This past Friday Night, September 11th, the Jesuit Rangers took on their rivals to the South, Houston Strake Jesuit, in the final non district game of the year.
Jesuit, who were sporting their camo pants to honor the victims of 9/11, dominated all aspects of the game from the start. Head Coach Brandon Hickman said, “The game plan on offense was to play physical, control the clock, and take care of the football. Defensively was to attack, put pressure on the quarterback, and create turnovers.”
In the first half, the Rangers were able to control all aspects of the game. The offense was able to capitalize on almost all of its possessions to get points on the board. Seniors Max Loughborough and Connor Lanpher combined for three total touchdowns along with junior quarterback Jacob Palisch running it in for one. The offense dominated Strake the entire game, especially having the upper hand in the first half. Coach Hickman pointed out all three of the first half scorers for having big games that were crucial in helping the Rangers secure the victory.
The Defense also stood out in the game, particularly in the first half. The Rangers again proved their home field dominance by shutting out Strake in the first half. Not only did the Rangers prevent the Crusaders from scoring, they were able to force the Crusaders into a safety. Senior Defensive End Ryan Brooks said, “We knew we would be able to dominate Strake if we wanted to. We knew if we played our game the way we know how to play it, we could force them into making mistakes. Our team can compete against anybody and I believe we showed it in the non-district games.”
After maintaining a 31-0 lead through the first half, the Rangers picked up in the second half right where they had left off. Palisch was able to connect with Senior Rusty Landon on a monstrous 63 yard touchdown. This score put the Rangers up 38-0 which was enough to secure the victory.
Although Strake didn’t go down without a fight, Jesuit was able to hang on for a 38-27 victory over the Strake Jesuit Crusaders. Junior Defensive End Jordan Rice said, “I’m proud of how we played. We knew if the offense could put points on the board, we would be able to maintain it for the victory.”
Coach Hickman was proud of how his team played but said, “We can always improve on blocking and tackling. That’s something we are going to focus on during our bye week is working more fundamentals. It’s an excellent time to break things down more and teach.”
Looking forward, Hickman said, “I feel very good at where our team is heading into district play. I told the kids ‘this is where the fun begins because now you’re playing for something.’ Our non-district schedule was challenging which prepared us well for district.” He concluded, “I really like our football team’s attitude and energy…if we can continue to improve each week we will reach our goals this season.”
The Rangers head into their BYE week, but open up district play Thursday, November 24th against the Sunset Bisons. Make sure to come out to Sprague Field to cheer the Rangers onto victory.
