Coming off of a state winning season to remember, the Jesuit Rangers came into the 2024 favorites against their opening opponents. The Rangers did not disappoint.
Celina
Pouring rain and high winds, the Rangers were hosted by Celina High School on a cold Friday evening. The Rangers struggled with the rain and constant knock-ons that would keep Celina in the game. Senior captains Mitch Sullivan and Dylan Wachsman rallied the team behind them and led the Rangers to a shutout victory over the Bobcats with a final score of 26-0. Trys from Daniel Lucido and Dylan Wachsman would set up the Rangers to a comfortable score on the northern town’s rainy night.
“We know what we need to do and now it’s time to execute” – Mitch Sullivan
St Thomas (Houston)
Coming off of a stellar shutout victory, the Rangers were feeling confident in their playing abilities. St. Thomas had given the Rangers problems last year, a large brutal team full of hard runners and good tackling that hinder the assault of the Rangers last year. Initially, the game looked to be similar to last year, with a starting score of 7-7 at around the halfway mark of the first half. Yet big tries from seniors Jacob Lehman and Luke Lamont led the Rangers to run away with the game. Knocking down the conversions, senior captain Dylan Wachsman put the nail in the coffin for a 50-7 win over the St. Thomas Eagles. Captain Mitch Sullivan aided by orchestrating attacks and commanding the defense with important positional kicking that set the Rangers up for success.
“We need to continue to be aggressive with our offense and our tackling.”- Coach Matt Upton
St. Pius (Houston)
Following their victory over the Eagles, the Rangers were looking to continue to define their control over Houston Rugby teams. Their next victim would be the St. Pius X Panthers. To say the Rangers dominated them would be putting it lightly. After 30 minutes of play, the boys in white and gold had attained 50 points. By the end of the game, the Rangers ran away with a 74-0 victory to implant their iron grip over the Houston schools. Impressive runs from Chase Brown ’24 and scores from Dylan Wachsman made it impossible for the Panthers to make any stride at getting the ball back. Similarly, the Ranger’s defense was stellar with seniors Brook Mesfin and Alden Cooper seemingly being an impassable wall. Senior Brook Mesfin had a stellar game, setting up his teammates for tries with beautiful ball handling. St. Pius would award him man of the match.
Looking Forward
The Rangers now have an even larger target on their back as retuning state champs who have destroyed their competition in the opening games. The Rangers need to continue their volley of offense through the efforts of the Seniors like Jacob Lehman. The Rangers have a rough schedule moving forward, facing Allen, Jesuit Strake, and Lake Travis for a three-game stretch. Yet, the Rangers have made it clear they mean business this season and anyone in their way will be trampled.
Stay tuned to the Jesuit Roundup for more Rugby coverage!
