Junior Zane Williams scored three touchdowns, junior Charlie Peters threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns and the Jesuit Dallas Rangers pieced together an impressive rally late in the fourth, but ultimately fell short to Hebron in the 2023 season opener on Friday at Hebron Hawks Stadium.

Williams carried the ball 17 times for 111 yards and two touchdowns, adding four receptions for 48 yards and a touchdown. Peters finished the evening 29-of-44 behind center for 277 yards, including the season's first touchdown on a five-yard connection to junior Henry Bourret in the first quarter. Junior Noah McGough impressed with a pair of field goals, clearing the ball through the uprights from 40 and 25 yards. Senior Dylan Drennan joined McGough for an impressive showcase by the Jesuit Dallas special teams unit, as the two kickers combined for five touchbacks and averaged 59.9 yards per kickoff attempt.

Seniors Tristen Bird and Christopher Simington led the team defensively with 10 tackles apiece, as Bird added 1.5 tackles for loss, a solo sack, forced fumble, blocked extra point and quarterback hurry. Senior Entonyo Jones, Jr. snagged two tackles for loss, including a solo sack, and finished the game with six tackles to match felow seniors Logan Thompson and Grayson Wombacher. Senior Connor Raney secured a second half interception, broke up a pass and made two tackles. Junior Cade Gill picked up five tackles, including two behind the line of scrimmage, while senior Sean Watson led the defensive backs in tackling with seven stops. Junior Robert Prager led the team with two pass breakups.

Jesuit held a 17-7 lead early in the second quarter after an electric, 18-yard run from Williams. However, a blocked punt return and 15-yard touchdown run by Hebron swung the momentum back in favor of the Hawks, spotting Hebron a one-point lead with 1:25 left in the second quarter. An interception return for touchdown increased the Hawks' lead to seven, but the Rangers responded with a four-play, 85-yard drive that was capped by a 40-yard pass from Peters to Williams, tying the game with three second remaining before halftime.

The third quarter saw the strong Hebron defense hold the Rangers in check, as the Hawks returned another interception for a touchdown and held the Rangers scoreless in the quarter while building a 39-27 lead. In the fourth, Jesuit shut out Hebron, scoring a touchdown on a two-yard scamper from Williams that cut the lead to five points with 6:14 remaining. However, the Hawks were able to hold the Rangers out of the end zone on their final drive to escape their home opener with the victory.

Jesuit will host Rockwall on Friday, Sept. 1 at Ranger Stadium. The Yellow Jackets entered the 2023 season ranked 12th in the inaugural Dallas Morning News area rankings, and opened its season with a resounding, 56-21 win over Cedar Hill on Saturday, Aug. 26. Kick-off is currently scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday.