DHS ties number one team in the nation, Jesuit

DHS vs. Jesuit soccer: a long tradition, a storied rivalry, one of DHS’s biggest events of the year. But this year, not only was the game held at Jesuit, it was held on the afternoon of DHS’s homecoming, right in between the parade and the varsity football game.

Despite the apparent setback, the Blue Devil men’s varsity soccer team did remarkably well, tying Jesuit 1-1, both ending Jesuit’s 68-game winning streak and toppling them from their nationwide number one rank.

Turnout didn’t suffer much either, says Senior Kate Latsch. “We had more people than the Jesuit fans…and we cheered way louder than they did,” she said. In addition, she said that the Blue Devil contingent included body paint, a vuvuzela, air horns, and a megaphone.

“We were better fans than they were,” she said.

According to varsity player and senior Ryan Gross, the game was originally scheduled for Sept. 24 at DHS, but was moved to a day earlier when Jesuit scheduled their homecoming for that day. And when DHS moved its homecoming to Sept. 23, it was too late to change.

“It was a long process to find a date originally,” varsity coach Ashley Yudin said. “I have absolutely no idea why the school administrators moved Homecoming to the date of our Jesuit game. Our team took it as a disrespectful act.”

Gross had a somewhat different take. “[The administration] did take some time and try to find a date….[T]hey were helpful,” he said.

Part of the difficulty in scheduling arose from “the reluctance of the administration to host the game at our soccer field,” Yudin said, after a game last year which many believe got out of hand.

“I think they believe it would be more out of hand [at Yudin field.] I think if everyone was prepared, it would go fine,” Gross said.

Senior varsity player Matt Austin believes the 2010 game was no more rowdy than it’s ever been. “You can’t really expect there not to be commotion at the Jesuit game,” he said. He believes that the new principal and new athletic director didn’t know what to expect from the game.

Gross agreed. “They weren’t ready for as big a game as it is,” he said.

Athletic Director Dennis Foster’s take on the situation is simple: “There was no talk of having it [at DHS], that I know of,” he said. He said that he is under the impression that the two schools alternate the hosting of the game from year to year.

While thrilled with the outcome, Gross would still have preferred the game take place in Davis. “Both DHS and Jesuit would prefer to have it on Yudin field, under the lights….It’s beautiful, it’s tradition…that’s how [the game is] best,” he said.