Thursday, September 4th, the Jesuit Rangers JV team traveled to Plano East to face the Panthers. The Rangers, hoping to advanced to 2-0 in this season, took the field at 5:30.
Blessed with a beautiful night, Head Coach Rick Leal was excited with his team’s impressive victory over Arlington Bowie. Plano East’s speed compared to that of Bowie’s, and Coach Leal wanted his team to “contain [the Panther’s] speed and make big plays”. Coming off a tough offensive showing where only one touchdown was scored, the Rangers wanted to take advantage of dual-threat QB Jacob Palisch ’17. Palisch, who backed up varsity quarterback Bo Schneider in week one, had the ability to exploit Plano East’s defense. Coach Leal wanted to make it a point to utilize Palisch’s athleticism.
Rebounding from their poor offensive performance, Jesuit came out of the gates firing on all cylinders. On their first drive, Palisch connected with sophomore wideout Patrick McDermott ’17 for a touchdown. An instant connection was formed between the two sophomores both playing in their first JV games of the season. McDermott, who was out with a shoulder injury, was excited to “make up for his missed game”. Patrick said “on the bus ride over [he] visualized himself scoring multiple times.” McDermott was excited to play with his teammates, and he was proud of they way the team played.
Palisch had success in the air all game, connecting with junior Mack Wageman ’16 and McDermott for multiple touchdowns each. Wideouts Evan Sonnier ’17 and Dane Bender ’16 were also key contributors with big catches throughout the game. Palisch credits his success to the “great job the offensive line did making adjustments.” Sophomore offensive lineman Max McLeod ’17 led the way for the big men up front. The o-line did a great job of battling in the trenches in creating holes for the running back and protection for the quarterback. McLeod wanted to make sure they could “establish the run and see what was working from there.”
The power run game from Jesuit is a hard fought battle game in and game out. Sophomore running backs Evan Jackson ’17 and Matt Reilly ’17 did a great job of finding holes and keeping the pressure on the Panther D. Both Reilly and Jackson gained some nice power yards, and they each managed to bust into the end zone for scores. Palisch’s arm strength is not his only key attribute. He also has the ability to lengthen the play and run with it. His ability to run kept the defense on their heels opening up the passing game. Palisch wanted to “feel confident in [their] running game and be able to control the clock.”. However, Palisch and McDermott credited all of the offensive success to the o-linemen.
On the defensive side of the ball, the team’s overall consensus was to limit the big plays and contain the speed of the Panthers. The passing game was almost non-existent for the Panthers due to the pressure that the Rangers D-Line was able to keep. Defensive ends Andrew Miskell ’17 and Jordan Rice ’17 had standout games each creating sacks and pressure. Rice went into the game “wanting to bring the same intensity as last week”. They succeeded and held the Panthers to low passing numbers.
However, the speed of the Panthers caused trouble for the Rangers’ D throughout the game. The Panthers were able to gash the Rangers for big runs. Almost all of the Panthers’ TDs came off of runs of 30 yards or more. Instead of letting the big plays get to them, the defense let their mistakes fuel their fire. Jordan Rice had this to say: “after letting up a few big touchdowns we knew we needed to make up for it. We told the offense just keep putting points up on the board, and we will get the ball back.”
The difference maker in this close game was the turnovers. The Rangers forced three against Plano East and gave up zero. Kicker Sam Olden ’17 made a key play when his onside kick was recovered by the Rangers. Special Teams came up big again when they caused a fumble on a kickoff. These turnovers allowed for the Rangers to keep a slight lead, and stay on top.
The key play of the game was a fourth down stop by the Ranger D. When Plano East broke a big run into the red zone, the rangers stayed tough. Forcing the Panthers into a fourth and long situation, they had no choice but to rely on their shaky pass offense. The pressure by the d-line cause the Plano East quarterback to throw an errant pass that sophomore linebacker Michael Schoettmer ’17 could easily intercept. Schoettmer’s interception and return set up the game clinching touchdown. Schoettmer said he had “seen the situation in his head over and over”, and he was glad he “was in the right place at the right time”.
The Rangers were able to hold on and defeat the Panthers 42-34. Coach Leal was excited about his teams performance, and he hopes big plays from “Palisch and McDermott continue throughout the season.” He also says this week at practice the defense will focus on “limiting the big plays”, but overall he was proud of his team’s effort.
Thursday, September 11, the Rangers look to extend their win streak at home as they face the Coppell Cowboys. Come out and support the team!
