Quick Notes: Jesuit Dallas
• Jesuit won its third straight game with a hard-fought, 16-12 victory over MacArthur on homecoming Friday.
• Despite Friday's rain-soaked conditions, Jesuit Dallas did not fumble the ball against the Cardinals and shut out MacArthur in the fourth quarter.
• The Rangers enter Thursday's game assured of a spot in the upcoming UIL 6A Division II playoffs, and will learn their matchup, location and time on Friday.
• Jesuit is 6-0 at Eagle-Mustang Stadium since 2012.
Quick Notes: Richardson
• Richardson was shut out by Highland Park, 31-0, on the road last week.
• The Eagles' last district win came on Oct. 21 with a 21-0 victory over Irving.
• The Eagles are powered by a 1-2 running back combo of Miles Buckley (72 rush, 487 yards, 5TD) and quarterback Howard Armstrong (95 rush, 420 yards, 4 TD)
Week Eleven Players to Watch
17 • Charlie Schmidt
Schmidt's 392-yard performance against Berkner is the most passing yards for a Jesuit Dallas quarterback since Parker Towns, who threw for 433 yards against Longview in 2017. The standing UIL program record is 509 yards, registered by Bo Schneider against Plano West in 2013.
7 • Jake Musso
Recorded the team's highest single-game receiving output since 2011 with 284 yards on 13 receptions against Berkner. Musso needs 75 receiving yards tonight to hit the 1,000 mark...Musso has recorded three consecutive games with 100 receiving yards.
3 • Grant Peters
Caught the game-clinching interception for Jesuit against MacArthur, securing a Cardinal pass in the Jesuit end zone with seven esconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Earned Dallas Morning News Defensive Player of the Week Honorable Mention on Sunday.
54 • Grayson Wombacher
Secured a team-leading 11 tackles against MacArthur on Friday...currently leads the team with 62 tackles on the season, and has 2.5 tackles for loss.
80 • Matty Wagner
Caught his fifth touchdown of the season, a go-ahead score that helped Jesuit Dallas topple MacArthur last Friday...averages 11.2 yards per catch this year and has 20 snags on the season.
25 • Cameron Martin
Currently second on the team with 353 yards on the season...averaging 5.0 yards per carry and 39.2 yards per game...has only lost 15 yards rushing this season, with 95.9 percent of his net yardage gained.
90 • Noah McGough
Recorded his second field goal of 40 yards or more with a 40-yard strike at the halftime buzzer against Berkner. McGough's career-long came on Sept. 9 against J.J. Pearce, and McGough is one of only five kickers to hit a field goal of 40 yards or longer since 2015.
Week Eleven By the Numbers
3 • A three-yard touchdown pass from Charlie Schmidt to Matty Wagner was the go-ahead score that gave Jesuit Dallas a 16-12 win over MacArthur on homecoming Friday. The Rangers shut out the Cardinals in the fourth quarter en route to their seventh win of the season.
9 • Jesuit has won nine straight contests against members of Richardson ISD over the last three seasons. With a win tonight, Jesuit will complete a sweep of Richardson ISD for the second consecutive year. Throughout this year, Jesuit has outscored members of Richardson ISD, 130-75.
18 • Jesuit Dallas has pieced together an 18-0 record since 2020 when scoring first. This year, the Rangers are 5-0 when striking first in a ball game, and last year the Blue and Gold went 7-0 when scoring first.
20 • Jesuit is outscoring district opponents by approximately 20 points per game this season (actual figure is 19.6 points per game). Much of that damage has come in the second quarter, where Jesuit holds a 96-41 advantage over district opponents.
21 • The Ranger rushing attack has racked up 21 rushing touchdowns during district play. Jesuit secured seven rushing touchdowns against Irving (Sept. 23), added two against Highland Park (Sept. 30), three against Berkner and four against Nimitz. Jesuit did not score a rushing touchdown against MacArthur.
28 • Against district opponents, Jesuit Dallas has scored on 80 percent (28-of-35) of their trips into the red zone. The Rangers have scored touchdowns on 25 of their 28 successful red zone trips, and have additonally converted 97 percent (35-of-36 of point after attempts).
35 • District opponents have been held to a 35 percent clip on third down conversions (29-of-83) against the Rangers. By comparison, Jesuit has converted 46 percent of third downs (41-of-89) in district play.
65 • Jesuit has seen district opponents average 64.7 penalty yards per game. The Rangers have committed 41 penalties during district play for 56 yards per game.
Scouting the Eagles
Richardson Blanked by Highland Park: The Eagles were shut out by Highland Park, 31-0, on Oct. 28 at Highlander Stadium. Richardson only trailed Highland Park, 7-0, at the end of the first quarter, but 10 points by the Scots and 14 points in the third quarter put Highland Park ahead for good. The Eagles were led by quarterback Howard Armstrong, who carried the ball 16 times for 76 yards, both team highs, followed by an 11-rush, 41-yard performance by Cam Hight. Armstrong added four pass completions for 16 yards, completing a pair of passes to Hudson Harder, who closed out the game with 14 yards. The loss eliminated Richardson from postseason contention.
The Running Eagles: Richardson is led offensively by running back Miles Buckley, who has racked up 72 carries for 487 yards and a team-leading five touchdowns. The Eagles' quarterback, Howard Armstrong, has carried the ball a season-high 95 times and has secured 420 yards this season with four touchdowns. Behind center, Armstrong has completed 44 percent of his passes this season (44-of-100) for 650 yards, six touchdowns and an interception.
The Last Time at Eagle-Mustang Stadium:
Jesuit Dallas scored 21 first quarter points and secured their first outright district championship since 2016 with a 40-6 win over Richardson on Nov. 5, 2021 at Eagle-Mustang Stadium.
Senior Gage Roy connected with classmate Hunter Krepp for a 42-yard pass on the Rangers' first offensive play from scrimmage, finishing the game completing 10-of-13 passes for 177 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Junior Reed Pfaffenberger recorded a 46-yard touchdown reception to close the first quarter while junior Jake Musso scored a pair of rushing touchdowns. Senior Robert Fitzgerald added an 11-yard score for his 14th rushing touchdown of the season.
The Ranger special teams unit made several key plays, including a 20-yard blocked punt return for touchdown by senior Kyle Nolan. Fitzgerald added a 34-yard punt return late in the second quarter to set-up a touchdown to give the Rangers a 33-6 lead into the break. Senior David Long led the team with 12 tackles on the night, followed by seven stops fro Fitzgerald and six tackles by seniors Andrew Charlton, Charlie Freeman and junior Luke Buckner. Senior Lucas Hernandez racked up a solo and assisted tackle for loss, matching Long's team-leading total.
District 7-6A Insider Support:
Recaps Provided by The Dallas Morning News
J.J. Pearce 45, Irving 13: Presley Harper threw two touchdowns and ran in another to lead Richardson Pearce past Irving 45-13 on Friday night and improve its chances at a playoff berth. Pearce (4-5, 4-3 7-6A) forced three first-half turnovers and led 42-0 at intermission. Ryan Williams scored on a 21-yard rush and later returned a fumble 30 yards for a score. Noah Self had nine carries for 54 yards to lead Pearce's rushers. Jack McGarry led all receivers with six catches for 75 yards and a touchdown. Aiden Benavidez led Irving (1-8, 0-7) with 87 yards rushing and a score.
Berkner 47, Nimitz 25: Junior Kaden Alcorn rushed for 152 yards and two touchdowns as Richardson Berkner defeated Irving Nimitz 47-25 Friday night at Wildcat-Ram Stadium.Following a lengthy weather delay, both sides were forced to run the ball the majority of the night, and Berkner took full advantage with 378 yards on the ground. Berkner running back Jamary Williams ran for 138 yards and a touchdown, Dante Doyle also found the end zone and quarterback Cornell McGee IV sealed the game with a 44-yard touchdown run with 3:38 to go. Berkner's special teams got on the board early when it capitalized after a bad snap on a punt attempt just minutes into the game, and Justice Ugochukwu fell on top of the ball in the end zone for the early score. Nimitz quarterback Pedro Maldonado led the way for the Vikings with 309 total yards and three touchdowns in the loss.
Highland Park 31, Richardson 0: Frank Mousa scored two of Highland Park's four rushing touchdowns during a 31-0 win over Richardson on Friday. Highland Park (9-0, 7-0 District 7-6A) clinched at least a share of its eighth consecutive district title and 57th in program history, as well as a top seed in the 6A Division II playoffs. Jay Cox and Wilson Axley also ran for scores as part of a balanced attack for Highland Park in the victory. Brennan Storer passed for 113 yards and rushed for another 67. The Highland Park defense limited Richardson (3-6, 2-5) to just 16 passing yards and forced two turnovers, including a Jack Morse fumble recovery to stop a scoring threat on the opening drive. Howard Armstrong ran for a game-high 76 yards for Richardson, which was eliminated from playoff contention with its third shutout loss of the season.
District 8-6A Insider Report:
Recaps Provided by The Dallas Morning News
Arlington Bowie 56, Arlington Lamar: With the last playoff position at stake in District 8-6A, Darrion Bowers dominated from the opening whistle to lead Arlington Bowie to a 56-13 victory over Arlington Lamar on Friday at Cravens Field. Bowers had 212 yards on 20 carries with two rushing touchdowns. With a 28-7 halftime lead, the Bowie (5-4, 3-2) defense asserted dominance early in the third quarter to put the game out of reach. On two successive plays, Bowie scored defensive touchdowns. Njaka Chiemierie returned an interception for a 35-yard score, followed by a Dominick Battle 20-yard fumble return for a touchdown on the next play from scrimmage to give Bowie a 42-7 advantage. Though the wet conditions made passing difficult, Bowie's DeAngelo Ponder went 9-for-10 for 129 yards through the air with three passing touchdowns, all to Kelby Valsin. Valsin finished with five catches for 88 yards. Gannon Carey led the Lamar (3-6, 2-2) offense with 31 yards rushing and a score on the ground.
Arlington Martin 35, Arlington 14: Martin outscored Arlington, 35-7, in the second half and secured a 35-14 win over the Colts on Friday at Choctaw Stadium. The Warriors were powered by the run game, as Martin rushed the ball 23 times for 252 yards, averaging 10.96 yards per rush. Zaire Barrow scored two touchdowns with Sergio Snider Jr. tacking on a team-high 101 yards and a touchdown. Arlington quarterback Sam Semi threw for 65 yards (8-of-20 completions), adding a team-high 19 rushes for 155 yards and a touchdown.
Grand Prairie 20, Arlington Sam Houston 7
