The Jaguars went for the win on the road but came up short on the two-point conversion in a 21-20 loss to Episcopal of Baton Rouge during the bi-district round of the Class 2A state football playoffs.
The game was tied at 14-14 following regulation. In overtime, both teams got a possession and started first-and-goal from the 10.
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PJP came right back on its possession and running back Ross Macaluso, who tallied three touchdowns, got in on the first play to trim the lead to 21-20.
The Jaguars called timeout to discuss whether to go for the win or the tie. PJP coach Mark Jeanmard said he asked his seniors. Macaluso took the handoff, but came up short of the goal line.
“We put a lot of faith in our seniors, and they agreed to go for two. I’m proud of these kids for wanting to go for the win on the road. I don’t regret it,” Jeanmard said.
Senior Tommy Gritten said he was happy with the decision.
“He made the remark to the seniors, ‘do we go for it or do we kick it? I didn’t hear one person say kick the extra point,” Gritten said. “I would rather go out going for the gold then losing by 30.”
PJP, the 19th seed, ended the year at 5-5. Episcopal, seeded 14th, moves on to face third-seeded St. James in the regional round.
The game started out well for PJP. On the first play of the contest, Macaluso ran 68 yards down to Episcopal’s 2-yard line and scored two plays later to give PJP a 7-0 lead after the extra point.
Near the end of the opening period, the Knights downed a punt at the PJP 1. On third down, Episcopal recovered a Jaguar fumble at the 11 then scored on a 10-yard run by Randon Fields-Green. The game was tied at 7-7 following Allement’s PAT.
Midway through the second quarter PJP took a 14-7 lead on a 15-yard rush by Macaluso.
The score stayed that way until the fourth quarter. With about 1:20 remaining in regulation, the Knights knotted the game at 14-14 on an 11-yard run.
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