If there were a single year that belonged to the Jesuit Rangers’ football team, it would be 2012. Since the day that the Class of 2013 stepped onto the football field as young freshmen, the Jesuit community knew this team would be one to watch in the near future.
The community saw this class go 10-0 its freshman year, win district its sophomore year, and dominate on Friday nights its junior year. The Class of 2013 contains more size, strength, and talent than any other Jesuit team has in recent history, and it is bound to make a deep run in the UIL playoffs come November.
With the four-year starter Jake Oliver ’13, the star wide receiver and University of Texas commit; the two-year starter and ace quarterback Jack Brezette ’13, who was held to only three games in 2011 due to a broken leg; and three-year starter and offensive lineman and Texas A&M commit, J.J. Gustafson ’13, the Jesuit offense has no shortage of powerful threats.
Head coach Brandon Hickman’s high-octane spread offense, known to put huge points on the scoreboard, should have no problem causing chaos for opposing defenses going into the 2012 season.
Most teams are fortunate enough to have either a powerful offense or a powerful defense, but this football team has the best of both. At middle linebacker, the highly recruited Jordan Mastrogiovanni ’13 proves to be every offensive player’s worst nightmare. J. D. ‘Trainwreck’ Waggoner ’13 and Chris Koskovich ’13 own the defensive line in their second year of starting, and they will stop at nothing to break down the offenses that they face.
The Rangers’ secondary is also scattered with ball-hawks, such as Orion Salters ’14, Porter Huntley ’13, and John Paul Bach ’13, who are always ready to make big plays. This Jesuit defense looks to correct some of the mistakes of the previous year and keep other teams from achieving any offensive success, just as they did during their freshman season.
The spring football program started up last Wednesday, April 25th with full force and fast-paced practices. “We looked really good,” remarked quarterback Jack Brezette ’13, “considering we had not played any football for almost six months.” The team’s offseason training program, under the command of coach Jeremy Weeks, obviously kept these players in top condition and kept them focused in the offseason, as was evident by Wednesday’s practice. Even the freshmen, who often take longer to integrate into the varsity system, blended well with the upperclassmen and were able to improve themselves as they rose up in the football system.
Two days later, the offense and defense scrimmaged against each other and “played really well,” described starting running back Will Brown ’13. With a few notable injuries, such as Center Jack Summers ’14 with a concussion and Left Tackle J. J. Gustafson ’13 with a hurt knee, the scrimmage was relatively painless compared to the huge amount of injuries in last year’s spring football season.
Only two and a half weeks remain in the spring season, with the “grand finale” game on May 19th. “I’m looking forward to being able to play in the spring game,” said cornerback Porter Huntley ’13. “It was a lot of fun last year.” The game should be an interesting window into the season that has the potential to be the best Jesuit football season in history.
The upcoming 2012 season also has great significance as the team will travel to Dublin, Ireland, to play a game against another Jesuit school, Loyola Academy from Chicago. This trip has aroused much excitement and preparation from everyone connected to the program, and it will be the opening game for this highly anticipated “dream team.”
We can only buckle up and get ready to see just how far this extremely talented team can advance into the playoffs. This squad has the ability to go far, and despite any negative outside influences, their focus is to win with a purpose.
The seniors came up with a motto over the offseason in order to keep everyone focused on the same goal: “All In, All Out.” This mantra truly does offer wonderful motivation for the team. Best of luck, Rangers. Great things are expected.
