A pair of fourth-quarter touchdown passes from senior Parker Towns to junior Jack Hajdu provided the difference for Jesuit Dallas in a 35-31 victory over Skyline on Oct. 12 at Forester Field. Another instant classic between the two district rivals, Jesuit outlasted a determined Skyline offense with several critical defensive plays, including 10 tackles from sophomore Jack Barton and a game-sealing interception by sophomore E.J. Smith.
 
Towns finished the contest completing 25-of-33 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns. Smith added a pair of rushing touchdowns, finishing the game with 92 yards. Junior Matthew Priddy closed the scoring for Jesuit with 40 yards and a touchdown. Senior Fletcher Rosenbleeth impressed yet again with 12 catches for 168 yards. Defensively, senior Cade Brewer forced a fumble while classmates Nicky Prendergast and Phillip Villalba each recorded two tackles for loss.

How it Happened…
 

• Skyline scored on its first drive after causing a Jesuit Dallas turnover in the first quarter. Priddy opened the scoring for Jesuit with a 32-yard touchdown run with 1:16 remaining in the opening quarter. The Raiders took the lead back with six seconds remaining in the first on a 10-yard run.
   
• Smith scored his first touchdown of the game on a nine-yard plunge to cap an eight-play, 57-yard drive to send Jesuit into the halftime break leading, 14-13. Rosenbleeth closed the first half with seven receptions for 98 yards while Towns completed 11-of-17 passes for 150 yards.
   
• In the third quarter, Smith added to the Ranger lead with his 14th rushing touchdown of the year on a 27-yard rush. Skyline came storming back with touchdowns in back-to-back drives, taking a 28-21 lead with 2:58 remaining in the third.
   
• The turning point of the game came with seven seconds remaining in the third quarter, when Brewer forced a Skyline fumble recovered by senior Kevin Tabet to give Jesuit the ball at their own 42-yard line heading into the fourth. Jesuit raced down the field and tied the game with a two-yard touchdown pass from Towns to Hajdu.
   
• Jesuit's defense held Skyline in check on its ensuing drive, holding the Raiders to a field goal. Trailing, 31-28 with 6:56 remaining in the fourth, Jesuit began the game-winning drive at its own 25-yard line. Towns found Smith for a 17-yard gain to the Skyline 45-yard line, then completed a pass to Rosenbleeth for 15 yards, getting Jesuit to the 34-yard line. After working their way into the red zone, Towns threw a nine-yard pass to Hajdu for the go-ahead score with 1:45 remaining.
                               
• Barton made a shoestring tackle on a 12-yard rush by Skyline quarterback Velton Gardner, denying the electric junior an open field for the go-ahead touchdown. Jesuit clinched the game on the first interception of Smith's varsity career three plays later.

 
Inside the Numbers
 

• Junior Bernie Gonzales impressed as the team's punter, averaging 39 yards a punt and pinning the Raiders inside their own 20-yard line twice. In addition, sophomore Tyson Pointer returned four kickoffs, averaging 24.3 yards per return.
   
• Thursday's victory marks the third consecutive win for Jesuit Dallas over Skyline. Prior to 2015, Jesuit Dallas did not defeat the Raiders in any of the previous six meetings between the two teams. That season, Jesuit Dallas upended Skyline, 24-21, to snap the Raiders' 49-game district winning streak at Postell Stadium.
   
• The versatility of Jesuit's offense was on display once again on Thursday. At the conclusion of the win over Skyline, three members of the Jesuit Dallas offense average 100 or more all-purpose yards per game. Currently, EJ Smith averages 165 all-purpose yards per game to lead the team.

 
Up Next
 
Jesuit Dallas will close a two-game road trip at Eagle-Mustang Stadium against J.J. Pearce. The Rangers upended the Mustangs last season, 74-52 at Postell Stadium. Jesuit will return home for its annual homecoming contest on Oct. 27, when the Blue and Gold will welcome Lake Highlands.