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When it was unveiled that Jesuit would welcome Arlington Bowie to Postell Stadium on Aug. 28, 2015, many wondered if fans of the Rangers and Volunteers would see a replication of the fireworks show seen in 2014.  By halftime, it was clear that this was a new, fresh and talented Ranger squad, and this version of the Jesuit football squad was ready to make an immediate statement.

Jesuit dominated both ends of the ball in the season debut for both teams, blanking the Volunteers from Bowie, 35-0, in front of a legion of Ranger fans on Friday evening.  The Rangers (1-0) held Bowie (0-1) to 110 yards of total offense, including only 14 net yards passing.  Holding Bowie to 3-of-10 in third down conversions, the Jesuit offense was methodical in its clock management, hanging onto the pigskin for 32:19 of game time, leaving Bowie with just under 16 total minutes to topple the hosting Rangers.

Friday's clean sheet is the third under the tutelage of Jesuit head coach Brandon Hickman, the last coming in 2013 in a 37-0 win over Sunset, and only the fifth shut out for the Rangers since 2010.  The win is also the first for the Rangers in the season opener since the dramatic, 30-29 edging of Wilmette Loyola Academy in Ireland, snapping two consecutive season-opening setbacks.

Junior Jacob Palisch marshaled the offense, combining for 178 all-purpose yards and a pair of touchdowns.  Through the air, Palisch went 13-of-16, including completing his first seven attempts, to finish with 110 yards and a touchdown.  On the ground, Palisch scampered for 68 net yards and a touchdown.  Senior Max Loughborough plunged in for a pair of touchdowns while adding a team-high six receptions for 52 yards as classmate Adam Holtz found pay dirt once and netted 48 yards.  Senior Connor Lanpher caught five passes to tack on 49 yards and a touchdown.

The Ranger defense presented a complete team effort, as 20 Jesuit defenders posted tackles against the Volunteers.  Seniors Peyton Long, Dane Bender alongside Lucas Kincaide tied for the team high with four tackles each, as Bender tacked on a six-yard sack.  Senior Ryan Brooks logged three total tackles, assisting on a sack with Kincaide as juniors Jordan Rice and Michael Schoettmer along with senior Matt Metz made three tackles each.

Jesuit set the tone early in the first quarter, as a 13-play, 78-yard drive that eclipsed 5:41 was completed by a one-yard drive by Holtz to put the Rangers on top early, 7-0.  The Volunteer offense, stunned by the early score by the Rangers, quickly went three-and-out, aided by 20 yards of penalties on their opening drive, losing two yards from their original spot and giving the Rangers another chance to methodically move down the field.

The second Ranger drive started with 4:12 left in the first quarter and ended with 11:14 remaining in the second, as Palisch scrambled for the six-yard touchdown to put the squad up, 14-0.  Bowie's second drive would go 12 yards in the wrong direction as the Volunteers were unable to gain positive yardage until the second play of their third drive of the game.  Jesuit would strike again with a 10-play, 87-yard drive that culminated with a Loughborough plunge, his first of two touchdowns from inside the five-yard line, to spot the Rangers a 21-0 lead heading into halftime.

Coach Hickman reached into his bag of tricks to start the second half, recovering a half-opening onside kick to keep the scales tilted in the home squad's favor. A series of frantic events kicked off the second half, as Metz snagged a Bowie fumble on the play following a lost fumble by the Rangers.  Pushed back to the Bowie 12-yard line, Palisch showed off his throwing arm with a 12-yard strike to Lanpher for the squad's fourth touchdown of the evening.

Jesuit would focus on bleeding the clock throughout the remainder of the third quarter, but were put back into scoring position after a bad snap on a Bowie punt gave the Rangers first-and-goal on the five-yard line.  Loughborough took the first play of the drive and found the end zone for the second time, scoring his second touchdown of the game while providing the Rangers a 35-0 lead.  Down the stretch, Jesuit held Bowie to only 12 offensive plays over the final 9:40 of the fourth, providing a fitting end to a dominant performance.

The Rangers will next travel to Plano East on Saturday, Sept. 4 for a 7:30 p.m. clash with the Panthers before returning to Postell Stadium on Sept. 11 to battle brother school Strake Jesuit.