Comeback Falls Short Against Reigning Champs
Jesuit Dallas dropped a 41-36 decision to DeSoto on Friday. After trailing, 28-6 in the second half, the Blue and Gold out-scored the reigning UIL Division II-6A state champs, 30-20, over the final 20 minutes of the contest. Sophomore E.J. Smith racked up 143 all-purpose yards, three rushing touchdowns and a touchdown reception, capping his evening with a 26-yard reception that positioned Jesuit deep in Eagle territory late in the fourth. Senior Parker Towns completed 35-of-55 passes for 365 yards and two touchdowns, Fletcher Rosenbleeth caught 13 receptions for 158 yards and running back Matthew Priddy posted 114 yards on 23 carries.
Sophomores Share Season-Opening Spotlight
Sophomore E.J. Smith opened the season with a four-touchdown outing, becoming the first Ranger to accomplish the feat since Evan Jackson '17 scored four times against J.J. Pearce last year. Fellow second year Mitchell Campbell forced two fumbles, including a game-altering strip late in the fourth, while sophomore Tommy Roy made five tackles, including two behind the line of scrimmage. Sophomores Branson Hickman and David Morales logged their first varsity starts, helping the offense average four yards per carry and 10.6 yards per pass as part of an offensive line which included Colin Johns, Connor Curreri and Wyatt Hummel.
Captains Set the Standard
Senior captains Hank Bitterman, Fletcher Rosenbleeth, Parker Towns and Phillip Villalba made key impacts against DeSoto to jump start their final year donning the Blue and Gold. Towns was named Ranger of the Week after his career-high, 365-yard performance, the most passing yards since Bo Schneider '15 posted 405 yards against Bowie in 2014. Rosenbleeth's 158 receiving yards is the highest total since Garrett Amy '15 racked up 153 yards against Irving on Oct. 14, 2014. Bitterman tied sophomore Tommy Roy with a team-high five tackles, and Villalba made a timely tackle behind the line of scrimmage to keep Jesuit's fourth quarter rally intact.
Scouting Plano East
The Panthers dropped their season opener to Duncanville, 42-24 on Sept. 1. Allowing 21 unanswered points to open the game, Jonathan Meadors scored Plano East's first touchdown of the season on a 64-yard run in the second quarter. Panther quarterback Brandon Mallory connected on two fourth quarter touchdowns, but the early deficit was too much to overcome. Meadors finished the game with 88 yards rushing while Mallory threw for 137 yards. Duncanville averaged 8.1 yards per carry against the Panther defense, finishing the contest with 389 yards on the ground.
Last Time They Met…
Career outings by Evan Jackson '17 and John Wunderlick '17 fell short as four Jesuit turnovers resulted in 22 points for Plano East in a 51-27 setback on Sept. 2, 2016 at the historic Cotton Bowl. Jackson ran the ball 27 times for 171 yards, scoring twice. Wunderlick closed out the contest with 114 receiving yards and a touchdown. Parker Towns threw for 218 yards on 15-of-26 passing and two touchdowns in his first varsity start. Defensively, senior Andrew Miskell '17 led the team with five tackles and 1.5 sacks for 13 yards. Lucas Kincade '17 and John Guzman '17 logged 4.5 tackles each.
Up Next…
Jesuit will travel to Austin, Texas to battle the UIL Division I-6A State Champion Lake Travis Cavaliers on Friday, Sept. 15. Lake Travis enters week two of the regular season 0-1 after a 65-45 setback to Converse Judson, while Jesuit Dallas will be making the first trip to Cavalier Stadium in program history.
