Jesuit Dallas and J.J. Pearce combined for 1,192 yards of offense and 126 points, but a third quarter swing by the Rangers and a historic offensive performance led to a 74-52 win on senior night at Postell Stadium.
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The Rangers scored the most points in program history during the win, besting the previous record of 71 obtained against W.T. White during the 2013 season. The two teams combined for 80 first half points, with Jesuit (4-3, 4-0) taking a 43-37 lead into the break before outscoring the Mustangs (2-5, 1-3), in the second half.
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Jesuit recorded 670 total yards of offense, the most since November 15, 2013 against Plano East, adding 413 yards on the ground. Senior
Evan Jackson scored five total touchdowns, four on the ground and one through the air, to become the first Ranger to accomplish the feat since Matt Miller's five rushing touchdown outing on October 11, 2013 against W.T. White.
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Senior
Jacob Palisch completed 13-of-21 passes for 257 yards and three touchdowns, adding 111 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Classmate
John Wunderlick completed the trio of Ranger runners above the century mark in rushing yards, recording 135 net yards and a rushing touchdown. Junior
Fletcher Rosenbleeth caught two touchdown passes, finishing with 101 receiving yards.
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Defensively, the Rangers forced two second half turnovers that helped swing the momentum permanently in the favor of the Blue and Gold. Sophomore
Pierce Strong and junior
Hank Bitterman each snagged an interception off of Mustang quarterback Gray Rodgers, while senior
Andrew Miskell recorded a team-leading three sacks. Senior
Billy Daly made 10 total tackles to lead the squad, followed by seven tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss by senior
Jack Metz.
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Jesuit opened the game with a seven-play, 58-yard drive that resulted in a five-yard touchdown run by
Evan Jackson, but the Mustangs responded with a 96-yard kickoff return touchdown. A Jesuit fumble on the ensuing kickoff led to another J.J. Pearce touchdown, before the two teams traded touchdowns over the remainder of the first half. The back-and-forth battle for momentum ended with a 43-37 Jesuit Dallas lead at the halftime break, when the Rangers forced a turnover on downs.
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J.J. Pearce was forced to punt on their first possession of the second half, which was quickly followed by a critical field goal by junior
Israel Ollarzabal that built the lead to two possessions. Palisch's first touchdown run of the night closed a 17-point run for Jesuit, and the Ranger defense held firm down the stretch to clinch the win.
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Jesuit will next travel to Wildcat-Ram Stadium to face Lake Highlands on Friday, October 21. Kickoff for the non-district bout is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.