Jesuit Drops Cotton Bowl Showcase Bout

A 21-point swing by Plano East in the third quarter derailed an early offensive eruption by Jesuit Dallas, as the Panthers handed Jesuit Dallas a 41-30 loss in the historic Cotton Bowl on Saturday morning. Parker Towns completed 28-of-42 passes for 341 yards, earning his second consecutive 300-yard game. Sophomore E.J. Smith finished the game with three all-purpose touchdowns, scoring two touchdowns on 57 yards rushing while adding one receiving touchdown to close the contest with 111 all-purpose yards. Junior Matthew Priddy led the team in rushing with 94 yards on 13 carries, adding 112 yards on seven receptions. Senior Fletcher Rosenbleeth crossed the 100-yard mark for the second straight game with nine receptions for 124 yards. Senior Zach Harry led the Rangers with a career-high nine tackles, followed by eight tackles apiece from senior Hank Bitterman and sophomore Tommy Roy. Senior Nicky Prendergast racked up two tackles for loss and a sack.

Rangers Rank Among Metroplex Leaders

Parker Towns enters the final week of non-district play ranking third in the Metroplex with 699 passing yards and three touchdowns. Boasting a 65-percent completion percentage, Towns followed a career-best, 365-yard performance against DeSoto in the season-opener by completing 28-of-42 passes for 341 yards and a touchdown against the Panthers. The senior is 294 yards from crossing the 1,000-yard plateau within three games, entering Friday's battle with a 65-percent completion percentage and 353 yards per game.

Offensive Threats Continue to Punish Opponents

Senior Fletcher Rosenbleeth currently ranks fifth in the Metroplex with 282 receiving yards this season, averaging 12.8 yards per catch. Three members of the Jesuit offense have secured 200 or more all-purpose yards this season, led by sophomore E.J. Smith. Through two games, Smith has seven touchdowns, 129 receiving yards and 115 rushing yards to his credit, averaging 122 all-purpose yards per game. Junior Matthew Priddy has made a key impact in the Rangers' rushing game, averaging 104 rushing yards per game while adding 137 total receiving yards.

Linebacker Corps Paying Dividends

Heading into the third week of the season, the Ranger linebackers currently possess the top four individual tackling totals on the team alongside earning the highest number of stops behind the line of scrimmage. Senior Hank Bitterman and sophomore Tommy Roy are currently tied for the team lead with 13 tackles each, while Roy is additionally tied with senior Nicky Prendergast with a team-high three tackles for loss. Prendergast currently leads Jesuit with two sacks and senior Zach Harry ranks third on the team with 11 stops this season.

Scouting Lake Travis

Shaking off a season-opening, 65-45 setback to Converse Judson on Sep. 1, Lake Travis edged Cibolo Steele, 34-31, off the foot of Carson Dicker's 37-yard field goal with three seconds remaining in regulation. Senior Matthew Baldwin lit up the Knights for 332 yards and three touchdowns, adding a rushing touchdown. By comparison, Lake Travis allowed 216 yards passing and 292 yards rushing, watching an early, 17-0 lead dwindle to force the late game dramatics.After graduating their starting quarterback and running back last season, the Cavaliers are aiming for their seventh state title with another star-studded lineup. Senior quarterback Matthew Baldwin enters Friday's contest with 767 yards, eight touchdowns to one interception and a 61.1 percent completion percentage. Committed to play football at Dartmouth, Baldwin ranks third in the state in passing yardage. Junior Garrett Wilson leads the team with 18 receptions for 361 yards, making several highlight-reel catches in the Cavaliers' win over Cibolo Steele. Defensively, senior Reid Bacon leads the team with 19 tackles, followed by classmates Brayden Roeder, Nathan Parodi and Kade Langston, who have posted 16 stops apiece this season.

Last Time They Met…

Jesuit Dallas dominated time of possession, holding the ball for over 30 minutes, but the Texas state-ranked No. 5 Lake Travis Cavaliers posted 472 yards of total offense to spoiling Jesuit's home opener, 42-10 on Sep. 9, 2016. Parker Towns completed 20-of-37 passes, recording 158 yards through the air for the Rangers. Evan Jackson '17 found pay dirt from 10 yards out in the fourth, finishing the game with 24 carries and 98 rushing yards. John Wunderlick '17 led the Blue and Gold with seven receptions for 46 yards, adding five carries for 38 yards. Jacob Palisch '17 made his return from injury as the team's starting punter, averaging 47.5 yards per punt on four attempts, landing one inside the 20-yard line. Defensively, Andrew Miskell '17 continued his hot start to the year, finishing the game with an eight-yard sack. Lucas Kincade '17, Michael Schoettmer '17 and Cade Brewer '18 each logged four stops, while Hank Bitterman made three solo tackles, adding a pass breakup.

Up Next…

The Rangers will enjoy their bye week prior to beginning district competition with a road trip to battle Coppell at Buddy Echols Field on Sept. 29 at 7:30 p.m. Jesuit will then return home to Postell Stadium on Oct. 6 against Richardson.