The Ranger Rugby squad enters the fourth weekend of competition with momentum after upending state-ranked No. 3 Lake Travis, 19-0, on Feb. 9 in Austin, Texas. Jesuit also avenged an early season setback to Allen with a resounding, 67-7 win over St. Thomas on Feb. 3 to capture the Bishops' Cup in Houston, Texas.
 
The Rangers kept the Cavaliers under constant pressure throughout the game on both offense and defense, cutting off Lake Travis offensively to halt any decisive momentum. The Rangers secured a decisive advantage in possession during the opening half finding pay dirt as juniors Mac Jordan, Jacob Jowdy and Will Woodard scored tries for the Blue and Gold.
 
Lake Travis began to move the ball in the second half, but Jesuit kept the door shut on the Cavaliers, making several critical, goal line stops down the stretch to secure the victory.
 
"We worked on team defense all week and it really paid off today," commented Jesuit Dallas head coach Matthew Upton '02. "The boys saw what putting an opposing team under constant unyielding pressure can do, and they really came together to put forth a great 70 minutes of defensive effort."
 
"It was great to see the boys working together and solving the problems that Lake Travis threw at them as the game progressed and communicate that to their teammates. The brotherhood and team defense were by far the difference in the match, and it ran through the full 23-man roster."
 
Six Rangers found the scoreboard against St. Thomas as Jowdy, seniors Alex Bryan, Zee Hine, Ethan Kirkland, alongside juniors Hector Juarez and Noah Villasana scored tries for Jesuit. Taking a 10-point lead five minutes into the match, Jesuit shook off a try from St. Thomas to break away from the Eagles. Down the stretch of the contest, the Rangers continued to dominate, totaling 10 tries to pick up their first victory of the year.
 
"The defensive pressure and team defense were both things we worked on coming out of last week and it played a huge roll in the win today," added Coach Upton. "The pressure from defense carried over into the offense and the boys were really going moving the ball and playing together as a team."
 
"The line speed was much improved, and it was a true team effort all the way around. I think this will show the boys just what they are capable of when they play together within our system and come out of the gates with purpose and intensity. It was great to bring the trophy home and continue this long history of playing St. Thomas every year."
 
Jesuit will open the 2018 home campaign on Saturday, Feb. 17, when the Rangers will welcome Eagle Mountain to Postell Stadium. Set for kickoff at 11:45 a.m., Saturday's contest will be streamed live on JesuitRangers.org.