Scouting the Rangers

Rangers Defeat J.J. Pearce: Jesuit scored twice within the first five minutes of Friday's District 7-6A opener against J.J. Pearce, and kept the pressure on the Mustangs throughout the bout en route to a 40-13 win at Ranger Stadium. The Rangers racked up 234 rushing yards and scored four rushing touchdowns in the process of securing their fifth straight district-opening win.

Senior Charlie Schmidt maintained his consistency behind center, completing 73 percent of his passes (19-of-26), completing a touchdown pass to fellow fourth year Matty Wagner, and adding a pair of rushing touchdowns alongside 69 net rushing yards. Senior Cameron Martin racked up 106 yards on 11 carries, including a 37-yard run for Jesuit's third touchdown of the afternoon. Senior Jake Musso tacked on a rushing touchdown and secured a team-high six receptions for 40 yards. Junior Landon Polk led the Rangers in receiving yardage with three catches for 41 yards.

Defensively, senior Grant Peters led the charge with seven tackles, one solo sack, one assisted sack and two total tackles for loss. Juniors Sean Watson and Grayson Wombacher picked up seven tackles apiece, with Watson adding a forced fumble. Seniors Blake Miller, Luke Selner and junior Fredrick Lucky picked up five tackles each, helping the Rangers hold Pearce to 54 rushing yards and 236 total offensive yards. Junior Tristen Bird made a massive impact play in the fourth quarter, returning a point after attempt 98 yards for a two-point swing with 8:40 remaining in the game. Sophomore Noah McGough tacked on a 42-yard field goal while senior Will Hanrahan caused chaos on the defensive line to the tune of three tackles, a forced fumble and pass break-up. Senior Roark Holman led the team with two tackles and recovered a fumble while senior Luke Buckner assisted on a sack and finished the game with three tackles and a tackle for loss.

Rangers Aim to Keep Richardson ISD Streak Alive: Jesuit Dallas has won seven consecutive games against members of Richardson ISD (Berkner, JJ Pearce, Lake Highlands, Richardson), and are 16-1 against Richardson ISD since 2016. The 2022-24 alignment also marks the third time in the last four alignments that Jesuit Dallas and Richardson ISD were placed in the same district.

Defense Heating Up: Jesuit's defense has forced eight fumbles through three games this season, has held opponents to a 39.4 percent (13-of-33) conversion rate on third downs and a 2-for-7 clip (28.6) on fourth down conversions. By comparison, Jesuit has only fumbled twice this year and has succeeded on 44.2 percent (19-of-43) of third-down conversion attempts this year.

Up Next: Jesuit will return to Ranger Stadium on Friday, Sept. 23 for a matchup against Irving. The contest will also serve as this year's Faculty Appreciation Night and will be preceded by the annual All-School Tailgate. Kickoff for Friday's game is set for 7 p.m.

Numbers of the Game

5: Five wide receivers finished Friday's game against Pearce with more than 25 receiving yards. Junior Landon Polk led the way with 41 yards, followed by senior Jake Musso (40), junior Cooper Cutler (36), senior Cameron Martin (27), and senior Matty Wagner (27).

3: Each of the last two showdowns between Jesuit Dallas and Lake Highlands have been determined by three points. In 2020, Lake Highlands held off a late rally by the Rangers en route to a 34-31 win, and Jesuit Dallas secured a dramatic, 48-45 win over Lake Highlands at Ranger Stadium in 2021.

Scouting the Wildcats

Wildcats Fall to Scots: Lake Highlands saw Highland Park score 14 unanswered points to start Friday's district opener, and the Wildcats dropped a 52-21 decision to the Wildcats on Friday at Highlander Stadium. Quarterback Tripp Holley completed 17-of-24 passes for 160 yards and a touchdown, but his interception was one of three turnovers on the evening for the Wildcats. Running back Deonte Dean was the top scorer for Lake Highlands, carrying the ball 22 times for 145 yards and two touchdowns. Wide Receiver Jack Shreiner led the team with four catches for 53 yards, averaging 13.25 yards per reception.

Lake Highlands Opens Season with Strong Wins: Prior to the setback against the Scots, Lake Highlands was ranked 15th in the area following wins over Mesquite Poteet and Flower Mound. In the team's 21-0 win over Mesquite Poteet on Aug. 26, the Wildcats racked up 439 yards of offense and forced five Pirate turnovers. Lake Highlands forced four turnovers against Flower Mound on Sept. 2, with rushing touchdowns from Deonte Dean, Leland Germany and Ian Moudy sparking the Wildcats to a 27-17 win over the Jaguars.

Players to Watch: Defensive back Carson Klein returns to the Wildcats after racking up 77 tackles during the 2021 season. He is complimented by a slew of returning defensive standouts, including senior linebacker Sam Hutton, who secured 53 tackles and four sacks last year. Offensively, Deonte Dean returns to the gridiron after securing seven touchdowns (four rushing, three receiving) last season, and has three touchdowns and 379 yards to his credit this year.

Lake Highlands - 2021 in Review: The Wildcats won their final five games of the season en route to finishing second in District 7-6A and earning the district's top seed in the UIL Division I-6A bracket. Lake Highlands won its first round game, 29-24, over South Grand Prairie before seeing its season end against Allen, 49-24, in the UIL Area Round.

The Last Time They Met...

Senior Robert Fitzgerald had a fourth quarter to remember on Friday at Ranger 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 Oct. 1, 2021 at Ranger Stadium.

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 reception of the year, closing the bout with four catches for 97 yards, and continues his streak of scoring at least one touchdown in every game this season. Senior Gage Roy completed 22 passes for 285 yards and four touchdowns.

Defensively, senior David Long recorded 12 tackles, senior Austin Graham and Brady Kinzer tacked on five tackles apiece, and senior Matthew Craycraft, playing both ways as an offensive and defensive lineman, recorded a critical 12-yard sack on third down.

The Last Time at Wildcat-Ram Stadium...

Junior quarterback Gage Roy marshaled a frantic comeback from down 17 points, throwing for a career-high 389 yards and four touchdowns, but Jesuit fell one possession shy of toppling unbeaten Lake Highlands as the Wildcats defeated Jesuit, 34-31, on Oct. 30, 2020 at Wildcat-Ram Stadium.

Roy completed 33-of-46 passes and connected with seven different receivers for his impressive yardage total. Senior Charlie Cook caught the ball 10 times for 161 yards and a touchdown while junior Hunter Krepp added a pair of touchdowns and 123 yards. Senior Jake Taylor caught his first touchdown reception of the season while classmate Kyle Heckel caught four passes for 54 yards.

Junior Robert Fitzgerald racked up 11 tackles, while seniors Pierce Jackson and Peter Melle picked up eight stops each. Jesuit racked up six tackles for loss as Melle joined senior Jack Judson, Major Kent, Graham Bowers, Cooper Manning and junior Kyle Nolan as members of the Blue and Gold that made a tackle behind the line of scrimmage.