Holy Rivalries!

Upon the playing of the 45th Holy Bowl, we took a closer look at one of the SJS’ best rivalries

  By JIM McCUE | Senior Contributor

  Alumni of Christian Brothers, Jesuit, and St. Francis High Schools — especially those that have played in a Holy Bowl, Holy Court, or Holy Cup — can carry the special rivalry that exists between the local parochial foes long past their high school playing days. Typically, you choose a side and either bleed Brothers blue or Marauders/Troubadours red to the bitter end.

  “(The game) used to be just for bragging rights as you drove along Fair Oaks Boulevard,” Dan Carmazzi said of the early years of the rivalry prior to the 2013 Holy Bowl, “but it has gotten much bigger than that.”

  Carmazzi has seen it evolve from neighborhood bragging rights to weeklong spectacles involving spirit competitions, rallies, and huge turnouts at venues throughout the Sacramento region. He played for Christian Brothers in the first two editions of the Holy Bowl football game in 1969 and 1970 and was an assistant coach briefly at his alma mater before he led the Jesuit football program for more than 30 years. Thus, he has perhaps the deepest and most unique perspective on the rivalries than anyone.

  This year, the rivalry on the gridiron gained a new perspective with the inaugural Junior Halo Bowl on  Aug. 30. The neighborhood showdown now begins at the young age of just 8 years old. The Junior Falcons, a feeder program in its third year for Christian Brothers, and the more established Junior Marauders, staged four games on the Christian Brothers campus to kick off the 2014 Holy rivalry contests.

  “There was a very good turnout with probably close to 1,000 people coming out for the four games,” said Ken Garrett, president of the Junior Falcons Youth Football and Cheer program. “It was a great atmosphere and highly supported by both sides. And hopefully it was the first of many Junior Halo Bowls.”

  At the end of the day, the two sides essentially played to a draw with the Junior Falcons winning at the 8U Junior Peewees (25-21) and 10U Peewees (10-6), and the Junior Marauders claiming victory at the 12U Junior Midgets (30-25) and 14U Midgets (45-14). 

  Garrett was proud of his “David” Division 4 program holding its own against the “Goliath” Division 1 program, but acknowledged that the rivalry at the junior levels evens the playing field much like it does on the high school gridiron.

  He is hopeful that the programs will continue the traditional rivalry at the youth level, potentially setting up some individual rivalries and showdowns that could create their own histories.

  “The kids that continue to play through the junior football programs are likely to face each other a whole lot by the time they reach the Holy Bowl,” Garrett said. “That could be a lot of fun to watch for many years.”

  The rivalry continued after the youth football matchups with the Holy Court girls volleyball and Holy Cup boys soccer showdowns in the following weeks. 

  St. Francis thrilled its sellout home crowd of 1,200 with a 3-1 victory over top-ranked Christian Brothers in what has become a marquee matchup between two of the Sac-Joaquin Section’s best programs in recent years. Troubadours head coach Alynn Wright, who is in her 24th year at St. Francis, has gained an appreciation for the spirited competition on and off the court.

  “What makes it so special is that the girls get to play in front of packed houses, whether it is in our gym or at Christian Brothers,” Wright said. “It’s not so much the rivalry, but the game itself and the atmosphere because most of the girls will never play in front of crowds like that ever again, even in college.”

  Jesuit, a nationally-ranked powerhouse in soccer, handled Christian Brothers on the pitch, 3-0, on Sept. 9 to remain undefeated. The Marauders have their sights set on 
reclaiming the section Division I title from Granite Bay and beating other rivals like Davis and Jesuit-Portland during the season. Still, head coach Paul Rose acknowledges the unique and special rivalry that is the Holy Cup.

  “I think the difference between a rivalry and just a league game is that over the years rivalries build,” Rose said. “League’s change but playing year after year, game after game at a high level against the same teams, that’s where the rivalry builds.” 

  The results of the 2014 Holy Rivalry contests will be remembered for many years to come by the participants, some will cherish them to the grave. And now, the rivalry is approaching memories closer to the cradle to bring the battle for neighborhood bragging rights to an even higher level.

  2014 HOLY BOWL
   The Holy Bowl began in 1969 and has become one of the premiere high school football rivalry games in the Sac-Joaquin Section, and particularly in Sacramento, throughout its 44-year history. Following are particulars for the 45th edition of the Jesuit-Christian Brothers showdown.
   WHEN: Saturday, September 13, 2014
  >> 2:00 PM – Freshmen
  >> 4:30 PM – Junior Varsity
  >> 7:00 PM – Varsity
  WHERE: Hughes Stadium, Sacramento City College, Sacramento
  TICKETS: Adults – $10; Students/Children (Age 5-18)/Seniors – $7.00
  https://cbhs.webconnex.com/HolyBowl2014 ($1.00 convenience fee for online ticket purchases)
  HISTORY: Jesuit leads the series 28-14-2

  RUNNIN’ ‘RAUDERS
  Jesuit rolled to a 52-28 victory last year on the legs of a ground game that racked up 453 rushing yards, including a Holy Bowl-record 280 yards from senior Ben Parietti. Parietti scored four TDs on the ground and senior QB Jason Elenberger added 128 yards rushing and 2 TDs to go along with 119 yards passing and a TD.

  THE D(E)AN OF THE HOLY BOWL
  Dan Carmazzi will participate in his 41st Holy Bowl in 2014. He quarterbacked Christian Brothers in the first two games of the series, and has been on the sidelines as a Falcons’ assistant coach and as Jesuit’s head coach for more than 30 years. In 2013, Carmazzi left Jesuit to become the Christian Brothers Athletic Director and assistant coach before taking over as the Falcons’ head coach this year. During his tenure as the Marauders’ head coach, Dan coached all three of his sons — Gio, Matt, and Dominic —in Holy Bowl action.

  CBS DROUGHT
  The Falcons have just two wins and one tie in the last 22 regular season meetings, dating back to 1993.

  JESUIT KEYS TO THE GAME
  Junior RB Beau Bisharat could threaten the Holy Bowl rushing record set just last year. He broke out for 255 yards and three TDs last week in a 42-28 victory over Yuba City. The Marauders (1-1) will need to balance the offense with an effective performance from senior QB Cole Brownholtz (two TD passes last week) in order to continue their dominance over the Falcons. Senior LB Isaiah Bailey leads the Jesuit defense and is an offensive threat at WR.

  CHRISTIAN BROTHERS KEYS TO THE GAME
  Senior QB Chris Guillen hopes to use the experience of last year’s Holy Bowl to carry his offense to an elusive victory in the rivalry. Guillen is a dual threat as he passed for 215 yards and added 98 yards rushing in a 46-23 rout of Laguna Creek-Elk Grove last week. For the season, the signal caller has 460 yards passing and four TDs for the Falcons (2-0). Sophomore RB Jamarri Jackson has breakaway speed on the outside and the ability to run between the tackles as well. He has 253 yards rushing and five TDs on offense as well as two interceptions on defense. The Christian Brothers’ defensive line and senior LBs Jack Fondale and Kellen Ralph will need to slow Jesuit’s running attack in order to prevail.

  SERIES GAME LOG:
  1969: CBS 20, Jesuit 13
  1970: Jesuit 8, CBS 7
  1971: CBS 40, Jesuit 7
  1972: Jesuit 21, CBS 0
  1973: CBS 0, Jesuit 0
  1974: CBS 53, Jesuit 28
  1975: Jesuit 7, CBS 6
  1976: Jesuit 13, CBS 6
  1977: No game
  1978: No game
  1979: CBS 53, Jesuit 14
  1980: CBS 40, Jesuit 7
  1981: CBS 17, Jesuit 10
  1982: CBS 21, Jesuit 0
  1983: CBS 31, Jesuit 14
  1984: CBS 17, Jesuit 6
  1985: CBS 35, Jesuit 7
  1986: Jesuit 13, CBS 10
  1987: Jesuit 24, CBS 6
  1988: CBS 11, Jesuit 0
  1989: Jesuit 21, CBS 14
  1990: CBS 3, Jesuit 0
  1991: Jesuit 39, CBS 7
  1992: CBS 28, Jesuit 16
  1993: Jesuit 14, CBS 0
  1993: Jesuit 33, CBS 13*
  1994: Jesuit 28, CBS 0
  1995: Jesuit 38, CBS 14
  1996: Jesuit 23, CBS 0
  1997: Jesuit 34, CBS 14
  1998: Jesuit 56, CBS 6
  1999: Jesuit 63, CBS 14
  2000: Jesuit 49, CBS 7
  2001: CBS 14, Jesuit 13
  2002: Jesuit 28, CBS 10
  2003: Jesuit 42, CBS 7
  2004: Jesuit 55, CBS 7
  2005: CBS 19, Jesuit 19
  2006: Jesuit 21, CBS 6
  2007: Jesuit 32, CBS 29
  2008: Jesuit 20, CBS 19
  2009: CBS 21, Jesuit 6
  2010: Jesuit 18, CBS 15
  2011: Jesuit 36, CBS 12
  2012: Jesuit 28, CBS 23
  2013: Jesuit 52, CBS 28
  *–playoff game