The historic Jesuit Ranger Varsity football team, a team that is arguably the best (Jesuit) squad to date, traveled “Southbound 35” this past Thanksgiving weekend to play a game versus Lake Travis, a school 20 miles west of Austin. This was no ordinary game, however, as the stakes were high: the winner would advance to the fourth round of the Texas UIL playoffs with a shot at winning a state title, while the loser would be sent home, thus ending their season.
Unfortunately, it was the Rangers who lost to the Cavaliers, finally ending their eight game win streak. Let’s take a look at Jesuit’s first loss since September:
The game ultimately came down to a strong first half performance by both teams, with the Cavaliers pulling away in the second. The Rangers, however, dominated the first quarter as they led 14-7.
The first score came from a 22 yard pass from quarterback Bo Schneider ’15 to receiver Garrett
Amy ’15. Amy also had the second score on a 16 yard screen pass, putting the Rangers up by two touchdowns. This Schneider-Amy connection was seen a lot throughout the year as the two built chemistry on the field with the season’s progression. Because both are juniors, their chemistry will continue to grow stronger next season.
Lake Travis did manage to squeeze in a score with 41 seconds left in the quarter, as star running back Shaun Nixon took a 65 yard rush to the house. This long touchdown run foreshadowed the big day he would have.
At the start of the second quarter, Nixon again scored on another breakaway play, finding the end zone on a 57 yard rush. He evened the score at 14. However, Schneider and the high flying Jesuit passing attack responded with a score of their own as Salters snagged a 32 yard touchdown catch to put the Rangers up by seven. The scoring shootout continued as Lake Travis responded with a kickoff return for a touchdown on the ensuing kick.
The last seven minutes of the first half remained relatively uneventful with no scores except for
a 31 yard field goal by kicker Connor Lanpher ’16. Jesuit thus surprised many as they led the Cavaliers in their first ever third round appearance 24-21. However, this lead soon faded as the teams returned from the locker rooms to play the second half.
Nixon rushed every play on the opening drive of the half for Travis, but was unable to convert on third down, forcing a field goal to tie the game at 24 with nine minutes left in the third quarter. Schneider then threw an interception, his first in many attempts, turning the ball over. The Cavaliers capitalized on this mistake by completing a 25 yard touchdown pass. This gave them their first lead of the game, 31-24, halfway through the third quarter.
The rest of the game was downhill from there for the Rangers, as they were unable to stop Nixon. After a Cavalier field goal, he scored three strait times on three consecutive drives, giving him five touchdowns on the day. His stellar second performance put Lake Travis at 55 points, which proved enough to get the victory.
“We just didn’t execute,” explained Head Coach Brandon Hickman, “therefore they jumped on us and we couldn’t recover from it. They had a very good team and we didn’t play solid for all four quarters. Against teams this deep in the playoffs you have to play the perfect game and we played a perfect half.”
The Rangers did sneak in one more score before time expired as Schneider connected with receiver Kellen McAlone ’14 for an eight yard score. This
was, however, too little too late as the Jesuit was unable to mount a comeback. Lake Travis advanced to the fourth round with a 55-30 win.
Schneider had a decent day passing. While he did end up throwing three interceptions, the junior did throw for 361 yards and four touchdowns to three different receivers. His touchdowns were to Amy, (who had two with 121 yards), Salters (28 yards), and McAlone (144 yards).
The Jesuit rushing game had trouble penetrating the Travis defense. Matt Slovak ’15 and Salters could only get 65 yards combined on the ground. This was a stark contrast from the previous week’s 341 rushing yards against Rockwall.
The Cavaliers had 360 yards rushing, most of which was done by Nixon who had 337 yards and five touchdowns. He is ranked as the 18th best running back in the nation for the class of 2014, and will by playing for the Texas A&M Aggies next year.
Jesuit also has a Division I commit of its own in athlete Orion Salters. He’ll be playing ball for the Iowa State Cyclones next year. However, he always will be a Ranger. He described this year’s long journey:
“I felt that going into the season that we had a special team and that we could be that team to go father than any other team had gone before. We just believed we could do it. Personally, it was the most fun I’ve ever had during a season and I wouldn’t want to be a part of any other team and have any other different teammates.”
Jesuit had the most success in the postseason it’s ever had, something the community as a whole is very proud of. Senior defensive lineman Kyle Shannon commented on this year’s success:
“This season was unbelievable. My teammates and I could not be any prouder of what we accomplished this year. We made history this year and it was a very special season for everyone that was a part of the team.”
Coach Hickman described his key to success this season:
“Our players worked very hard during off season, spring ball, summer, and pushed their teammates to be the best they could possibly be. It’s nice to
see that hard work pays off and good things happen to those who believe. It felt great to go deep in the playoffs and you always try to enjoy the moment with your kids and staff…not many teams across the state get that opportunity so it’s very special to experience that.”
This year’s team only had a handful of seniors, so many young, inexperienced players had to step up. Coach Hickman explained the young talent that helped contribute to much success:
“I’m very proud of our younger players and the maturation during the months of October and November. These players have gained experience and now have played on the big stage winning a close first round game, playing in the Cotton Bowl, and competing in the semifinals. Also, we were able to practice with our young guys until December which is a huge benefit for them to develop more.”
The end of the season is always an emotional one. Seniors will graduate and most will never play football again, while underclassmen will have to wait another year to play under the lights. Coach Hickman described this emotional experience of saying goodbye to this unique group:
“We cleaned out lockers today and that’s always sad seeing your senior guys do this…I think one of the worst parts of coaching. Just because they cleaned out their locker doesn’t mean they are not with us. They will always be part of our family and we will never forget the ride we took together.
“We will remember this group in many ways but I will remember them as a fun loving group of guys wanting to leave their own special mark on the program. This class left everything on the field and accomplished things nobody else has in the history of Jesuit football. They went out as champions in many ways more than just wins. They will be champions in life and be very successful young men one day. Our coaching staff really enjoyed being around them.
“When you’re around a group of boys as much as your own family you develop a special bond together that’s hard to describe. If you have ever been on a great team you know the feeling I’m talking about. It’s tough when things end…but all good things come to an end…We will have to move forward after Christmas Break but we will never forget the relationships we built with this special senior class.”
There are many positives to be taken away from this season. Winning on homecoming night, having an eight game win streak after a rocky start, developing a young and talented group who earned experience, and of course achieving history in the third round appearance are all reasons to never forget this amazing 2013 season. But, like Coach Hickman said, all good things must come to an end. We’ll say goodbye to Jesuit football for now, but we can’t wait to see it again next fall.
