Early in the morning, a group of determined young men return to 12345 Inwood Road for one purpose – Spring Football.
The Dallas Jesuit Rangers recently concluded their Spring practices, officially beginning the 2016-2017 season. The team has constantly been working in the offseason in the weight room, but Spring ball gives the team the opportunity to practice with coaches and learn the new offense and defense. It also allows the coaches to get a gauge of the personnel for the next year. Head Varsity Coach Brandon Hickman said, “Our goal was to get better and work on being more physical. I felt we improved as a whole, played physical football, while staying healthy which is most important. We implemented our offensive, defensive, and special teams schemes during the spring and saw guys really competing at a high level. We did not have our entire team out there, but we saw big improvements from guys who were varsity players last year. It was nice working with some of our younger players and seeing them develop and learn our system. It was the fastest spring ball we’ve ever had so that’s a sign that we had a great time out there every day”
Returning starter Jordan Rice ’17 said, “I thought that the team looked really strong during Spring ball. It was nice to see some familiar faces out there along with fresh ones who are ready to prove their worth. I know the team is going to be hungry looking to improve on last season. Judging how we played in the Spring, I believe this year will be a special year especially considering all of the players who couldn’t make it out to Spring ball.”
The Rangers saw some great play from newcomers including Pierce Strong ’19, Matthew Priddy ’19, and Jaden Woodson ’19. These three standouts along with other members of the freshmen class will have the opportunity to prove themselves this upcoming year. The point of Spring football is not only to get the players back in the swing of things but also to allow them to prove themselves as they compete for a spot on varsity.
This year’s spring saw a few players return to the football field after taking a brief hiatus and choosing not to play one year, most notably Jack Lynch ’17 and Tommy Paredes ’17. Both players should provide an immediate impact on the field, and hopefully their break from football will not slow them down. Lynch stated, “It was great to get back on the field. It felt as if an empty void had been filled in my life. I hope I can help the team out this season and hopefully we can make a deep playoff run.”
Coach Hickman was very excited with how the team played, stating, “We had many players who stood out and I’m very excited about this season. We had 13 players voted on by their peers who are new to the Ranger Leadership Committee who will help lead the way in 2016. Their leadership starts this summer with our performance camp and 7 on 7 games. These guys will be the heartbeat of our team this season. I’m looking forward to seeing them take ownership of our team and help lead the way.”
The Leadership Committee is a group of players who were voted on by their peers to represent the team, serving as the leaders. The Committee consists of seniors Jack Metz, Jacob Palisch, Dalton Allen, John Wunderlick, Jordan Rice, Evan Jackson, Max McLeod, Lucas Kincade, and Connor Jackson. The juniors are Fletcher Rosenbleeth, Hank Bitterman, Parker Towns, and Cade Brewer. These leaders will be the voice of a strong Ranger team.
One standout this spring was senior wide receiver Connor Jackson. Jackson is a returning player who got some valuable playing time last year. Dallas Morning News Sports Writer Michael Florek visited one practice and noticed Jackson’s outstanding play, and he named Jackson as one of 10 players to watch this season. Florek captured one of Jackson’s phenomenal plays on videos and said, “Dude, that’s your own teammate. Jackson doesn’t care.”
This year Rangers’ fans should be pleased as Jackson is just one of many standout players, hinting towards the fact that this year will be a very special year.
