Electric Comeback Foiled by Late Field Goal: A frantic fourth-quarter comeback fell short as a 16-yard Prosper field goal with two seconds remaining led to a 30-28 setback on Friday evening. Jesuit trailed by 17 points with 9:14 remaining in the second quarter but outscored Prosper 21-6 in the second half. Junior Kevin Shuman threw for 154 yards and three touchdowns, adding 14 carries for 78 yards. Senior Jack Hajdu caught three receptions for 21 yards and two touchdowns while classmate Travis Whisler led all receivers with six catches for 72 yards and a touchdown. Junior EJ Smith posted his third consecutive 100-yard game with 15 carries for 116 yards as sophomore Jake Taylor carried the ball 10 times for 52 yards and a touchdown. Junior Tommy Roy racked up a career-high nine tackles and junior Jack Barton added six tackles.
Ranger Red Zone Efficiency: The Jesuit offense has found convincing success inside the red zone this season, scoring on 17-of-18 red zone chances. Scoring 15 touchdowns inside the opponent's 20-yard line, Jesuit's success deep in opponent territory has been a key component of the squad's 28-point scoring average. By comparison, opponents are 13-of-16 inside the Jesuit red zone, and have been held to eight touchdowns.
Senior Defenders Shine: The Jesuit defensive line and linebacker corps have helped team rack up 14 tackles for loss and three sacks during the past three weeks of district play. Seniors Collin Lark and Andrew Gregory have secured 15 and 12 tackles respectively while Lark has tacked on a team-leading 3.5 tackles for loss. Senior Noah Villasana has recorded 10 tackles while Witt Chambers has 6.5 stops and a sack. Seniors Matthew Johnson, David Reichert, Will Leitnick and Collin Kenny have each four tackles or more in district play.
Unpredictable Offense Paying Dividends: Over the past three contests, seven different Rangers have scored touchdowns to help Jesuit average 32.7 points per game against district opponents. Shuman enters the fourth week of league play with 522 yards and eight touchdowns while Hajdu has caught three touchdowns over the last three weeks. Smith has averaged 127.3 rushing yards per game and has found the end zone four times, while Whisler leads the wide receiving corps with 165 yards and two touchdowns.
Allen Routs Plano East: In a clash of unbeaten district teams, Allen secured a dominating, 74-36 win over Plano East on Friday at Eagle Stadium. The Eagles and Panthers were tied 14-14 at the end of the first quarter before Allen erupted for 60 points over the final three quarters of regulation. Quarterback Grant Tisdale threw for 262 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 116 yards and four touchdowns. Allen racked up 611 total yards of offense and forced three Plano East turnovers, pummeling the Panther defense for six rushing touchdowns. Plano East quarterback Barnadon Mallory found success against the Eagles, completing 18 passes for 303 yards and four touchdowns. With the victory, Allen fortifies its position as the top-ranked team in Texas, entering the home stretch of the season with 21 of 24 first-place votes in the Associated Press Texas Top 25.
Future Sooner Wease Fulfilling Expectations: Ranked as the No. 3 recruit in Texas and the No. 18 recruit in the U.S., senior wide receiver Theo Wease committed to Oklahoma on April 13 after receiving 39 offers and visiting LSU, Oklahoma and USC. The District 6-6A Offensive Newcomer of the Year as a sophomore and was a unanimous all-district pick last year, Wease enters Friday's game with 33 receptions for 463 yards and eight touchdowns, averaging 14.0 yards per catch.
Series History: The Eagles hold a 4-0-1 all-time advantage against the Rangers in a series that dates back to 1990. The two teams last met in 2009 when Allen defeated Jesuit, 55-14. The lone tie between the two teams came in 2001 when Jesuit and Allen played to a 17-17 tie.
Up Next: Allen will close the regular season with home games against Boyd (Oct. 26), Prosper (Nov. 2) and Plano West (Nov. 8). Jesuit will close a three-game district road trip on October 26 when the Rangers return to John Clark Stadium to battle Plano. The Rangers have yet to allow a point at Clark Stadium this season following a 42-0 shutout win over Plano West on September 22. Jesuit will return to Postell Stadium on November 2 when the Rangers host McKinney at 7 p.m. for the team's annual homecoming game and senior night.
