Sophomore EJ Smith erupted for five touchdowns and fellow second year Jack Barton snagged a pair of interceptions, propelling Jesuit Dallas to a 56-34 over Richardson on Friday evening at Postell Stadium. The Eagles scored 21 second half points to tie the Rangers, 28-28 at halftime, but 14 unanswered points to open the third quarter provided the buffer in Jesuit's first win of the season
 
Smith wrapped the contest with 178 yards to earn his first 100-yard varsity contest and logging the most rushing touchdowns since Matt Miller scored five times against W.T. White on Oct. 11, 2013. Overall, Jesuit pounded the pavement for 384 yards and seven rushing touchdowns, matching most since last year's clash with J.J. Pearce. Senior Hank Clements passed the 100-yard plateau for the first time this season, securing a career-high 135 yards.
 
The Jesuit defense stopped Richardson twice on fourth downs and were led by six tackles and two interceptions by Barton. Both drives sparked by Barton interceptions resulted in Jesuit Dallas touchdowns, providing timely momentum to the Blue and Gold. Sophomore Tommy Roy secured an interception in the fourth quarter to punctuate a defensive effort that limited Richardson to 83 rushing yards.
 
How it Happened
 

• Jesuit responded to a game-opening touchdown by Richardson with three unanswered touchdowns. Clements put the Rangers in the scoring column with a five-yard run, followed by a pair of one-yard plunges by Smith that spotted Jesuit a 21-7 lead with 26 seconds left in the first quarter.
   
• Towns scored his fourth rushing touchdown of the season on a 12-yard run to keep the Jesuit lead at 14 points with 5:50 left in the first half. Richardson scored a pair of touchdowns within the final minute of the half to send the game into halftime tied at 28-28.
   
• Smith provided Jesuit with a spark to open the second half with a 35-yard touchdown run on Jesuit's first drive of the second half. The sophomore then added a 17-yard touchdown run to complete a four-yard drive spotting Jesuit a 42-28 lead midway through the third quarter.
   
• Towns capped Jesuit's impressive second half with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Hafertepe, capping an 89-yard drive that whittled down the clock while providing Jesuit a two-possession advantage. Smith capped the evening with his fifth touchdown of the night with 2:22 remaining in the contest.

 
Inside the Numbers
 

• The Rangers averaged 6.9 yards per rush, their highest yard-per-rush total this season. Smith averaged 6.6 yards per carry while Clements averaged 7.9 yards per attempt.
   
• Junior Matthew Priddy concluded the contest with 101 all-purpose yards, including a team-leading six receptions for 73 yards. Junior Nick Hafertepe added his second touchdown reception of the season and first since Sept. 1 in the fourth quarter.
   
• Roy finished the contest with a team-high eight tackles, but tackles for loss were recorded by senior Cade Brewer and Phillip Villalba, juniors David Carroll, Matthew Johnson, Will Leitnick and William Woodard. Brewer tacked on a pair of pass breakups and senior Kevin Tabet matched Barton's six tackles.

 
Up Next
 
Jesuit will travel to Forester Stadium to face the Skyline Raiders on Thursday, Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. Tom Walsh, Jack Fitzsimmons '76 and Chris Martinez '78 will call the action live on KAAM 770 AM beginning with the Legacy Texas pre-game show at 6:30 p.m.