New Season Begins in Arlington: Jesuit Dallas begins the 2019 season on Friday, hoping for a turnaround campaign after facing the toughest strength of schedule in Texas last season. The Rangers closed the 2018 campaign with a 2-8 record, but a handful of returning starters and the introduction of a new offensive scheme has the Rangers, ranked No. 20 in the first Dallas Morning News area rankings, poised for a comeback season in the final round of play in the 2018-20 UIL 6A Alignment.

Experience-Laden Offense Prepared for New Challenge: The Rangers return six offensive starters this season, a unit which hopes to continue a trend of wildly effective offenses donning the Blue and Gold. Last season, Jesuit averaged 26.7 points per game while racking up 172.7 yards on the ground and 190.6 yards through the air per game. Senior wide receiver EJ Smith returns as the team's top offensive producer after a junior season which included 861 rushing yards, 12 rushing touchdowns, 498 receiving yards and five touchdown catches. Senior Rance Holman takes over as the team's starting quarterback after earning the starting role in the team's 2018 season finale against Plano West. Holman finished that contest with 330 yards and three touchdowns to set the standard for his senior season. Junior Jake Taylor rushed for two touchdowns last season and closed the season with 339 yards, adding 130 receiving yards.

Senior Offensive Linemen Holding the Line for Jesuit Dallas: The Jesuit Dallas offensive line will be powered by a pair of three-year starters as seniors Branson Hickman and David Morales enter their final season for the Rangers with over 40 combined starts. Hickman, who recently announced his commitment to play collegiately at Southern Methodist University (SMU) joins Morales, who recently received an offer from Austin College in Sherman, Texas. Over the last two seasons, Jesuit has averaged over 2,350 yards per season and 35 rushing touchdowns per year, due in part to the consistently powerful front line. Hickman and Morales will be joined by seniors Jacob Phillips, Gabe Morales and junior Ryan Lengyel to complete the starting five.

Ranger Defense Aiming to Stifle Electric Arlingon Offense: Jesuit's defense, led by senior captains Jack Barton and Jhalen Spicer, begin the season under the leadership of second-year defensive coordinator Don Woods. Barton will split time between cornerback and linebacker after finishing second on the team with 60 tackles last year. Senior linebacker Tommy Roy returns as the team's leading tackler with 63 stops and seven tackles for loss last season while Spicer finished the season with 24 tackles and five pass breakups.  

Slechta Joins Coaching Staff: Jesuit Dallas head coach Brandon Hickman welcomed Royce Slechta to Jesuit Dallas this past summer as the team's new offensive coordinator. Slechta arrives at Postell Stadium from Wylie High School, where he served in the same position while mentoring one of the top offenses in the area. In 2018, Wylie captured a bi-district championship, the first since the Pirates entered Class 6A in 2016. The Pirates averaged 360 yards per game, anchored by quarterback Rashad Dixon, who was named the District 10-6A Most Valuable Player after finishing the season with 3,030 yards and 36 touchdowns. Wylie's offense was consistently ranked as one of the best in the Metroplex by the Dallas Morning News, and Slechta was a member of a state semifinalist Wylie team in 2010 alongside district championships in 2014 and 2012.

Up Next: The Rangers will play at Postell Stadium for the first time this season against the DeSoto Eagles, who enter the 2019 season ranked No. 16 in the state. Jesuit's schedule includes matchups against three state-ranked teams, including an Arlington squad that is ranked No. 23 in Texas heading into Friday's contest.