The team challenging Jesuit was the fighting Irving Tigers, tenacious in their desire to show up the Rangers at home. However, this wasn’t quite the case.
On Thursday, October 8, the JV Rangers played at home in the familiar Postell Stadium. Taking the field, the boys in blue focused on the game plan: “to come out strong and keep the lead throughout the game,” remarks Daniel Nguyen ’18.
The game commenced with the kickoff, signaling the JV Rangers to dial-in and stick to the game plan. Right away, Jesuit knew Irving came to play, with the Tiger offense showing its teeth early on in the first quarter. Irving’s offense held their possession and made long, dangerous strides down the field. Thankfully, the Rangers defense stepped up and stuffed the Tigers before they could deal any damage. With the Jesuit offense in control of the ball now, the possession of the ball wouldn’t change much throughout the rest of the quarter.
Forcing Irving’s defense back with every drive, the Rangers offense pushed through the first quarter and into the second, all the while keeping the Tigers at bay. But, eventually the Jesuit offense had to kick it off. This was no matter since the Rangers defense mirrored the offense in its power and intensity. The promise of the defense helped Jesuit get the ball back to the offense as quickly as possible with Nguyen stating “the offensive side was constantly scoring while the defensive side was constantly getting turnovers,” an inverse relationship with adverse affects on Irving finishing out the second quarter. Going into the half, the Rangers held the lead, 28-0.
Halftime only enticed the hungry boys in blue, eager to get back out on the field and maintain their lead. But, it also provided them with the time to ponder their plan of action for the rest of the game with this goal in mind.
Coming out of the half, the Jesuit offense stormed the field and from then on, never looked back. The Irving defense responded in kind, healed from half time, “but as we kept putting pressure on them they lost the will to fight,” explained Parker Towns ’18. The Jesuit juggernaut didn’t stop at the end of the third quarter, with the intensity carrying over into the fourth quarter. After the fourth quarter started, it was clear that the Tigers had lost their appetite for the game. Although allowing Irving to slip through and get some points on the board, the Jesuit defense helped prop up the offense, getting quick turnovers and making key plays in order to get the ball back in the hands of the offense. Jesuit finished out the game on top, 45-7, adding another W to their record, now 3-2.
Notable mentions go to Jim Hayden ’18, with a fumble recovery for a touchdown, Kevin Tabet ’18, with an interception, and Aidan Buckley ’18, with a long touchdown pass.
If you see any of these guys during the day, give them a solid pat on the back for a job well done.
Carrying on the energy, Jesuit played at home again the next week. On Thursday, October 15, the Irving Nimitz Vikings came to Postell Stadium, with ravaging the Rangers the only thing on their minds.
Feeding off the hype of the previous week’s win over Irving, “going into the game everyone was feeling confident, and ready to play,” said Parker Towns ’18. The Rangers had a stellar foundation starting off the night, with their eyes on the prize the second they stepped onto the field. Towns further stated, “the plan was to score quickly and efficiently, and play solid defense, while minimizing mistakes,” setting the team’s attitude for the whole game.
To open the game, the Rangers fumbled the kickoff return, an unlucky mistake so early at the start of the game. Fortunately, the Jesuit defense responded lightning fast, with an interception by Nicky Prendergast ’18, resulting in a second chance for the Rangers to start the game off the right foot. The offense drove down the field, fueled by a strong run game, and eventually Towns, the quarterback, scrambled 29 yards downfield into the end zone, “on a designed pass play,” Towns explains. He further elaborated on this key play in saying, “downfield didn’t look open so I got out of the pocket and decided to run and just try to make something happen.” Next, the Jesuit defense, with pressure by a gang of Rangers, forced the Vikings quarterback to fumble. Phillip Villalba ’18 recovered the loose ball, setting up sophomore Hank Clements’ 10 yd TD run that culminated with a big truck on the goal line. At the end of the of the first quarter, the Rangers were up 14-0.
After another stop by the defense, the Rangers offense stalled out, and couldn’t convert a fake punt. The Rangers defense then forced another fumble, picking up the slack, and the Jesuit offense came back to life with a run for 28 yards by Towns on a busted play. Towns, quickly after, threw a touchdown pass to Grayson Hassell ’18, widening Jesuit’s lead, now 21-0. Then the Vikings committed another huge mistake on offense, turning it over once again after a bad snap allowed Jim Hayden ’18 to recover the fumble and return it for a touchdown, making the score going into halftime 28-0.
Halftime provided a break from the game and even although the Rangers held the lead, they couldn’t let up in their intensity and focus.
Storming into the third quarter, the Jesuit defense tightened their grip on the Vikings. After yet another defensive stop, Jagger Laroe ’18 led the team down the field, but, surprisingly, a fumble stopped the Jesuit offense short. Fortunately, the Rangers defense stopped Irving again, providing the opportunity for the offense to drive down the field. The offense had a long drive, with catches by Harrison Lanier ’18 and Grayson Godfrey ’18, but couldn’t score, keeping the score 28-0 at the end of the 3rd.
Heading into the fourth, only a few more minutes stood between the boys in blue and another W for the record. The majority of the quarter was dominated by the Jesuit defense, which made more stands to get the ball into the hands of the offense. This offense was led by Jagger Laroe ’18, who strategically milked the clock. This, along with a long run by Anthony Calabrese ’18, and a TD by him as well, put the score at 35-0 at the end of the game, another Jesuit victory for the 28.
Towns concluded with: “This is a big win for us, as we are one step closer to winning a district championship. We need to keep focus and work hard to get ready for next week so that we can continue to improve.” This win moved the JV Rangers record up to 4-2, with Jesuit on a three-game winning streak.
If you get a chance, congratulate some of the JV guys for their commitment and hard work, they’ve played some pretty good football lately.
