Ranger Field Report
Rangers Topple Wildcats: Senior Robert Fitzgerald had a fourth quarter to remember on Friday at Postell Stadium, forcing and recovering a fumble, scoring the go-ahead touchdown, then snagging the game-sealing interception with 55 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to push Jesuit Dallas to a 48-45 win over district rival Lake Highlands on Friday at Postell Stadium.The Rangers trailed the Wildcats, 21-7, early in the first but battled their way back and outlasted Lake Highlands in a wild affair that saw 103 points and 1,018 yards between the two teams along with five second half lead changes.
Senior Matthew Craycraft made a major play in the third quarter, recording a 12-yard sack on third down that set the stage for the Rangers' go-ahead score with 5:55 remaining in the third. Fitzgerald capped a seven-play, 51-yard drive with a one-yard plunge that gave Jesuit its first lead of the game. Fitzgerald finished the game with 177 rushing yards and three touchdowns and added a 14-yard receiving touchdown to go along with his fumble recovery and interception. Roy completed 22-of-35 passes for 267 passes and four touchdowns, two of which went to junior Cameron Martin, who racked up seven catches for 107 yards on the night.
Krepp added his sixth touchdown catch of the year, closing the bout with four catches for 97Â yards.
Home Cooking Provides Results: The Rangers are 3-0 at home this year and have picked up a trio of dramatic wins over opponents with a combined 13-4 record. Jesuit's success can be chalked up to several stats that have seen the Blue and Gold excel at Postell Stadium; the Rangers are 7-of-8 on fourth-down attempts at home (88%) compared to a 20 percent clip (1-for-5) by opponents, and average 28:36 of possession compared to 19:19 by opponents. Jesuit has additionally kept the laundry off the field at home, as the Rangers have only been called for 15 penalties at home for 112 yards compared to 31 penalties for 264 yards, or 88 yards per game, committed by opponents. Jesuit has proven to be a second-half team against visiting foes, as the Rangers have outscored opponents, 65-42, at home in the second half.
Against Irving ISD...Jesuit Dallas is 8-1 against members of Irving ISD dating back to the 2014 season, the lone loss suffered against MacArthur at Postell Stadium on Oct. 31, 2014. Last year, Jesuit picked up home wins against Irving H.S. and Nimitz and upended MacArthur on the road, averaging 467.7 yards of offense against the three Irving schools.
Up Next: The Rangers will face a quick turnaround as Jesuit travels to Joy and Ralph Ellis Stadium on Thursday, Oct. 14 to face Irving Nimitz.
Scouting the Cardinals
Cardinals Fall to Vikings: MacArthur fell victim to a vaunted Nimitz rushing attack, dropping a 31-14 decision to the Vikings on Friday at Ellis Stadium. Williams averaged 7.04 yards per rush, racking up 197 yards and two touchdowns on the Cardinals. MacArthur quarterback Glendon Willis threw two interceptions and was held without a touchdown, finishing the day with 19 completions on 31 attempts for 154 yards. MacArthur's touchdowns were scored by Jerbrandin Hendrson and Willis, who each scored a rushing touchdown.
Running by Committee: The Cardinals have four rushers who have scored touchdowns this year, led by Darelle Smith, who has scored six touchdowns this year, averages 123.4 yards per game and is currently the second-highest rusher in the district. Smith was held out of the end zone against Nimitz, the first time that he has not scored this season. Jerbrandin Henderson is second on the team with 247 yards on 40 carries and has scored twice.
Nitcholas Takes Over: Beck Nitcholas returned to Irving MacArthur this summer, taking over as head coach in his return to Irving ISD. From 2001-2016, Nitcholas served as an assistant on the Cardinals' staff, serving in various capacities, including defensive coordinator. Following a brief tenure with Irving H.S. as defensive coordinator, Nitcholas most recently served as assistant coach at Hebron H.S. before making his return to Irving ISD.
Up Next: The Cardinals will play back-to-back games at Ellis Stadium, first taking on Irving H.S. at Oct. 15 before hosting Richardson on Oct. 22. MacArthur will play three of its final four games at home to wrap the regular season.
Ranger Rival Report
Berkner 47, Richardson 28: The dynamic backfield of Omarion Barnes, 123 rushing yards and a touchdown, and Jamary Williams, 90 rushing yards and two touchdowns, lead the way as Richardson Berkner (3-4, 3-1 District 7-6A) won 47-28 against Richardson (1-5, 0-3) Thursday night at Wildcat-Ram Stadium. It was a back and forth first half until Richardson Berkner's Lemone Stewart scooped up a fumble and ran it 73 yards for the touchdown with six minutes remaining in the second quarter. Richardson quickly answered, trying to keep some momentum, but Richardson Berkner ultimately took a 26-14 lead into the half. Scoring on its first two possessions of the third quarter, Richardson Berkner separated themselves from Richardson, led by Howard Armstrong's 288 total yards and a passing touchdown, despite its continued fight and fourth-quarter scoring. Richardson Berkner's Thomas Landry had 130 passing yards and threw touchdowns to Jarvis Saine, 71 receiving yards and a touchdown, and Jamaal Saine, 16 receiving yards and a touchdown. Richardson saw strong games from Kaden Alcorn, 69 rushing yards and three touchdowns, and Donovan Ford, 97 total yards and a receiving touchdown.
Lake Highlands 31, JJ Pearce 0: Lake Highland tailback Noelle Whitehead rushed for a game-high 201 yards and two touchdowns, spearheading an offense that rolled up 528 total yards in a impressive 31-0 victory over Richardson Pearce in District 7-6A action on Thursday night at Eagle-Mustang Stadium. Lake Highlands (6-1, 3-1 in 7-6A) controlled the contest from the opening snap, taking a 14-0 lead after one quarter on a 28-yard scoring run by Whitehead and a 14-yard touchdown pass by Caden Dodson to Jeremiah Richards. Dodson also had a big game in the win with 273 total yards and a score, with Richards finishing with four catches for 72 yards. Lake Highlands pushed its lead to 21-0 in the second quarter on a 67-yard touchdown run by Whitehead and took that edge into the second half. Lake Highlands then closed the game out with 10 points in the final period on a 33-yard field goal from Shallum Peter and a 1-yard scoring run by Deonte Dean. Richardson Pearce (2-5, 2-2) was led by receiver Oliver Crawford with 134 yards receiving, with running back Daiquan Landon finishing with 80 yards rushing.
Arlington Lamar 62, Arlington Bowie 49: Arlington Lamar cruised to victory behind a 41-point first half and held on to defeat Arlington Bowie 62-49 Friday night at Wilemon Field. Lamar forced four turnovers and returned three of them for touchdowns. Payton Kelley, De'Sean Wells and Valandist Patterson all scored for the Lamar defense. Offensively, the teams combined for over 1,000 total yards on the night. Lamar quarterback Jaden Morris completed 13 of 15 passes for 281 yards and a pair of scores. He also rushed for two touchdowns. Wide receiver Jaylon McCoy finished with over 200 yards receiving. Bowie finished strong with a 35-point second half and was able cut the lead to 13. Bowie even recovered an onside kick with three minutes left that appeared to give it a chance. Bowie quarterback DeAngelo Ponder finished with 423 yards and four touchdowns. Receivers Kelby Valsin and Jalen Sanders both went over 100 yards receiving on the night.
Arlington Martin 56, South Grand Prairie 20: The Warriors scored 22 first quarter points and never looked back, routing South Grand Prairie, 56-20. The Martin defense limited South Grand Prairie to five failed drives in their six first half attempts, and added a punt return touchdown in the third to take a commanding, 49-7 lead.
Grand Prairie 34, Arlington 20: Savion Red ran for 166 yards and 4 touchdowns as Grand Prairie won a critical early season District 8-6A game with Arlington 34-20 Friday night at the Gopher Bowl. Drew Dampier added a 153 yards and a late 30-yard touchdown run that sealed the win for Grand Prairie, which stayed unbeaten in district play (2-0) and evened its season record to 3-3. Arlington had 273 yards of offense in the first half, but had only two field goals to show for it. Starting on its own 1 yard line on its first possession, Arlington drove the length of the field before stalling out and settling for a 22-yard field goal by Joe Nelson to go up 3-0 late in the first quarter. After Red's first touchdown put Grand Prairie up 7-3, the Colts got a 23-yard field goal from Nelson to make it 7-6. Behind 291 passing yards and 109 rushing yards from quarterback Ryan Zalusky, Arlington actually outgained Grand Prairie, 564-346. But Arlington turned the ball over three times. Two of those turnovers came on interceptions by Grand Prairie's Simon Jackson. Zalusky ran for a score and threw for another for Arlington, while running Rodney Talton, Jr. added 162 yards on carries in a losing effort.
Recaps Provided by Dallas Morning News
