Dominic Serna (90 carries for 614 yds, 6 TDs) lead the Oilers rushing game, and together account for a third of the Oilers touchdowns this season. Other key offensive players for Pearland include receiver Isaac Sanchez (15 receptions for 299 yds, 2 TDs) and receiver William Foster (10 receptions for 217 yds, 4 TDs). The defensive side of the ball is led by Kelekolio Linton (34 solo tackles, 62 total tackles, 5 INTs) and Kvon Sherman (34 solo tackles, 48 total tackles, 2 sacks), who defend passes well and prevent the ball from moving quickly downfield. While the Oilers might have been considered an underdog going into the playoffs, their defensive success that held both Shadow Creek and Dawson to twenty points or less would play an important role in the overall success of the team. The Oilers were knocked out by a 21-6 loss to Atascocita in the second round.
Last but not least, Strake Jesuit pulled out a win over Alief Elsik to clinch fourth place in the district. Led by senior quarterback Connor O'Hara (91 completions for 1118 yds, 11 pass TD), the Strake offense scored a total of thirty touchdowns for the season to solidify their appearance in the playoffs. The Crusaders have key players rushing the ball that account for more than a third of Strake's touchdowns: Joel Crawford (140 carries for 790 yds, 9 TDs) and Maurice May (110 carries for 735 yds, 5 TDs). O'Hara often finds his key receivers Will Taylor (20 receptions for 363 yds, 4 TDs) and Robert Smith (23 receptions for 328 yds, 4 TDs) to get the offense moving downfield. The Crusaders' playoff run was cut short after a 21-16 loss to Clear Falls in the first round.
Congratulations to all four teams on their well-played district matchups and their own respective showings in the playoffs. In the crazy times we are currently living in, it has been great to see some fantastic Texas high school football.