This past Thursday night, the freshman football team did not have to travel far for their game, which was on Jesuit’s very own Postell Stadium. The opponent for this week’s home game would be the fighting Tigers of Irving High School.
Following a hard loss last week to the Fort Worth Nolan Vikings, the Blue Team was really looking for a win. In order to redeem themselves, the team came to the game with a strong and confident attitude.
Only a few moments into the game, Jesuit quickly established their dominance over Irving. The Rangers pounded the Tigers on both offense and defense, allowing absolutely no wiggle room for the Vikings to score.
Focusing on fundamentals like keeping the ball “high and tight,” driving their feet, and “looking for daylight” among the chaotic wall of defenders, the Rangers run-game trampled Irving with three touchdowns within the first half. “After the first play our offense was unstoppable,” said Blue Team player Pearson Byrne, explaining the power of Jesuit’s offense.
With 21 points on the board and solid blocking upfront, QB Jagger LaRoe scanned the field, searching for an open man to make the reception. To his convenience, WR Marshall Rodegast shed his defender and cut towards opening ground. LaRoe let the ball fly and Penn scored, extending the lead to 27-0. “I remember…when we had a long pass for a touchdown by Jagger” said Blue Team player, Luke Przybylski. This was the final blow Jesuit needed to crush any hopes of the Tigers redeeming themselves in the first half. “It set the tone for the rest of the game” continued Przybylski .
Coming out of the half time break, the Blue Team kept up their stellar defense while the offense repeatedly made large gains. The game seemed over for Irving, but Jesuit fans held their breath as a well-placed hit on the ball carrier caused the ball to slip loose from Ranger possession. However, this crisis was short lived, for the ball was on the ground for only a mere seconds, quickly recovered by Z Hayden.
With the clock counting down, the Tigers could run, but they couldn’t hide. In the last moments of the game there was a glimmer of hope for Nolan in the recovery of the ball by their defense, who sprinted toward the end zone. But in a miraculous display of athleticism, Kicker Jim Hayden made a touchdown-saving tackle by laying a solid hit on the opposing team’s ball carrier.
The Blue Team won 35-0, advancing their record to 4-1. Next week they will take on the Vikings yet again, but this time it’s the Irving Nimitz Vikings.
Following up a crushing win by the Blue Team, the Gold Team took the field by storm, hoping to end the night with an equally energetic victory.
Again starting off early, the Rangers pushed the Tigers back, inching yard by yard. With some quick thinking and a little luck, QB Alekzander McGlone scampered past the goal line for the first score of the night by Jesuit Gold. Still baffled by the quick gains made by the Rangers, Irving was helpless to stop a fast 10-yard touchdown pass from McGlone to WR Grayson Hassel to put Jesuit up 14-0, only minutes after the first Jesuit touchdown. Nearing the end of the half and on a hot streak, McGlone threw a 60-yard bomb to WR Jack Tabor who sprinted downfield, pushing the Ranger lead to 20-0 at the half.
Coming out of the half, the Gold Team maintained their encompassing grip on the Tigers and continued to pick apart their defense and gain yardage. Although McGlone was on fire and the wide receivers were all in sync with the passing-game, additional credit should be given to the ground-game led by RB Clements and offensive lineman Josh Marshall, Julian Gomez, Sam Fields, and Tyler Copeland, who all helped further the offensive success.
Moreover, the defense was consistent throughout the game with standouts T Buell, Zachary Taylor, Holden Hill, and Nicky Prendergast leading the charge. In the third quarter as the Tiger offense fell apart, Nicky Prendergast swept in to scatter the remnants of the Irving offense with a pick-six and final score of the game.
Gold Team won 27-0, advancing their record to 5-0. Next week they will also face the Irving Nimitz Vikings, looking to stay undefeated.
