For much of the first half, Largo and Jesuit were locked in a defensive battle.
Quarterbacks had nowhere to run. Running backs were greeted by a wall of pads.
That meant points were precious.
The Tigers broke through first with Jack Ferreri hitting a field goal with 25 seconds left in the second quarter for a 3-0 halftime lead.
Then Jesuit scored again early in the third quarter on Will Griffin’s 16-yard touchdown pass to Bryson Goodwin to make it 10-0.
After that, the points kept coming as the Tigers turned a close game into a 31-0 rout.
Jesuit advances to the state semifinals for the seventh time in Matt Thompson’s eight seasons as coach. The Tigers will play the Orlando Jones-Orlando Edgewater winner next week.
With a two score lead, Jesuit relied on its running game the rest of the way. Joquez Smith had two rushing touchdowns and Justin Thurman rounded out the scoring with a 66-yard touchdown run.
Since losing to rival Tampa Catholic in the regular season finale, the Tigers have been dominant in the playoffs, outscoring St. Petersburg, Gaither and Largo by a combined 128-10.
