Friday night, the Jesuit Rangers played their season opener versus Arlington Bowie. Looking to start off the season strong after a great season last year, the Rangers fell short in a high-scoring game of 72-49.
Arlington Bowie played strong offensively, ending with 872 yards of total offense. Tony James ’15 and Bo Schneider ’15, the quarterbacks of their respective teams, both displayed their talent in the passing game, each throwing for over 400 yards. Even though Bowie played a great offensive game, scoring on 11 straight possessions, Jesuit would not go down easy and kept their lead up until the second half.
Coach Hickman thought, “We could have eliminated penalties offensively and tackled better defensively and eliminated mental mistakes.” The turning point of the game was during the second half when Bowie started to pull ahead with their fast-paced offense and potent defensive ability. Dane Bender Class of ’16 thought, “As a team we have to improve our level of play second half. Executing at a high level and keeping the pressure on against difficult opponents can be crucial to a game plan.”
Although Jesuit may have lost according to the scoreboard, they played a very well-executed game of football. In regards to how Jesuit played offensively, Bender said, “Speaking for the offense, coming out first half we maintained drives and executed big plays against a fast and talented defense.” The duo of Bo Schneider and Garret Amy ’15 connected well offensively, as Amy caught 5 passes for 140 yards and 3 touchdowns. Coach Hickman explained “I thought we moved the ball very well in the first half and we were clicking offensively. We made some big plays and ran the ball well on the goal line.” Defensively, Coach Hickman added that Taylor Stine ’15 played a great game. On special teams, Austin Koehler ’16 managed to block one field goal and two extra points.
In response to their loss against Bowie and in preparation for Plano East, Coach Hickman said, “We plan to respond by having a great week of practice and focusing on eliminating mistakes and as a team being more consistent. Our goal is to improve each week before district.”
This coming Friday, Jesuit plays their home opener against Plano East at Postell stadium. Looking for their first win of the season, Jesuit will come hungry for a victory in what will surely be a great game.