The football season is about half over and the Jesuit Rangers’ JV football team has dominated thus far, earning a victory against the Richardson Berkner Rams on October 3rd. The Rangers played excellent in this game, improving their district record to 1-1 and overall to 4-1.
DT Andrew Morris ’16 described the game-plan as “wanting to go out there and hit them hard and low.” He went on to say that as soon as they saw their running back, they realized they needed to hit them hard first and have good form when tackling him.
The Ranger defense got off to a great start, holding them to a three and out with a few key stops by defensive Tackle Ryan Brooks ‘16. Although the offense didn’t score on their first drive, quarterback Rusty Landon ’16 was able to complete a few good passes and drive the ball.
The Ranger defense responded on the next drive with another stop and the offense got into their rhythm and scored a touchdown. Wide receiver Mac Elliott ’16 described the drive as solid and was impressed with the touchdown. Elliott went on to say that “after that, the offense was able to easily drive and everyone found their rhythm.”
After a few more solid defensive stops, including an interception by Cornerback Jet Leonard ’15, the Rangers scored another touchdown. With the first quarter coming to a close, the Rangers lead 14-0.
The defense proved to be stellar through the second quarter, allowing 0 points and defensive end Elliot Hartman ’16 made some good hits to lead the defense. The offense was flat throughout the second quarter, however, but Running back Jackson Suarez ’16 rushed for a touchdown to give the Rangers a 21-0 advantage at the half.
Morris described the defense as sloppy as a whole, but they made big plays when needed. While they were sloppy, they shut out a good Rams offense through the first half.
The Rangers came out in the third quarter with some energy and stopped the Rams on their first possession. The offense sputtered at first, but Mac Elliott ’16 scored on a 25 yard screen pass by Landon with tremendous down-field blocking by Matt Metz ’16. With a few more good stops by the defense, the Rangers took the shutout of 28-0 into the final quarter.
The Rangers offense slowed down in the fourth quarter, not producing any touchdowns, but they held onto the ball and kept a solid lead. The defense held up until midway through the fourth quarter when the Rams scored two unanswered touchdowns to reduce the Rangers lead to 28-15. The Rams could not put together a scoring drive after that and the Rangers won 28-15.
Offensive Coordinator Jonathan Short explained that, “[The coaching staff] was pleased with the win against Berkner, but also realized that we have some things in all three aspects of the game that we need to improve upon to continue to get better.” Short went on to say that with academic assignments looming, the team was inevitably flat that night.
While the outcome of the game was positive for the Rangers, they continue to put up a fight in their district, establishing themselves as one of the two top teams. Coach Short believes that “the team can finish with one of the best records in district.” He went on to say that the coaching staff is expecting the guys to work hard and improve upon their games.
The Rangers took on the WT White Longhorns, Thursday October 10 and be sure to wish them luck as they progress through the season.
