Applying the eye black to the region's lasting high school football rivalry …
The Holy Bowl endures, Red vs. Blue.
Jesuit and Christian Brothers face off in Holy Bowl XLI tonight at Hughes Stadium, capping spirit week on their campuses with a chance to settle some debates. Who has the rowdiest students, the best chants, the most creative shirtless guys racing up and down the track with a school flag? Oh, and who has the better football team?
A crowd of 15,000 or more is expected for the only prep fixture that remains in the storied stadium. Hughes housed NFL exhibition games in the 1950s and into the '60s, featuring the Raiders and a dapper, young Al Davis in 1965 when he was Coach Al, not Litigation Al.
Peabody braced to play
CBS quarterback Ryan Peabody strained his knee in Week 1 and feared his season was lost. Peabody vowed to return by Holy Bowl week and will, knee brace and all. Involvement and leadership define Peabody (a 4.8 grade-point average – with Advanced Placement courses in government, calculus, physics, statistics and literature). He has visions of attending an Ivy League school or Stanford. For now, Peabody eyes the end zone tonight.
"I have to play in the Holy Bowl," Peabody said. "It's special, a once-in-a-lifetime moment."
QB ploys
Jesuit quarterback Tom Sperbeck gutted out practice with mononucleosis and will suit up tonight. Backup Mason Pigman will start, equal parts confidence and anxiety.
A do-over
Ken O'Brien was an All-American at UC Davis and a Pro Bowl player with the New York Jets with one career regret. He didn't play in the Holy Bowl his senior season in 1977. Jesuit players voted to play a jamboree that same night – with two other teams to decide a playoff berth – and skip the Holy Bowl.
Dan the Man
No one has been more involved in the Holy Bowl than Dan Carmazzi. He was a CBS quarterback in the first two games (1969 and 1970), and he first coached in the series in 1976 while on the CBS staff. Then he defected – went Red – and has been Jesuit's head coach the past 31 seasons. Carmazzi is 19-11 in the Holy Bowl as coach. He said beating CBS the first time saved his soul.
Family ties
Carmazzi in '76 mentored CBS junior quarterback Marshall Sperbeck. Sperbeck is the father of Tom Sperbeck. The CBS head coach in '76 was Dick Sperbeck, Marshall's dad. As a coach, Carmazzi lost his first five Holy Bowls to CBS, led by the Delgado brother act of Danny, Rob, Paul and Vince.
Carmazzi's sons – Matt, Gio and Dominic never lost to CBS in the 1990s or last decade. His nephew, Paul Carmazzi Jr., was the winning CBS center/captain in the 2009 Holy Bowl. Paul said Thanksgiving was joyous that fall – at least on his side of the table.
Holy flashbacks
• In 1989, Jesuit's Charles Alimena caught a late 40-yard touchdown pass from Chris Bradford and then iced the game with an interception for a 21-14 win by the Marauders. Alimena later said he smiled so much afterward that it hurt.
• In 1992, Kevin McKechnie of CBS keyed the Holy Bowl's most dramatic rally. With his team down 16-0 at the half, McKechnie tossed three second-half touchdowns, two to John Hooper, and ran for another in a 28-16 victory.
© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.
Joe Davidson joins Mike Finnerty on the SureWest Sports Radio Show today from 9-10 a.m. on ESPN1320.
• Read more articles by Joe Davidson
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "Report Abuse" link below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.