Jesuit's defense held firm in the second half, breaking up several critical third down pass attempts and making a goal-line stand in the fourth to secure a 23-17 win over Plano East on Friday at Kimbrough Stadium in Murphy, Texas. The Rangers close out the non-district slate with a 1-2 record and earn their second straight win over the Panthers.
 
Senior Jack Judson led the charge for Jesuit's defense, recording 12 tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack and a safety. Judson has tallied 26 tackles over the first three games of the season, emerging as a key contributor to the Ranger defensive unit. Junior Robert Fitzgerald recorded 10 tackles and two pass breakups, including the game-clinching breakup late in the fourth quarter.
 
The defensive backfield played a huge role in the win as senior Cooper Manning tacked on two tackles and a pair of breakups, including one in the team's final defensive stand. Junior Max McFarland broke up a critical pass on a third down in the fourth quarter to continue the strong outing by the defensive back corps. Senior Pierce Jackson recorded eight tackles, classmate Major Kent added four stops and senior Graham Bowers contributed a four-yard tackle for loss.
 
Offensively, senior Charlie Cook caught seven passes for a career-high 117 yards and a touchdown. Junior Gage Roy found Cook for a 39-yard touchdown in the first quarter, finishing the game 15-of-25 for 206 yards. Fitzgerald added two rushing touchdowns for the second consecutive game, leading the wildcat formation to the tune of 11 rushes for 45 yards. Senior Jake Taylor led the team in rushing for the third straight game, posting 57 yards on 12 carries.
 
The first quarter saw Plano East race down the field for the first score of the game, taking the opening kickoff 75 yards downfield to take an early lead. Facing a fourth-and-six from the Plano East 39-yard line, Roy hit Cook for Jesuit's first touchdown of the game, moving out of the pocket and finding the senior wide receiver down the near sideline to tie the game at 7-7 with 4:11 remaining in the quarter.
 
Senior Chase Jackson pinned the Panthers deep in their own territory, making a tackle at the eight-yard line off of the ensuing kickoff. After a Plano East penalty put the ball at the four-yard line, Fitzgerald shut down an outside rush attempt for no gain. Judson broke through the Panthers' defensive line on the ensuing play, forcing Plano East quarterback Dylan Hayden to commit an intentional grounding penalty, recorded as a safety, to give Jesuit its first lead of the game with 2:52 left in the first.
 
Fitzgerald scored his first touchdown of the game on the first play of the second quarter, but Plano East scored a long touchdown to cut the Ranger lead to two points. Both teams were held scoreless down the stretch of the second quarter before Jesuit pieced together a five-play, 61-yard drive that resulted in Fitzgerald's second touchdown of the day. After crossing the 50-yard line into Plano East territory, Roy found junior Cole Younger and Taylor for back-to-back 14-yard receptions to bring the Blue and Gold into the red zone. Fitzgerald found pay dirt two plays later to return Jesuit's lead to two possessions, allowing the Rangers to take a 23-14 lead into halftime.
 
Neither team scored in the third quarter, as both teams failed to capitalize on long drives. An 11-play, 68-yard drive that took 5:37 of the quarter saw the Rangers get shut down on a fourth-and-two from the Plano East four yard line, and the Panthers missed a 49-yard field goal attempt following a 14-play, 64-yard drive that took up 5:19.  
 
Plano East scored on its first drive of the fourth quarter to cut the Ranger lead to six. Jesuit punted the ball back to the Panthers with 4:14 left in the fourth quarter, giving Plano East the ball back at its own 22-yard line with a chance to tie or take the lead. Plano East marched down the field and faced first-and-goal with a minute left in the game, but the Rangers held firm to force a fourth-and-goal from the Jesuit 11-yard line. Hayden attempted to throw a game-winning fade to the corner, but Fitzgerald knocked the pass away to clinch the win for Jesuit.
 
The Rangers will take next week off before beginning district play on Friday, Oct. 23 against J.J. Pearce. Jesuit and Pearce have faced off in memorable matchups over the last 16 years, as the Blue and Gold has recorded a 5-2 record over the Mustangs since 2004. The Rangers and Mustangs last met on Oct. 20, 2017, when senior quarterback Parker Towns '18 scored a rushing touchdown with 11 seconds remaining to hand the Rangers a 38-31 win over the then district rival Mustangs. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Postell Stadium.