The weather in Omaha has finally cooled, it feels like fall, and it’s football weather.
Coming off a bye week, Creighton Prep hosted Papillion La Vista on a windy, rainy day. Both these teams were looking to secure the district while the Junior Jays were looking for another senior night victory.
Papillion was looking for a bit of revenge.
Not only did Prep take the district last year, but Prep beat the Monarchs on their home turf in a thriller.
The Junior Jays came in with high hopes, only for them to be squashed by one man: Payton Prestito. For those who attended last year’s matchup, that name might sound familiar. Last year, Prestito racked up 183 yards and a touchdown against the Junior Jays on only 15 carries. This year, he came into the game leading class A in attempts while being second in yards. He has been dominant all year.
Everyone knew Prestito would get his share of touches, but no one expected his career day: 37 carries, 325 yards, 4 touchdowns (and a sack for those wondering). Holy smokes. All three of these were career highs for Prestito.
The Junior Jays had no answer for him. There wasn’t much of a passing game but there didn’t need to be. To put it straight: this was one of the best single-player performances Prep has seen.
With both teams focused on running the ball, it was a physical game. With the clock almost constantly running, the first half flew by. The Junior Jay offense could not get going and was forced to punt on their first 2 drives. On their third drive, they finally got a bit downfield, only to be stopped on fourth down. On the following play, Prestito took the ball 70 yards for a touchdown.
The Junior Jays went into the half down 21-0 and Papillion was not done. Papillion kept feeding Prestito while the Monarch’s defense was a stone wall forcing punt after punt. The Junior Jays were finally able to score on an 11-yard touchdown grab from Jacob Ruby, but it was too late. Papillion spoiled senior night for the Junior Jays, won the district, and took down the Prep 34-7.
It’s tough to find many positives from this game. The passing defense looked good for the few plays where Papillion threw, as Prep applied lots of pressure to quarterback Tavien Pirtle. The special teams played great as two extra points were stopped. Punter Matt Sledge had a clean day, including releasing a punt deep in his own end zone.
Those were just about the only positives. The Junior Jays defense tried many approaches, schemes, and pressures but could not stop Prestito. Papillion’s offensive line kept carving gaps through the Prep defense. The Monarch’s front seven collapsed on the Prep running game. Constant pressure from the Papillion defensive line along with the Papillion defensive backs hounding Prep receivers forced incompletions from Prep quarterback Tony Coniglio. Credit the Monarchs, who came in and played a near-flawless game on both sides of the ball.
The Junior Jays look to secure a playoff spot against Benson next week. Benson comes into the game 0-7, hoping to end their season with a win.
