Rangers Trump Rangers, Jesuit Advances to Area Round
The Rangers secured their fifth consecutive trip to the University Interscholastic League (UIL) 6A Division II Area Round with a 32-6 win over Naaman Forest on Friday evening. Senior Evan Jackson logged his fifth 100-yard rushing performance of the season, closing out the game with 23 carries for 100 of the team's 149 rushing yards. Classmate Jacob Palisch completed 15-of-22 passes for 161 yards and a score, while senior John Wunderlick completed his second touchdown pass of the season on a 64-yard toss to junior Alekzander McGlone in the third quarter. Jesuit was led defensively by Jack Lynch, who recorded eight total tackles, while seniors Matt Eubanks, Lucas Kincade and junior Hank Bitterman made two tackles for loss each. Senior Seamus Koch recovered a first quarter fumble to provide Jesuit early momentum. Junior kicker Israel Ollarzabal was 3-for-3 on the night, hitting field goals from 20, 22 and 27 yards. Ollarzabal has now converted 12 consecutive field goal attempts, and remained perfect on the year in extra point chances.

Ollarzabal Remains Red Hot
Israel Ollarzabal is now 15-of-17 in field goal attempts with his 3-for-3 performance against Naaman Forest. The junior remains perfect on the year from inside the 30-yard line, and is 54-for-54 in extra point chances. Ollarzabal has converted 12 consecutive field goals, including a season-long 38-yard boot against W.T. White three weeks ago. This season, Ollarzabal has only missed one field goal within 39 yards, has 10 touchbacks and 47.1 yards per kickoff to his credit.
 
Wunderlick Torrential Triple Threat
Senior John Wunderlick enters the UIL Area Round with over 1,500 yards of total offense, racking up 982 net rushing yards and 573 reception yards in 2016. In addition, Wunderlick is 2-for-2 in pass attempts this year, both resulting in Ranger touchdowns. Wunderlick averages 100.2 total yards per game, including 89.3 rushing and 52.1 receiving yards per bout, both of which rank second on the team. The senior also has 12 rushing touchdowns, the second highest total on the team, while tacking on a pair of touchdown receptions.
 
Palisch Headed to Stanford
Jesuit senior Jacob Palisch may be on the precipice of repeating as UIL District 9-6A Most Valuable Player, but come spring, the three-sport athlete will return to the mound, where he has earned a scholarship to play at Stanford University next fall. One of eight Rangers to sign their National Letters of Intent on Wednesday at Jesuit, Palisch was named a MaxPreps Junior All-American and UIL 6A Baseball All-Tournament Most Valuable Player after earning the decision in Jesuit's 6-2 championship victory over San Antonio Johnson. The left-handed starting pitcher finished 2016 with an 11-1 record and 0.83 earned run average, striking out 117 batters and logging two no-hitters, including a 15-strikeout performance against Highland Park in the first game of the UIL 6A Regional Semifinal (May 19).
 
By Air or Land (Not Sea)
One key catalyst for the Jesuit offense has been an even distribution between the pass and run game, leading to the team averaging 543.6 all-purpose yards per game. The Rangers recorded 300 or more rushing yards five times this year, adding a 300-yard passing performance on October 28 against W.T. White. Over the last five weeks, Jesuit has averaged 248 passing yards per game, although the run game has produced 24 of the team's 35 touchdowns during that same span.
 
Big Play Key Component in Area Round
Jesuit has recorded 79 plays of 20 or more yards this season, including 13 plays of 50 yards or longer. Throughout the duration of the team's 8-3 campaign, these long plays have been game-breaking moments, including a 64-yard pass from senior John Wunderlick to junior Alekzander McGlone that shut down a brief Naaman Forest comeback attempt in the third quarter. In total, the Rangers have posted 10 touchdowns of 50 yards or longer in 2016, including a season-high, 89-yard screen pass for touchdown by Palisch to Rosenbleeth.
 
The Line in the Sand
Against Naaman Forest, Jesuit recorded 12 tackles for loss and five sacks, holding Naaman Forest to a microscopic 87 yards of total offense. Friday's defensive performance yielded the fewest yards by an opposing offense since October 16, 2015, when Jesuit held Nimitz to 85 yards in a 43-0 victory. Over the last two seasons, the Rangers have held opponents under 100 yards on five occasions, including holding Sunset to -10 in overall offense on September 24, 2015.