Tampa Catholic win over Jesuit to close out the 1999 regular season marked a significant moment in the series between the two Hillsborough County Catholic schools. 

It was the last time the Crusaders’ beat their emesis.

The Tigers’ win streak was by far the longest in the team’s regular-season meetings. This run had gone on for so long that the current players were not even born when it started.

On Friday, the streak ended.

Better still, Tampa Catholic did it in dramatic fashion.

Trailing 19-6 in the fourth quarter, the Crusaders staged a furious rally, scoring two touchdowns within a two-minute span for a stunning 20-19 victory.

The comeback started when Trey Hedden found TJ Moore for a 10-yard touchdown pass to cut it to 19-13. Minutes later, TC’s Lewis Carter, an Oklahoma commit, blocked a punt that Tre Pompilus recovered in the end zone and a 20-19 lead.

Still, the Crusaders had to hold on. Jesuit drove within striking distance but missed on a potential game-winning field goal in the final two minutes of regulation.

Entering Friday, Tampa Catholics seemed to be in position to at least have a chance to snap the streak. They had won six straight games and were averaging 41 points per game during that stretch. 

Jesuit, the defending state champions, went through a stretch earlier this season where it lost three of four games. The Tigers had rebounded from that slump to win three straight games, including victories over Gaither and defending state semifinalist Tampa Bay Tech.

In the end, the Crusaders win streak continued, ending the two-decade drought over their fiercest rival.