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Perennial power Jesuit is in unfamiliar territory

It's been a long time since the Tigers were out of the hunt for a state crown.

By ROD GIPSON
© St. Petersburg Times
published February 18, 2002

TAMPA -- Three losses in 32 games, another district championship and one shot away from a regional title and state semifinal berth. And this was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Jesuit.

When the state championship game kicks off Friday night, it will mark the first time since the spring of 1994 that a Jesuit (25-3-4) team won't be there.

Jesuit's march to another crown hit a bump when, after 100 minutes against Lake Gibson and a 1-1 tie, the Braves slipped into the semifinals Friday with a 8-7 penalty-kick advantage. Lake Gibson coach Bon DeLong knew the magnitude of his squad's upset.

"Any time you can beat a team of their stature, it's huge," said DeLong, whose Braves lost to the Tigers in the regional final a season ago. "They run a top-notch program, and they are right there every year. This is really big for us."

So Jesuit's string of state championship appearances ends. It was impressive -- a Class 5A title to close the 1994-95 season, a Class 4A runner-up finish in 1996, 4A crowns after 1997, '98 and '99, a Class 2A runner-up showing in 2000, and last year's state and national titles.

"I'm real proud of this team," Tigers coach Bob Bauman said. "It's hard to say where they rank with some of the other teams we've had here, but for a 'rebuilding year' we played really well. It's tough to end the season like this, but I'm proud of these guys."

Bauman almost had to start the season with cautious optimism, aware of Jesuit's talent yet reticent about his expectations.

After all, the Tigers finished 2001 with a 30-2 mark, their sixth state championship (fifth under Bauman) and the FoxStudentSports.com national crown. Their coach knew that was a tough act to follow.

"We graduated nine starters and 12 seniors from last year," Bauman said. "We knew it would be a different team, but I'm real proud of the way our younger players have developed and played well this year."

Those Tigers performed well enough to help Jesuit lose just twice in the regular season -- to fellow local powerhouse Gaither and to El Camino (Calif.) in the prestigious Puma Invitational. And those younger players will be counted on again next season.

The Tigers will lose proven athletes such as forwards Sean Sullivan and Derek Gelcich, defender Scott Golden and goalkeeper Ty Helmle.

But the program will continue to restock with the likes of midfielders Raymond Cuesta and Garth Jackson, forward Chris Plascencia and defender Joey Rotolo. All will be seniors, except for Plascencia, who's considered a veteran after his sophomore season.

"That's the good news," Bauman said. "They're coming back."

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