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Jesuit posts a pivotal victory

Tournament crown shows the Tigers are returning to top form.

CITRUS PARK - Jesuit and Brandon learned a lot about themselves as they battled for the Elite bracket championship Tuesday in the Student Sports Invitational at Ed Radice Park. Jesuit, a 2-1 winner, found out it has returned to the ranks of the state's elite after failing to make the playoffs last season for the first time in 18 years.

Second-place Brandon learned that, although last season's Class 2A state championship squad was depleted by graduation, transfers, injuries and academic ineligibility, it still has enough talent to compete.

"I'm really happy. I'm proud of our guys," Brandon coach Allen Ware said. "We competed with all the big dogs and held our own."

His Eagles (8-2-2) captured the lead in the 18th minute as freshman Cabot Brown took a throughball from Ryan Teneyck and finished in the left corner. Moments later, Teneyck scored a goal that was waved off by an offsides call.

While Brandon outshot the Tigers 11-1 in the first half, the second half belonged to Jesuit.

In the 70th minute, Xaviero Pecora's free kick from just outside the box went to the right foot of Chad Dalton for the equalizer.

Four minutes later, Pecora got free for the first time in the match against Eagles marking back Jermaine Walters and nailed one off the crossbar. Two minutes later, Pecora got the winner off a pass from Sean Boyode.

"(Walters) did a great job on Xavi," Jesuit coach Bob Bauman said. "He just wouldn't let him play. But in the end, Xavi got loose and scored the game-winner. It was a great battle."

Pecora received the Elite offensive MVP honor, and Walters was defensive MVP.

"It took us 70 minutes to get a spark," Bauman said. "Our level of play never dropped off. It was just a matter of time. Finally, the depth in our bench helped get it done."

Bauman cautioned, though, that his Tigers (10-2-2) should not get too confident. "This all means nothing two weeks from now," he said. In the third-place game, Palm Beach Gardens topped Gulf Breeze 1-0.