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Garcia carries Jesuit

Staff photo by BILL WARD

RB Robby Garcia ran for 205 yards as Jesuit beat rival Tampa Catholic for the 10th straight time Friday.

By NICK WILLIAMS

nwilliams@tampatrib.com

Published: November 14, 2009

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TAMPA - Jesuit senior running back Robby Garcia was well aware of Tampa Catholic's arsenal entering Friday's rivalry game.

So much so that it kind of agitated him.

"All you hear about in the paper is they have great athletes," Garcia said. "They do have great athletes (with Tampa Catholic seniors) Christian Green and Chaz Green. They're good, but we at Jesuit play as a team. We don't have just one athlete that stands out."

On Friday, however, Garcia did stand above the rest.

Garcia rushed 35 times for a season-high 205 yards and two touchdowns to give his Tigers a 24-14 win, handing Tampa Catholic its first loss. The victory also marked Jesuit's 10th consecutive win in the long-running series.

"It's great to come out with a win on our last game at home," Garcia said. "I'm a senior, I love these guys and this means a lot. Our offensive line did a great job and our defense held them in the second half. It was amazing."

"He doesn't put the ball on the ground, he gets tough, tough yardage and he's just Mr. Dependable," Jesuit coach Joe Ross said of Garcia.

Jesuit senior quarterback Bobby Eveld completed eight of 19 passes for 125 yards with one touchdown, and he rushed for 41 yards. Senior running back Henry McCloud led Tampa Catholic (8-1) with 192 yards and two touchdowns, on runs of 74 and 88 yards in the first half.

Jesuit senior defensive lineman Calvin Ruff had two sacks as TC's highly-recruited quarterback, Christian Green, was harassed most of the night. Green finished with 25 rushing yards and completed two passes for 13 yards.

Garcia capped a 95-yard drive late in the second quarter with a 1-yard touchdown to tie it at 14. In the third quarter, Jesuit took a 17-14 lead on a 34-yard field goal by Tyler Feely after the Tigers recovered a fumble on TC's 37. The Crusaders had a chance to tie it just before the end of the quarter, but a 37-yard field-goal attempt hit the left upright.

Jesuit relied on Garcia on the next possession, calling his number eight times for 52 yards, including a 10-yard score that gave Jesuit a 24-14 lead with less than six minutes left.

"They had a great scheme tonight," Tampa Catholic coach Bob Henriquez said. "Once again, we were not able to make plays in key situations. At this point, we can't sit and worry about it. We have a tough playoff game next week and we'll have to put it behind us."