Hopefully Beaverton Head Coach Bob Boyer can take his squads 42-14 loss and put it in a closet and throw away the key. Don't glance at the score and tell yourself 'another easy win.' Don't do that. This was the classic rivalry game played on a brisk clear night on Jesuit's Cronin Field. For one half Beaverton took everything Jesuit and it's home field advantage which included a full house of fans and some 'divine intervention' before watching the tight battle suddenly explode in a late cavalcade of Crusader touchdowns. Next year the Beavers heavily junior laden class will be seniors and get one last shot of their bitter rivals on their own home turf.

Spocks logic dictated this would be night consisting of a lot of punts and three and outs. Beaverton was getting lots of 'cred' built up as a stout defensive team that was stingy with the run. Beaverton recieved the kickoff and went three and out and then Jesuit threw Spocks logic to the Klingons. What Junior Scott Williams did was orchestrate a brilliant fourteen play drive that gobbled up most the first quarter and was capped when the "Marshall Faulk" of Oregon high school football, Raphiel Lambert, took it in from 2 yards out as Jesuit hit the board with 2:36 left in the first quarter for a 7-0 lead. Starting from their own 19 yard line, they racked up six first down and never had a play go for over 9 yards while eating up almost eight minutes. Beaverton answered this bell with their own 12 play drive when Senior Doug Gilmore took a nice little pass from Quarterback Michael DeHaan in from six yards out and with seven and a half minutes left before halftime the score was knotted a 7-7.

It may be one of those regrettable decisions a coach makes from time to time but Beaverton decided to squib kick. Jesuit recovered on their own 44 and wasted no time in a peculiar sort of way. First they were called for a holding penalty. Then they lost three yards on a botched run. Then on 3rd and 23 they called their "Divine Intervention' play with rangy receiver Zane Norris overrunning the defender into the ground before making a great grab at the Beaver five yard line. Simply put, Boyer went ballistic. For better or for worse, it was a crucial non-call that kiboshed what little 'mo' Beaverton had been building. On the next play, Beaverton stuffed Lambert for a short gain and were called for an "Excessive Celebration' penalty and Jesuit got a first down at the 2 yard line where they promptly gave it to Lambert from two yards out (am I sounding like a stuck record here?) and retook the lead 14-7 with 4:12 left in the half. The nightmare would not end for Beaverton quite yet. Joel Gross took the kickoff and fumbled it. Jesuit recovered. Wait, the officals, who were getting skittish from the howls of angst erupting from Boyer, reversed the call and gave it back to Beaverton. The Beavers proceeded to get flagged for a holding, then took an eight yard loss and a three yard loss which was inches from being a safety before workhorse Jackie Coburn got it out to the three yard line and a more manageable 4th and 32. Jesuits speedy Austin Cheek returned the punt 22 yards to the Beaverton 14 yard line where they took one play, a nifty reverse from Lambert to Keanon Lowe who scampered in untouched. With 1:31 left in the half it was looking bleak for the visitors To Beavertons credit they would not go gently into the cold night. Gross took the kickoff 30 yards and in the 90 seconds they got down into striking range when DeHaan hit Alex Corona with a great pass from 16 yards out and just like that it was a game again as Jesuit went in up 21-14.

We may never know what went on in the Jesuit locker room at the half. Perhaps crafty Head Coach Ken Potter used electro-shock therapy. Perhaps some simple adjustments. Maybe the threat of a 1000 gutbusters, Whatever it was, clearly it was a different Crusader team that emerged for the second half.

Well, they did keep the door cracked open to give Beaverton an illusion of hope early on when they went three and out and let the Beaver's march to midfield before forcing them to punt. Deep in their own territory, Jesuit again went with their superior speed and a reverse to exploit the Beaver's weakness. Then came a crucial point in the game where Beaverton held them to a fourth and two and Jesuit went for it inside the Beaver 25 yard line. Who else but Raphiel Lambert muscled his way for the three yards on a first down. Scott Williams hit Zane Norris in the west endzone to take a commanding 28-14 lead with 1:26 left in the third, and it slowly turned into a route thereafter.

The fourth quarter found Jesuit doing as they pleased and Beaverton starting to pile up turovers and penalties and mounting frustration. With nine minutes left in the game, Lambert decided to put an exclamation on the night with his third touchdown coming on a spectacular multi-gear shifting run from 55 yards out. Junior running back Anthonly Blake tacked on the final touchdown run of the night from 22 yards out to move the cushion to 42-14 and sending the Beavers to 3-2 for the year while Jesuit improved to 4-1. In a game of breaks and bounces, this night belonged to Jesuit. They took care of the ball, got the bounces, and showed why they are recognized as one of the top teams in the state. Beaverton left knowing there is work to be done before playoffs begin, and clearly they are a team that belongs come playoff time. The next several weeks will decide if the gods of "Divine Intervention" will decide to intervene on the Beavers behalf.