The Rangers picked up their first win of the season Friday night at Ranger Stadium, riding a balanced offense and a dominant second half defense to a 31-14 victory over Forney. The win moved the Rangers to 1-2 on the year and also marked the first win for co-defensive coordinators JD Waggoner ’13 and Greg Meeks, who took over the Rangers’ defense this season.
Jesuit got the win despite being without two key contributors, offensive tackle Hudson Krug ’28 and defensive end Dean Gafford ’27, both sidelined for Friday’s game.
The night also carried a personal storyline for the Jesuit sideline. Rangers Head Coach Brandon Hickman squared off against his son, Branson Hickman ’19, a former Ranger who now coaches Forney’s offensive line after playing for his father at Jesuit. The matchup put father and son on opposite sidelines for the first time this season, with Branson helping design the same Forney offensive line that Jesuit’s defense spent the second half shutting down.
Friday’s result meant the elder Hickman got the better of the head-to-head meeting, as his defense held Branson’s offensive line and the rest of Forney’s attack scoreless over the final three quarters. It’s the kind of matchup that doesn’t come around often for a coaching staff, facing a former player and, in this case, a son, from the opposite sideline, and it added an extra layer of storyline to what was already a significant night for the program given it was the team’s first win of the season.
Quarterback JP Livingstone ’28 had his best night yet, throwing for 231 yards and a touchdown while completing 14 of his first 16 passes. Joseph Konings ’27 was his top target, hauling in eight catches for 181 yards, including an 81-yard touchdown just before halftime that gave Jesuit a lead it would not relinquish, 21-14.
“It was a relief to finally get that monkey off our back with that first win.”
-TE Samuel Dimarco ’27
Ty Daboub ’27 kept up his strong start to the season, rushing for 124 yards and three touchdowns, his second straight game with three scores on the ground.
After an explosive opening quarter that saw the two teams trade blows, Jesuit’s defense took over. The Rangers held Forney scoreless over the final three quarters and stopped the Jackrabbits on their final eight possessions, including four turnovers on downs. It was the best defensive performance of the season for Jesuit, which also recorded its first two sacks of the year and finished with 11 tackles for a loss, an encouraging first win for Waggoner and Meeks’ unit.
Mack Murphy ’27 led the defense with 11 tackles, while Jud Harris ’27 and JD Moore ’27 each added eight. Harris also came up with a key 12-yard sack in the final minute of the first half to snuff out a Forney scoring chance.
Kelby Bishop ’29 capped the win with a 40-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.
The win comes at a good time for Jesuit, now shifting focus to UIL District 6-6A play. The Rangers open district action next Friday at Princeton, a team that enters the matchup at 2-1 and comes off a much stronger start than Jesuit’s own 1-2 non-district stretch. After dropping its first two games of the season before finding its footing against Forney, Jesuit will look to carry the confidence from Friday’s win, particularly the strong second-half defensive showing, into a tougher district slate. With the offense clicking behind Livingstone, Konings and Daboub, and the defense showing real progress under its new coordinators, the Rangers have a chance to build real momentum if they can carry Friday’s performance on the road against a Princeton team that will be well aware of both team’s tendencies.
“We’re excited about the win, but we’re staying focused on next week and the start of district.”
– LB Jackson Long ’27
Jesuit will travel north to face Princeton (2-1) on Friday, September 18, in its district opener. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Jackie Hendricks Stadium.
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