Two long touchdown passes rocketed Jesuit Dallas out of the gate, providing the gap needed for the Rangers to clinch their second straight University Interscholastic League (UIL) District 9-6A Championship, 66-27, over the W.T. White Longhorns in the annual "Battle for the Saddle" on Friday Night on Kedric Couch Field at the Alfred J. Loos Sports Complex in Addison.

Senior Jacob Palisch threw three touchdowns for the second time this season, racking up a career-high 309 yards and  Palisch adding a two-yard rushing touchdown.

Four Rangers caught touchdown passes, including junior Fletcher Rosenbleeth, who caught three passes for a team-high 117 yards. Senior Evan Jackson ran for 96 yards and two touchdowns, while senior Hank Clements, Wunderlick and Palisch added touchdown runs.

The Ranger defense ran rampant on the Longhorns, forcing five fumbles and recovering four, holding W.T. White to 271 yards of total offense. Senior Lucas Kincade and junior Nicky Prendergast scored two sacks each, with Kincade adding a recovered fumble alongside senior Seamus Koch, Michael Schoettmer and junior Phillip Villalba.

Jesuit scored on its first offensive play of the game, an 85-yard bomb from Palisch to Connor Jackson for the opening salvo. Wunderlick added a rushing touchdown from 17 yards out and snagged a 31-yard pass from Palisch on back-to-back drives to put the Blue and Gold up 21-0.

W.T. White struggled offensively, pressured by a relentless Jesuit defense early. The Longhorns went three-and-out on their first drive, losing their next two drives on fumbles forced by Miskell and Strong. After sophomore Pierce Strong's forced fumble, Rosenbleeth cut inside on a screen pass and found daylight, flying down the field for an 89-yard touchdown, the team's longest offensive play of the season, to give Jesuit a 28-0 lead with 1:46 left in the first.

In the second quarter, Palisch and Evan Jackson scored rushing touchdowns on back-to-back drives to bolster the lead. Jesuit shook off W.T. White's second touchdown of the game with a one-yard plunge by E. Jackson and a  38-yard field goal by Ollarzabal, his longest field goal of the year and sixth consecutive conversion, to go end the first half leading, 52-13.

The two teams traded touchdowns in the second stanza. Clements scored in his second consecutive game with a 25-yard scamper before junior Parker Towns tossed an eight-yard pass to Grayson Hassell for the final touchdown of the evening for the Blue and Gold.

With the victory, Jesuit captures its third district championship, and the first 9-6A crown for the Ranger athletic program this academic year. Ranger head coach Brandon Hickman secured his 50th victory as the head coach at Jesuit, becoming the fourth head coach in program history to reach the milestone. Hickman improved his record at Jesuit to 50-19 with the win, bolstering his record to 35-6 against district foes.

In addition, Jesuit won its 14th consecutive district contest, and has won nine straight 9-6A games on the road. The Rangers will host a UIL Bi-District Round playoff game after concluding the regular season next Friday, when Jesuit welcomes Berkner for the homecoming game at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, November 4.