Ranger Field Report
Rangers Blank Berkner: The Jesuit Dallas offense made a key play in the first quarter, picking up a fourth-down conversion that led to a score, and the Ranger defense made the definitive play in the fourth with a goal-line stand to help Jesuit clinch its first shutout since 2018, 51-0, over Berkner on Friday night at Wildcat-Ram Stadium. The win puts Jesuit in the drivers' seat for a possible home playoff game and provides the Rangers with their fourth district win of the year ahead of a shortened week and a Wednesday matinee showdown against Irving.
Jesuit's defense held Berkner to 142 total yards, including 41 yards through the air and 101 yards on the ground. A complete team effort, four members of the Jesuit defense recorded five or more tackles, led by junior David Long's 10 stops. Senior captains Jack Judson and Peter Melle recorded seven tackles apiece, Judson added a team-leading 1.5 tackles for loss while Melle complimented his tackle total with a tackle for loss and two quarterback hurries.
Senior Pierce Jackson recorded five tackles with a tackle for loss, followed by four tackles from junior Robert Fitzgerald and three tackles apiece from seniors Graham Bowers, Grayson Coke, Cooper Manning, juniors Lucas Hernandez and Charlie Freeman. Tackles for loss were recorded by Bowers, Freeman, Hernandez, seniors Chase Jackson, Sy Mendenhall, Ryan Graham and junior Ryan Allred. Senior Parker Brown made a huge impact on special teams, recording touchbacks in five of his eight kickoffs while adding a 37-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
Defense Coming Up Big: Jesuit's defense has only allowed 17 points over its current three-game winning streak, paving the way for Jesuit's efficient offense that has found the end zone 25 times over that same span. The Ranger backfield has been particularly effective as Jesuit has only allowed 54.3 passing yards per game over the last three weeks and has held all three opponents without a passing touchdown. The Rangers' last three opponents have a 29.7 conversion rate (11-of-36) on third downs, and have only managed to score two touchdowns and a field goal despite out-possessing Jesuit, 28:18-19:10.
Starting Strong: The Rangers have dominated the first half over the last three weeks, outscoring foes, 111-10. Scoring first has paid dividends for the Blue and Gold, as Jesuit is 4-0 this year when scoring first. Jesuit has also demonstrated a penchant for getting on the board early, scoring on the first drive of the game in five of the team's eight games this season.
Up Next: The Rangers will close the regular seaosn on Monday against Richardson. Jesuit and the Eagles have not met since the 2017 season, a matchup that Jesuit won, 56-34. With a win on Wednesday against Irving, Jesuit will clinch the District 7-6A Division II top seed and a playoff home game against either Arlington H.S. or Arlington Lamar.
Scouting the Tigers
Mustangs Defeat Tigers: Burke Wahlberg's 311 passing yards and three touchdowns led Richardson Pearce (3-5, 3-2 in District 7-6A) to a 49-10 victory over Irving (0-7, 0-5) Friday night at Joy and Ralph Ellis Stadium. Irving had early success running the ball, but Pearce responded by keeping Irving out of the end zone and capitalizing every chance it had, scoring on its first five possessions to take control of the game. Others helping Richardson Pearce towards a playoff birth included: Tyriq Stubbs, 105 total yards and three touchdowns, Oliver Crawford, 135 receiving yards and a touchdown, Jack Livingstone, 84 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and Sean Ebbler who also caught a touchdown pass. Irving was lead by Jaycob Vine, 91 rushing yards including an 81-yd touchdown run, Jayden Sanders, 81 rushing yards, and Caden Horne, 50 rushing yards.
Irving Leaning on Rushing Attack: The Tigers enter Wednesday's game averaging 178.8 yards on the ground against district competition, relying on a platoon of 11 rushers to fortify the ground game. Caden Horne has carried the weight of the load for the Tigers witih 74 carries this season, averaging 37 rushing yards against district foes, but has yet to find the end zone this year. Jaycob Vine leads the team with four rushing touchdowns, averaging 7.52 yards per attempt, with Shane Anderson close behind with three scores on 242 yards.
Program History: Head Coach Eric De Los Santos, who is in his third season at Irving, is hoping to end Irving's long losing streak at 29 games on Wednesday. Irving last made the postseason in 2013 with a 6-5 record, finishing fourth in a district which included LD Bell, Grapevine, Colleyville Heritage, RL Turner, Euless Trinity and the remainder of Irving ISD.
The Last Time They Met...
Another dominating effort by the Jesuit Dallas football squad resulted in the Rangers' fourth consecutive win and third shutout of the 2015 season, blanking the Irving Tigers, 50-0, on Oct. 9, 2015 at Irving Schools Stadium.
The Ranger defense provided the spark again, holding the Tigers to 50 yards of total offense, including a smothering run defense that limited Irving to only 33 net yards. Senior John Michael Priddy snagged an interception while Jack Metz secured an Irving fumble, putting the Rangers in scoring position after each Tiger turnover. Seniors Nate Thompson and Peyton Long recorded five tackles each, with Long logging three solo stops and two tackles for loss, including a sack. Senior Ryan Brooks scored a team-high three tackles for loss for 14 yards.
After punting on their opening drive, the Rangers (5-1, 3-1 UIL 9-6A) scored on eight consecutive drives en route to the victory. Jesuit Dallas finished the contest with 391 total yards, including a convincing 248 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. Senior Adam Holtz found the end zone twice, finishing with 44 net yards, while sophomore Evan Jackson additionally found the end zone once while gaining a team-high 72 yards. Junior quarterback Jacob Palisch collected 54 yards and a touchdown on the ground while passing for 143 yards and a pair of scores, one to senior Max Loughborough and the other to fourth year Rusty Landon.
Ranger Rival Report
Recaps Courtesy of The Dallas Morning News
JJ Pearce 45, Irving 10: Burke Wahlberg's 311 passing yards and three touchdowns led Richardson Pearce (3-5, 3-2 in District 7-6A) to a 49-10 victory over Irving (0-7, 0-5) Friday night at Joy and Ralph Ellis Stadium. Irving had early success running the ball, but Pearce responded by keeping Irving out of the end zone and capitalizing every chance it had, scoring on its first five possessions to take control of the game. Others helping Richardson Pearce towards a playoff birth included: Tyriq Stubbs, 105 total yards and three touchdowns, Oliver Crawford, 135 receiving yards and a touchdown, Jack Livingstone, 84 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and Sean Ebbler who also caught a touchdown pass. Irving was lead by Jaycob Vine, 91 rushing yards including an 81-yd touchdown run, Jayden Sanders, 81 rushing yards, and Caden Horne, 50 rushing yards.
Richardson 28, MacArthur 24; Quarterback Aaron Bertrand rushed for 153 yards and three touchdowns as Richardson (5-3, 4-1) defeated Irving MacArthur (2-5, 2-3) in a District 7-6A game at Eagle-Mustang Stadium. Bertrand scored on runs of 15, two and 12 yards. His third touchdown provided the final margin of victory with 8:32 remaining in the fourth quarter. Jeremiah Bryant returned a punt 44 yards for another Richardson touchdown. MacArthur outgained Richardson 386 yards to 196, but was undone by an attempt to return a kickoff from its own end zone that only reached the 3-yard line, and a poor punt on a later possession that turned the ball over on its own 34. Richardson took advantage of the short field to score two of their touchdowns. MacArthur quarterback Glendon Casas-Willis completed 18 of 26 passes for 292 yards and two touchdowns. Wide receiver Davion Daily caught 13 balls for 188 yards, including a 65-yard touchdown. Eric Velasquez added a 40-yard field goal for MacArthur.
Lake Highlands 48, Nimitz 7: Noelle Whitehead scored two touchdowns and ran for 100 yards on 19 carries as Lake Highlands (8-0, 5-0 in district 7-6A) rolled past Irving-Nimitz (2-5, 1-4 in district 7-6A) 48-7 at Joy and Ralph Ellis Stadium on Friday night. Lake Highlands ran for 195 yards and five touchdowns as a team, and held the Nimitz to just 102 yards rushing and 3.4 yards per rush, bottling up running back Eric Williams. Williams had just five yards on 11 touches before leaving the game with an injury in the second quarter. With a usually sturdy ground game faltering, Nimitz did its best to hang in the game while relying on quarterback Elijah Hernandez who went 16-33 for 173 yards and a touchdown, but a series of drops and a third quarter interception helped to their downfall. Lake Highlands quarterback Caden Dotson went 7-10 for 129 yards and a score, and also ran for 50 yards and two more touchdowns.
Arlington 31, Arlington Lamar 21: Quarterback Kris Sims' all-around play helped Arlington defeat Arlington Lamar 31-21 on Friday at Cravens Field during Lamar's senior night. Sims finished with two rushing touchdowns and 179 yards on the ground to go along with two passing touchdowns and 178 passing yards. Early in the game, Sim's second touchdown pass to running back BJ Rogers who carried the ball for 53 yards into the end zone to gain the lead. Rogers also contributed to the game with a total of 70 receiving yards and 80 receiving yards. Arlington also had a 38-yard field goal by kicker Cooper Hicks in the first half. Lamar was close to catch up with a 10-yard touchdown run by quarterback Jaden Morris in the third quarter and a 19-yard pass by Morris to wide receiver Chandler Mrugalski, but that wasn't enough to stop Arlington's defense ability to regain possession with three interceptions. Lamar's other two touchdowns were completed by Mrugalski and wide receiver Le'Andre Roberts. Running back Anthony Williams also contributed to the team with 159 rushing yards.
Arlington Bowie 27, Arlington Sam Houston 14: Bowie was able to grind out a 27-14 victory over Sam Houston on Friday night to remain in second place in District 8-6A. Bowie (6-1, 4-1 District 8-6A) was led in the victory by quarterback Drevonn Ponder, who hit 8 of 11 targets for 94 yards passing, and also added 111 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns. Running back Kameron Sanders went for 106 yards on the ground and another score. Sam Houston (3-5, 1-4) was able to hang with Bowie for most of the night, but a late fourth quarter drive to tie the game was stopped by the Bowie defense on downs. On the next play the Bowie offense handed the ball to Sanders, who rushed for a 37-yard touchdown to ice the game. Bowie will take on Arlington High next Friday while Sam Houston will square off against first-place Martin.
