A last-gasp rally from 14 points down fell just short as Jesuit Dallas dropped a back-and-forth, 35-28 district battle to McKinney Boyd on Friday night at Postell Stadium. An electrifying effort from junior
EJ Smith sparked the Rangers, but a key fourth-quarter touchdown by Boyd sent the Rangers to their first district loss of the season.
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Smith scored three rushing touchdowns and added a touchdown reception, finishing the game with 179 all-purpose yards. Junior
Kevin Shuman completed 17-of-30 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown while sophomore
Jake Taylor racked up a career-high 101 all-purpose yards, carrying the ball seven times for 67 yards to average 9.4 yards per carry.
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Senior
Andrew Gregory posted a career-high eight tackles, sharing the team lead with junior
Tommy Roy, who matched his career-high. Senior
Collin Lark racked up six stops and a tackle for loss while junior
Jack Barton added six tackles of his own. Senior
Jacob Jowdy and reigning Ranger of the Week
Houston Hummel picked up five tackles apiece.
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Jesuit rushed for 234 yards while passing for 195, converting 8-of-14 third downs while holding McKinney Boyd to a 4-of-8 clip on third down opportunities. The Rangers out-possessed Boyd, holding the ball for 26:36, and went 2-of-3 on fourth down conversions.
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How it Happened
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- The two teams combined for five touchdowns on the first five drives of the game. McKinney Boyd struck first, using a 10-play, 75-yard drive to score on its first possession of the game. The Broncos added their second touchdown on a 77-yard drive before taking a 21-14 lead with a two-play, 70-yard drive to open the second quarter.
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- On the seventh play of Jesuit's first possession, Smith was able to move away from a tackle in the backfield, reversed field and rushed 47 yards into the end zone for a game-tying touchdown. Shuman tied the game once again on the third play of the second quarter, following a 28-yard pass to Taylor with a 43-yard toss to Smith, who caught the ball and raced into the end zone to tie the bout once again.
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- Boyd would score with 5:43 remaining in the half and hold Jesuit scoreless over the final six minutes of the second quarter to take a 28-14 lead into the break. Jesuit seemed poised to grab momentum heading into halftime, but a 14-play drive stalled at the McKinney Boyd 26-yard line as the half expired.
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- Jesuit set the tone for the second half with a touchdown on the third quarter's opening drive. Smith carried the ball for six times for 22 yards, punching in his third touchdown of the game from 13 yards out to cut the Bronco lead to seven points with 6:49 remaining in the third.
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- After forcing a Boyd three-and-out, Jesuit tied the game with 46 seconds remaining in the third quarter. On a third-and-16 from the Boyd 33-yard line, Taylor rushed for 18 yards to give Jesuit a fresh set of downs in the Bronco red zone. Smith dove in from one yard out for the equalizing touchdown to send the game into the fourth tied, 28-28.
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- Boyd took the lead back on a 15-yard touchdown pass with 9:38 remaining in the fourth, completing the pass on third down to secure momentum late in the contest. Jesuit's final two drives of the contest stalled out as the Broncos forced a punt with 6:52 left in the fourth before recording a sack on fourth down with 1:35 left in the quarter.
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- Jesuit regained the ball with 21 seconds left in the fourth, but were unable to convert a last-minute deep pass to extend the contest.
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Up Next
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Jesuit Dallas will enter its bye week before returning to action on Friday, October 12 against Prosper. The Rangers and Eagles will square off at 7 p.m. from Reynolds Middle School Stadium. Jesuit will continue a three-game road trip against Allen (Oct. 19) and Plano (Oct. 26) before returning to Postell Stadium for senior night and homecoming against McKinney on Nov. 4.
