Rangers Fall to Reigning State Champs: On another rainy night in North Texas, Jesuit Dallas out-possessed the top-ranked team in Texas and held Allen to 3-of-8 on third down chances but fell to a high-powered Eagle offense, 43-14. Junior EJ Smith carried the ball 22 times for 104 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 4.7 yards per carry. Barton added a career-high 12 tackles, racking up the most total tackles since 2015 with 11 solo stops, one assisted tackle and a pass breakup. Junior Kevin Shuman completed 7-of-14 passes for 41 yards before senior Brody Hilberth moved behind center in the second quarter, completing two passes for 35 yards while junior Rance Holman tacked on two completions for 33 yards. Senior Travis Whisler added a team-leading four receptions for 57 yards, junior Zach Pendola secured seven tackles and junior Houston Hummel recorded a sack. Junior Bernardo Gonzalez averaged 32.5 yards per punt, launching six punts during the contest.
Smith Returning to Form: Since entering district play, junior running back EJ Smith has scored six rushing touchdowns and has averaged 121.5 rushing yards per game. Accounting for 486 of the team's 845 net rushing yards (57.5 percent), Smith started to garner momentum with 151 yards on 17 carries against Plano West. Entering Friday's game, Smith has four consecutive 100-yard rushing games as the junior has recorded ten 100-yard games throughout his varsity career.
Barton Continues Stalwart Presence: Barton's career performance on Friday continues a stellar run for the junior defensive back following his varsity debut against Lake Travis on Sept. 15, 2017. Barton racked up 45.5 tackles and four interceptions during his sophomore season and is 5.5 tackles away from matching that total in 2018. Barton has recorded five or more tackles in four consecutive games and snagged his lone interception of the year in the season opener against Arlington on Aug. 31.
Clock Management: A determined offense has out-possessed opponents by an average of six minutes per game this season, including a dominant advantage in the second half. Totaling 24:57 of possession throughout the 2018 campaign, Jesuit holds onto the ball for an average of 6:53 out of the 12-minute third quarter while possessing the ball for 5:46 of the fourth compared to a 4:30 time of possession by opponents. Against Allen, Jesuit held the ball for 29:52 of the 48-minute game compared to the 18:08 recorded by the Eagles.
Plano Upsets Plano East: The Wildcats led from wire-to-wire in a statement-making, 41-19 win over Plano East on Friday. Plano opened the contest with 27 unanswered points, keeping the Panthers off the scoreboard until midway through the fourth quarter. Illinois commit Kyron Cumby erupted for 146 yards and three touchdowns, stretching out his 16 rushes for 9.13 yards per carry to put the Wildcats back into the playoff picture. Plano East quarterback Brandon Mallory, who is also the leading passer in the Metroplex, completed 24 of 41 passes for 269 yards and three touchdowns but threw three interceptions. The Wildcats were able to limit the Plano East rushing game to 34 yards on 15 carries.
Cumby Placing Plano on the Brink: Senior all-purpose back Kyron Cumby has emerged as a candidate for District 9-6A Offensive Player of the Year, entering Friday's game with 82 carries for 631 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns this season. Averaging 7.7 yards per carry, Cumby has added 31 receptions for 267 yards and two touchdowns to total 898 all-purpose yards through seven games this year. The 2016 District Co-Offensive Newcomer of the Year, 2017 all-district first team selection and three-star recruit earned 13 offers but gave a verbal commitment to Illinois on June 21. Cumby enters the final three weeks of the regular season as the No. 14 all-purpose back in Texas with a 4.36 time in the 40-yard dash. Also a track athlete, Cumby won the district, area and regional titles in the 100-meter dash before clocking a 10.55 at state to finish fifth.
Pounding the Pavement: Plano's 199.1 rushing yards per game currently ranks fourth in the district behind Allen (272.0), McKinney Boyd (226.7) and Prosper (221.0). The Wildcats rushed for a season-high 351 team rushing yards in the season-opener against Hebron while recording its highest yardage total in district play last week against Plano East.
Up Next: Plano will take on McKinney Boyd next Friday in a contest that is sure to play a major role in the district playoff picture. The Wildcats will end the 2018 season at home against Prosper.
Series History: In a series dating back to 1984, Plano holds a 4-0 advantage over the Rangers. The two teams last met on Nov. 6, 2009, a contest won by the Wildcats, 21-12.
Up Next: Jesuit Dallas will return to Postell Stadium for the first time since Sept. 28 for its annual homecoming game against McKinney. The contest, which will also serve as the team's senior night, is scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
