Jesuit 34, Robinson 15

By PETER ARRABAL, Times Correspondent
Published September 22, 2007

TAMPA - Jesuit turned a close game at the half into a decisive 34-15 victory over Robinson Friday night.

Trailing 13-6 at halftime, Robinson tied the game in the third quarter with a seven-minute drive, capped by Andrew Hall's 2-yard touchdown run.

But Jesuit's Erick McGriff wasn't about to give up the lead that easily, returning the ensuing kickoff 90 yards to put the Tigers ahead to stay.

"Robinson had a little offense going against us there and tied the game up," said Jesuit coach Joe Ross. "The kickoff really knocked them back a little bit. (McGriff) is capable of big plays and he made one to change the momentum."

Jesuit scored first on a 14-yard run from Chris Kavouklis. On the ensuing kickoff, Imani Wade fielded the ball with his foot on the goal line and returned it 99 yards to tie the game.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, a bad snap on a Jesuit punt resulted in a safety to pull Robinson within 20-15. But the Knights were unable to get anything going offensively, and Greg Dupell scored on a 5-yard run to pad the Lions' lead.

"Greg does some things that Chris doesn't do and vice versa," said Ross. "We thought we could get to the edge in the second half with him, whereas Chris is the up-and-down kind of guy."

Late in the game, Jesuit quarterback Mitch Pfeiffer found McGriff for a 33-yard touchdown on a pass that was nearly intercepted.

"There's a good chance (McGriff) will be our MVP on Wednesday when we give out our awards," said Ross.

The Lions were led by Pfeiffer's 159 passing yards, including two touchdowns. Kavouklis rushed for 100 yards and scored twice.

With :59 left in the game, William Horan intercepted Justin Le to end any chance of a Robinson comeback.

The win gives Jesuit a much-needed victory in the district.

"It's absolutely awesome," said Ross. "We've got to keep the momentum going. It's good to be 1-0 in the district."

[Last modified September 22, 2007, 00:20:12]