2020 Jesuit Dallas Football Gameday
Jesuit Dallas at Flower Mound Marcus
7 p.m. • Flower Mound, Texas
Marcus Marauders Stadium
Game Notes:
Re-Writing History: The curtain opens on the 2020 Jesuit Dallas football season this Friday as the Rangers and the remainder of UIL 5A and 6A schools begin competition. Jesuit begins the new season following a historic 2019 campaign that resulted in the first trip to the regional final in program history. In the area round, Jesuit Dallas upended reigning state champion and nationally-ranked Longview, 27-25, earning the first win in program history over the perrenial state powerhouse.
Power in the Trenches: Jesuit's offensive line will enter the season with several returning pieces of last year's group. Baylor verbal commit Ryan Lengyel leads the charge and is flanked by junior Matthew Craycraft, a junior who has secured offers from Arizona State, Penn and Princeton. Seniors Oscar Jarmon, Baron Johnson and junior Luca Costanzo complete the projected starting lineup as the offensive line looks to pave the way for an offense that averaged 375.4 yards per game last season.
Fresh Faces Face Opportunity: With the departure of Under Armour All-American EJ Smith, the Jesuit Dallas offense will see several new faces compete. Senior Jake Taylor returns as last year's leading rusher, racking up 1,107 yards with eight touchdowns last season. He will be joined by senior Kyle Heckel, who scored five all-purpose touchdowns last year. Junior quarterback Gage Roy will make his varsity debut on Friday, as will first-time starters Hunter Krepp and Cole Younger. Senior Charlie Cook, who caught a touchdown pass in the regional final last year, will also return to the field for the Blue and Gold.
Returners Propel Defense into New Season: Jesuit will return two of the top five tacklers from last season as a defense packed with returning experience will aim to replicate last year's success. Junior Robert Fitzgerald finished his second varsity season with 74 tackles, 11 pass breakups, and will lead a relatively fresh defensive back corps. On the defensive line, Delaware commit Peter Melle leads the charge after collecting 61 tackles and 2.5 sacks las season. Additional returners include senior Cooper Manning, who collected 30 tackles last year, senior Jack Judson, who missed five games but still picked up 18 tackles, and Graham Bowers, who secured 12 tackles to finish his first varsity season.
Familiar District Foes, New Region: The 2020-22 UIL Re-Alignment placed Jesuit Dallas in District 7-6A, which marks the first time since the 2008-10 alignment that Jesuit will compete in Region I-6A, as the Rangers have competed in Region II-6A over the past 10 seasons. The Blue and Gold will matchup against the members of Richardson ISD and Irving ISD to make up the eight-team district.
Up Next: Jesuit Dallas and Rockwall will square off at Postell Stadium, a game which will also serve as Jesuit's 2020 home opener. The Rangers and Yellow Jackets are meeting for the first time outside the playoffs, where Rockwall holds a 2-1 lead over the Blue and Gold. Jesuit's last win against Rockwall came on Nov. 23, 2013, a 46-26 win over the Yellow Jackets in the UIL Area Round.
Numbers of the Game:
4 • Tonight's season opener is the fourth time in the last five seasons that Jesuit will open the season against an area-ranked team. Since 2017, Jesuit has opened the year against teams such as DeSoto and Arlington prior to tonight's matchup with the Marauders.
6 • Friday's game will be covered live by CW33, and will mark the sixth Jesuit Dallas football game to be picked up by a television station in the Metroplex. The streak began on Oct. 2, 2015, when the Rangers upset state-ranked Skyline, 24-21.
9 • The number of starters that return this season for Jesuit Dallas. The Rangers return four starters on offense, including two on the offensive line, while returning five members of the defensive and special teams unit.
Scouting the Marauders:
Dynamic Duo Leading Marcus Offense: Four-star pro style quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, verbally commited to play at LSU next fall, returns to lead the Marauder offense after a stellar junior season. Nussmeier threw for 3,788 yards last year with a 66.8 completion percentage and 38 touchdowns. His primary target, J. Michael Sturdivant, also returns after catching 87 passes for 1,125 yards and 10 touchdowns last year. Sturdivant is another four-star recruit who will play for Cal-Berkeley next fall.
Expectations High Following Area Ranking: Marcus enters the 2020 season ranked ninth in the area according to the Dallas Morning News. Following last season's 11-2 run which ended in the UIL Region I-6A Division II Semifinal, the Marauders return six on offense and seven on defense. Head Coach Kevin Atkinson returns to lead the Marauders after a wildly successful offense finished the 2019 season ranked sixth in the state after averaging 452.8 yards per game.
Program History: The football program has seen great success since the school opened in 1981. A two-time state finalist, the Marauders won the 1997 UIL 5A Division II State Championship with a 59-20 drubbing of Alief Hastings under the leadership of head coach Que Brittain. In addition to the football program's success, the Marauder basketball program has earned a reputation as one of the top programs in the state. Marcus won back-to-back basketball state championships in 2010 and 2011, both of which saw strong performances by Marcus graduate and current Boston Celtic Marcus Smart.
Up Next: Flower Mound Marcus will face off against a familiar foe to Ranger fans as the Marauders travel to McKinney ISD Stadium to take on McKinney H.S. Marcus will enter District 5-6A at the end of October to face the fellow members of Lewisville ISD alongside Plano and Coppell.
