Rangers Clinch Home Playoff Game After "Battle for the Saddle"

Jesuit Dallas celebrated senior night by clinching a University Interscholastic League (UIL) Bi-District round home game after a 55-21 win over W.T. White on Friday, Nov. 3 at Postell Stadium. Parker Towns threw for 195 yards and three touchdowns, including a pair of touchdowns to classmate Fletcher Rosenbleeth. The reigning Dallas Morning News Offensive Player of the Week caught four passes for 131 yards and a pair of touchdowns. E.J. Smith led the offense with 201 all-purpose yards, two rushing touchdowns and a receiving touchdown. Sean Maguire scored his first varsity touchdown while Matthew Priddy helped complete the Rangers' convincing win in the "Battle for the Saddle" rivalry game. Overall, Jesuit Dallas outgained W.T. White, 489-240, aided by 265 team rushing yards. Tommy Roy led the Rangers with six total tackles, senior Nicky Prendergast added a pair of sacks and sophomore Jack Barton recorded an interception.

Resolute Run Game Paying Dividends

Entering the final game of the regular season, Jesuit Dallas has averaged 540.6 yards per game. However, the Rangers have exhibited more balance in the offensive game during the 2017 season by averaging 240 rushing yards and 300 passing years per game. One major catalyst has been the tandem running back duo of E.J. Smith and Matthew Priddy. Smith currently leads the Metroplex in scoring with 1,010 yards, passing the 1,000-yard plateau last week against W.T. White. Priddy is one of Jesuit's most versatile threats with 459 rushing and 550 receiving yards to his credit. Senior Sean Maguire earned Ranger of the Week plaudits on Monday after scoring his first varsity touchdown last Friday, racking up a career-high 68 yards.

Jesuit Offense Continues to Lead Metroplex

An average offensive potency of 536 yards per game has earned the Blue and Gold the title of top offense in the Metroplex in the weekly Dallas Morning News area rankings. Jesuit's offensive average is over 70 yards per game higher than second place Mesquite Horn. The Rangers are also present throughout the individual rankings; Parker Towns' 2,556 yards and 194 completions lead the area while Fletcher Rosenbleeth enters the final week of the regular season leading the area with 1,297 receiving yards, besting Keller Fossil Ridge's Stefan Cobbs by 121 yards heading into the final week of the regular season.

Last Time They Met…

Jesuit Dallas closed their second consecutive unbeaten district season with a 51-26 victory over Berkner at Postell Stadium. The Ranger run game paid dividends, combining for six total touchdowns. Jesuit was led offensively by John Wunderlick '16, who scored three times while racking up 198 yards. Evan Jackson '17 hit the 1,000-yard mark for rushing yards this season with 79 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Jacob Palisch '17 scored Jesuit's final rushing touchdown, adding 244 yards through the air on 18-of-26 passing. Jesuit three Berkner turnovers including fumble recoveries by seniors Jack Lynch and Luke Nolan and an interception by Ranger fourth year John Guzman. Senior Matt Eubanks led the team with 10 tackles, followed by nine tackles, while Damien Cunningham also forced a Berkner fumble.

Rams Rout Eagles

Entering the second quarter tied, 7-7, Berkner scored 20 unanswered points to defeat Richardson, 27-7, on Nov. 3. Quarterback Nick McLemore torched the Eagles for 261 yards and four touchdowns, completing 73.7 percent of his passes and anchoring an offense that averaged 18.6 yards per completion. Wide receiver Daaron Loveless caught three touchdown passes, finishing the game with seven receptions for 177 yards. Berkner forced three Richardson turnovers, holding the Eagles to 275 yards of offense.

Running Game Remains Consistent

Despite the graduation of Terrance Hargest '17 last spring, the Rams have continued to be a versitaile threat in the running game. Fahez Yusuff crossed the 1,000-yard plateau last week and enters the final week of the season with 1,026 yards to his credit this season, finding the end zone eight times while averaging seven yards per rush. In addition, A'modd Burks, Urie Welch and Keilahn Harris have over 100 rushing yards on the year. 

Berkner Defense Showcases Future

The Rams enter the final week of the regular season ranking second in the district in both rushing and passing defense. Currently the Rams have allowed 198.1 rushing and 181.1 passing yards per game, including holding Skyline, Coppell, Pearce and W.T. White under 200 passing yards this season. In addition, Berkner tied a season-high three forced turnovers against W.T. White with last week's result against Richardson.

Series History

Jesuit Dallas is 7-2-0 against Berkner in a series that dates back to 2004. The Rangers have captured the last six matchups against the Rams, and have won the last three matchups by an average of 29 points per game. The last time that the Blue and Gold traveled to Wildcat-Ram Stadium to face Berkner, Jesuit Dallas defeated the Rams, 31-14 on Oct. 4, 2013. In that contest, Jesuit running back Max Loughborough '16 and Adam Holtz '16 scored two touchdowns apiece while the Jesuit Dallas defense recovered two Berkner turnovers.

Up Next

The Rangers will host the loser of Friday's Naaman Forest vs. Lakeview Centennial game in the UIL Bi-District Round. As the top seed from UIL District 9-6A in the Division II-6A playoffs, Jesuit will host the bi-district game at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 17.