In a wild affair that included multiple two-point conversion attempts, onside kicks and a kickoff return for a touchdown, Jesuit Dallas saw momentum slip away in the second half as Rockwall scored 31 unanswered points from the end of the second into the fourth quarter en route to a 60-38 win over the Rangers on Friday night at Postell Stadium.
 
A trio of juniors scored two touchdowns each for the Blue and Gold in the team's home opener, as junior Gage Roy completed a pair of touchdown passes to classmate Cole Younger. Roy would finish the contest completing 21-of-36 passes for 199 yards, 80 of which went to Younger on four receptions. Junior Robert Fitzgerald, who added nine tackles on the defensive end, scored two rushing touchdowns in the wildcat, closing out the bout with five rushes for 34 yards.
 
Junior Hunter Krepp provided a jolt to the Rangers in the second, scoring a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to give Jesuit a seven-point lead midway through the quarter. Senior Jake Taylor led the team in rushing for the second straight game, carrying the ball 17 times for 110 yards and averaging 6.5 yards per carry.
 
Senior Pierce Jackson racked up a team-leading 11 tackles on Friday with a pass breakup while his twin brother Chase Jackson added two tackles and a breakup of his own. Fitzgerald recorded Jesuit's lone tackle for loss, but five tackles from senior Major Kent, four stops from Jack Judson and three tackles apiece from seniors Cooper Manning, Peter Melle and junior Landon Usry contributed to the Jesuit effort.
 
Rockwall scored on its second play from scrimmage to take an early lead and took the ball back after tipping a 48-yard field goal attempt by senior Parker Brown with 8:03 remaining in the opening quarter. The Yellow Jackets looked poised to score again with a first-and-10 from the Jesuit 15-yard line, but the Rangers held the line and forced a turnover on downs as Fitzgerald made a tackle on a fourth-and-four.
 
Roy found senior Ryan Schurr for a 13-yard strike to take the Rangers out of their own red zone before a 36-yard rush by Taylor put Jesuit deep into Rockwall territory. Fitzgerald entered the game in the wildcat formation and raced in from eight yards out for the team's first touchdown of the game.
 
Jesuit took its first lead of the game on its next drive as Roy hit Younger for a 21-yard touchdown through heavy coverage, then found Schurr for a two-point conversion to give Jesuit a 14-8 advantage with 10:56 remaining in the second. Rockwall scored to take a one-point lead back, but Krepp took the ensuing kickoff to the house to return the lead right back to the Blue and Gold.
 
On the kickoff, Krepp took the ball and raced down the near sideline, racing through the pressure and breaking free near the Rockwall 30-yard line to find open space heading into the end zone, giving Jesuit a 22-15 advantage with 8:48 left in the first half. Rockwall recovered a blocked field goal for a touchdown, sending the game into halftime tied, 22-22.
 
In the third quarter, Rockwall took the lead with a three-play, 41-yard drive then continued to harness momentum with a recovered onside kick. The Yellow Jackets looked to build their lead to two possessions, but Pierce Jackson stopped a fake punt to stop the drive. Rockwall picked off Roy, then scored to build a 14-point lead with 8:24 left in the third. Rockwall scored on its next two drive, adding a touchdown and field goal to increase the lead to 24 points.
 
Fitzgerald scored his second touchdown of the game early in the fourth, the first of two Jesuit touchdowns in the final quarter. Roy found an open Younger down the near sideline for a 62-yard touchdown, but the onside attempt was recovered by Rockwall to quell the Jesuit comeback attempt.
 
Jesuit will close the non-district schedule on Friday, Oct. 9 against Plano East. The Rangers and Panthers have met in six consecutive seasons dating back to 2016, a run that Plano East holds a 4-2 record over the Rangers. Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. from Kimbrough Stadium in Murphy, Texas.