Ten years ago, a small, all-boys private school by the name of Jesuit College Prep decided it was fed up with its TAPPS competition. Ten years ago, it decided that it wanted to run with the big boys by joining the University Interscholastic League, a league meant for public schools. Ten years ago, not many envisioned Jesuit to be a top football program in Texas. All that has changed.
The Jesuit Ranger Varsity football squad made history this past week by advancing to the third round of the UIL playoffs for the first time in school history. They defeated the Rockwall Yellow Jackets at the historic Cotton Bowl Stadium, 46-26. Head Coach Brandon Hickman described this feat:
“It feels great for these players who worked so hard to get to this point. Our team stuck together during some growing pains early in the season and I’m proud of these guys never letting outside distractions bother them. Our team is surprising some people other than the coaches and players in our locker room. They are leaving a huge mark every week and making history on Saturday was special for not only our players and students but also our alums. These guys are really raising the bar for future teams.”
Athletic Director Steve Koch also explained what it’s like finally reaching the third round after such a long, ten year journey:
“It is great to see a program that works hard and long together accomplish goals. When we joined the UIL 10 years ago, I think everyone knew football would be the toughest challenge in the league. Competing against bigger schools in most sports is hard and the team sports certainly have a uphill challenge each year. Football in Texas is probably the toughest in team sports. The win Saturday like many other wins through the years is a great milestone for the program and reinforces the fact that you must believe in something before you can accomplish it.
“Ten years in the UIL have gone by quickly and we as a school have already established a storied history. Football has had memorable games this last decade and each victory seems to raise the bar for the next group…The team this year is establishing new standards, and it comes down to what you believe you can accomplish as a team.”
When asked about any failures over the time in the UIL, he said, “As far as failures, I do not think you ever fail when you take on challenges in anything 
and especially when those challenges make you reach and stretch your abilities. Not taking the challenge would have been a failure in my eyes. Jesuit football competing the last 10 years in front of thousands of people each week has only made me proud of our athletes, coaches, and beliefs as a school. I cannot think of any failures the past ten years.”
Now let’s take a look at the game itself:
The first quarter featured a strong opening drive by the Jackets as they scored on a 25 yard pass thrown by Will Reed to Jay Galloway (PAT failed). Jesuit tried to respond with a field goal attempt, but the 34 yard shot was missed my Connor Lanpher ’16. The Rangers wouldn’t find the scoreboard until late in the first quarter as running back Matt Slovak ’15 rushed for four yards in the end zone. The score stood 7-6 at the end of first quarter, Jesuit leading.
The second quarter was a different story, as the Ranger offense found its rhythm, scoring three times. Quarterback Bo Schneider ’15 connected with athlete Orion Salters ’14 on a 32 yard touchdown pass. This was then followed by another short rushing touchdown by Slovak who put Jesuit up 19-6 with 4:31 left in the second quarter.
It wasn’t just the Ranger offense that scored some points, the defense, through linebacker John Wheeler ’14, forced and recovered a fumble that was taken to the end zone on a 36 yard return. Jesuit was up 25-6 with just under four minutes left in the half.
Rockwall showed signs of resurgence on the ensuing drive, as Tamba Juanah scored on a 68 yard touchdown run. The Jackets comeback hopes, however, were quickly suppressed by another touchdown drive, this time led by Salters. He scored on a nine yard rush to seal the score at the half at 32-13.
Salters was featured in the Wildcat offense quite often on this drive, and a quite often throughout the game. This was a big change-up from last week’s pass heavy game plan (in which Schneider had five touchdowns and 509 yards passing). Jesuit instead ran the ball for a majority of the time; Coach Hickman described this strategy:
“We can run the football when we need to and we also like to throw it around a little. Our philosophy is whatever the defense gives us we take. The defense came out to stop the pass from last weeks game so the run game was there…I’m real proud of our offensive line who are the unsung heroes on the team. They were opening up some nice holes for Salters and Slovak and they hit the holes hard and did the rest.
“I thought the Wildcat formation gave us a little change of pace. We caught them off guard early with it and Orion was finding some good running lanes.”
Rockwall couldn’t rally in the second half as their 19 point first half deficit proved to be too large. The game ended with a final of 46-26, Rangers on top.
Jesuit finished with a season high 341 rushing yards. The work load was carried by Salters, who had 199 yards rushing and three touchdowns (complimented by 48 yards receiving and one touchdown), and Slovak, who had 137 yards and one touchdown.
Schneider had an off game compared to last week, yet still managed to get 206 yards through the air with one touchdown. He only threw the ball 23 times, a stark contrast to Jesuit’s 52 rushing attempts.
The Ranger defense held Rockwall to 281 yards of total offense, an impressive performance and step up from the strong rushing attacked they received from
Plano West last week.
The weather on this early November afternoon was extremely cold. Fans were wrapped in layers of clothing in an attempt to combat the cold, rainy climate. The players, of course, were also forced to deal with the unfavorable weather, having to alter the game-plan accordingly. Coach Hickman described the conditions:
“We talked all week about the conditions being great playoff football weather. I think we were just excited to play in the historic Cotton Bowl. We don’t let things like weather which we can’t control bother us. I don’t think the kids even noticed the weather because they were so excited to play in this big game. I can’t say enough about JezNation and the student support we have here. You can see by our crowd that all of our students care about each other…the turnout was amazing and we need that crowd again this weekend in Waco.”
And speaking of Waco, the Rangers will face Lake Travis from Austin this Saturday November 30th. There they will play in Waco ISD stadium as they hope to beat their own record and advance to the fourth round. Coach Hickman is optimistic about this game:
“We plan to give them our best game of the season on Saturday. We are very confident and the train is moving fast…we are going down to Waco to play hard, have some fun, and enjoy this ride.”
While the drive may be long, the game is sure to be a great one as the Rangers hope to extend their win streak to ten consecutive games. Go out and support your Rangers!
