The Rangers opened the season in style on Friday, August 26, defeating the Flower Mound Jaguars 42-41 at home. From the opening kickoff to the last tick of the scoreboard, Jesuit fought hard. Pleasing the huge crowd at Jesuit Stadium, the Rangers pulled off one of the most exciting Jesuit football games in recent memory.
Jesuit’s offense displayed its offensive firepower early, scoring on their opening drive in four plays, taking only 1:13 off the clock. On the first play, junior QB Jack Brezette hooked up with junior receiver Jake Oliver for a 30-yard completion. The drive ended with Brezette once again finding Oliver, this time for a 14-yard touchdown. This marked the first of two first-half touchdowns for Oliver, who finished the game with 17 receptions for 260 yards.
On the other sideline, the Flower Mound Jaguars were ready to roll right when they came out. WR Chas Taylor caught an 80 yard touchdown on Flower Mound’s very first offensive touch, sending the Jesuit offense back onto the field almost immediately.
Jesuit came back onto the field with great field position after a nice kick-return from RB Garrett Van de Ven ’13. This time the offense took their time, and the solid drive concluded with Oliver catching another touchdown, this time from 31 yards out.
In the last two minutes of the 1st Quarter, Kicker Paul Arden, ’13, booted in a 21 yard FG and Flower Mound’s Chas Taylor caught another touchdown. At the end of one quarter, Jesuit held a 17-14 lead.
In the 2nd Quarter, the story again was Flower Mound’s Chas Taylor, who brought home two more long touchdowns. However, the Ranger’s Brezette was able to orchestrate a beautiful drive at the end of the half, lobbing up a touchdown pass to senior WR Austin Lock to tie the score, 28-28, going in to halftime.
After receiving a 69-15 shellacking at the hands of Flower Mound last year, Jesuit fans were thrilled to be in the game after two quarters.
The Rangers dominated the 3rd quarter with their defense, not allowing the Jaguars any points. With 8:16 left in the third quarter, WR John Berend ’13 left his feet for a spectacular 15 yard touchdown catch over the pursuing Flower Mound DB. Senior Austin Lock also caught his second touchdown of the evening in the 3rd quarter, making the score 42-28 Jesuit entering the fourth quarter of play.
Going into the 4th quarter, the fans were going nuts. Most of the rowdy student section had moved from sitting in the stands to leaning over the railings right above the track.
The Rangers did not plan to disappoint their fans in the fourth. After playing picture perfect football all night, Coach Brandon Hickman was not ready to let the game fall out of Jesuit’s grasp. The Rangers offense was uncharacteristically quiet in the 4th quarter, with the defense spending most of the quarter on the field. 
The Jaguars QB Marshall Williams nearly snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in the final few minutes. Entering the final drive of the game with under two minutes to play, Williams ran in the potentially tying score from 4 yards out with 28.8 seconds to go to make the game 42-41, Rangers.
Flower Mound Coach Cody Vanderford made a gutsy call on the PAT. He was in it to win it, signaling for the 2-point conversion. Every Jesuit heart skipped a beat as Williams trotted back onto the field. Hickman took his final time out so that the Rangers could collect themselves for the final play of the game.
With every Jesuit fan screaming his head off, Williams took the snap and looked to the left, where WR Brett Bell was open in the end zone. One could hear a pin drop as Williams fired the football, hitting Bell in the middle of his jersey number. But, in a display of athleticism, Jesuit FS Preston Martin, ’12, left his feet and made a play that he won’t soon forget, knocking the ball out of Bell’s hands. Every Ranger in Jesuit Stadium was going crazy. All Jesuit had to do now was recover the kickoff and send Brezette back out to take a knee.
Jesuit executed in the final moments and pulled out the win 42-41 to get a great start for the 2011 season. After the game with everyone still going crazy, Lane Johnson, ’13, commented, “I really feel sorry for whoever missed or left early from tonight’s varsity football game because, in my opinion, it was the best Jesuit football game ever.”
QB Jack Brezette ’13 finished the game 20-35 for 244 yards with 4 touchdowns and 1 interception; QB Brian Buell, ’12, subbed in occasionally. RB Christian Franz, ’12, ran the ball 11 times for 88 yards, helping the Rangers accumulate nearly 500 yards of offense in the game.
Next week, the Rangers will renew a brotherly rivalry with Houston Strake Jesuit at Haggar Stadium on Friday at 7:30. Come out and support your Rangers as they look to start the season 2-0.
