This past Friday Night, October 2nd, the Jesuit Rangers took on the perennial powerhouse of the Skyline Raiders in a game that would turn out to be one of the best games in school history.

Both teams entered the game with 3-1 records with Jesuit’s only loss coming against Plano East and Skyline’s coming against Cedar Hill. The two teams appeared evenly matched on paper, but Skyline entered the game with the slight advantage.

Since Jesuit entered the same district as Skyline 5 to 10 years ago, Skyline has dominated Jesuit, winning every single matchup. The Raiders have always had the upper hand on the Rangers and every team they faced in district play. They entered the game versus the Rangers on a 49 game district win streak, and they had no desire to let the Rangers put an end to the streak.

Head Coach Brandon Hickman pointed out that Skyline is “a traditional powerhouse year in and out.  [They] have some of the best athletes in the State.  Their speed, strength, and size stand out and they are well coached.” Even though Coach Hickman respects Skyline’s abilities, he made it clear that “the game plan was to treat this game like all the others and to play with no pressure and have fun in the moment.  We had nothing to lose and everything to gain.”

Coach Hickman’s confidence clearly rubbed off on his players. Senior defensive end Ryan Brooks said before the game, “We are confident we can compete with Skyline. We know they have skill, but we also know we have skill. We have proved that we have the capability to play with the best of the best, and Skyline is just that. It should be a good one, and I would expect big things tonight.”

Right out of the gates, Skyline displayed their skill. They were able to find the end zone twice to take a quick 14-0 lead. The Ranger offense was able to maintain possession and take time off of the clock, but they weren’t able to break through the Skyline defense for a touchdown.

As the first half was winding down, the hope for the Rangers was dwindling as the Raiders had the ball and were looking to score. If the Raiders were to score before the half, they would take a 21-0 lead and would receive the ball to start the second half. Right when Jesuit needed someone to step up, Junior defensive end Jordan Rice made one of the critical plays of the game. Rice was able to jump a screen pass and deflect a ball off of his helmet and eventually intercept the ball, returning it all the way to the 15-yard line.

Rice’s game-changing interception led to a Max Loughborough ’16 touchdown pass which made the score 14-6. Rice’s interception allowed the Rangers to get much-needed points on the board before the half. Rice said, “I read the play and was able to put myself in the right position to make the play. I knew we needed a boost, and I’m glad I was able to help my team when they needed it.”

However, the Raiders were able to drive down and get into field goal range as time ran out in the half. The Raiders lined up for a kick that would give them a 17-6 lead before the half, but Junior Jack Metz was able to bust through the line and get a hand on the kick. Metz made another huge defensive play before the half that allowed the Rangers to build momentum and stay in the game.

At the start of the second half, the Rangers were able to build off their first half momentum. After a few defensive stops, the Rangers were able to get a quick field goal by Senior John Wengierski, and then a touchdown to senior wide receiver Connor Lanpher. The Rangers were able to get a two-point conversion to give them a 17-14 lead.

Both the Ranger offense and the Ranger defense stepped up huge in the second half. The defense was able to stop the Raiders multiple times and were even able to force and recover a fumble. The offense was able to maintain possession and consistently put points on the board.

An impressive Skyline touchdown gave them a 21-17 lead headed into the fourth quarter.

During the fourth quarter, both teams’ defenses were able to hold each other to no points for the majority of the quarter. However, the Rangers got the ball back with around 4 minutes left in what appeared to be their last chance to take the lead.

The Rangers stuck to their roots on the final drive, slicing the Raiders up with runs from Max Loughborough ’16, Adam Holtz ’16, and Jacob Palisch ’17. The Rangers got inside the red zone with a minute and twenty seconds left in the game. Facing third and eight from the 18-yard line, Quarterback Jacob Palisch dropped back to pass, scanning the field for open receiver, and then ultimately deciding to tuck the ball and run. Palisch scrambled into the secondary and found an opening running lane all the way into the end zone to give the Rangers a 24-17 lead over the Raiders.

On one of the biggest plays in school history, Jacob Palisch stayed calm and kept his composure which allowed him to step up and get the job done. Palisch said, “[On the last touchdown,] To be honest I wasn’t really thinking I was going to score. I dropped back and had a lot of time because good protection I had and I saw they had dropped back their safeties over the top, but I saw a crease in the line so I took it. Like I said before, I didn’t think I was going to score I just was hoping to get the first down and when I cut back to the right I saw that I could score. It all happened so fast, and I didn’t really realize what happened till I was sitting on the bench afterwards.”

The Rangers were able to hold  the lead and snap the Raiders 49-game district streak. In one of the biggest games in school history, the Rangers were able to defeat the mighty Raiders in dramatic fashion.

Although many were surprised by the Ranger victory, Strength Coach and Assistant Coach Jeremy Weeks wisely stated that “It’s not an upset if you expect it to happen.”

Jacob Palisch said a big win like this against a stout team is “a big confidence builder. I mean we had all the confidence in the world going into this game. I mean to say it didn’t help would be foolish, but to say that before this victory we didn’t have the confidence that we could hang with any team out there also wouldn’t be true. It’s a huge win and I think more than confidence it built the team trust. When the offense needed the defense, they came up clutch, and when the defense gave us the opportunity, we rose to the challenge. We rely on each other because without the team, no one person could succeed.”

Coach Hickman explained that “This win is a big one and know if we believe in ourselves and execute at a high level we can play with anyone.  Things weren’t looking great in the first half and the kids kept battling and competing which shifted the momentum right before halftime.  When Jordan Rice intercepted the ball in the 2nd quarter, it really sparked our team and also when Jack Metz blocked the field goal heading into half.”

The game came down to the wire as the Rangers executed, ending the seven-year streak. Junior Michael Kelley who was one of the many Jesuit students in attendance said, “It was one of the most intense football games I have ever seen, and I am glad I was there to witness such a big moment in school history.”

Coach Hickman said, “We have five regular season games left.  Our goal is to win the district championship so we have to stay hungry and work even harder during our final stretch.  We are happy with the big win but not satisfied with just beating Skyline…we still have plenty of room to improve and more games to play.  I really like our team’s chemistry and our players and coaching staff really care about each other.”

Make sure to come out and support the Rangers as they continue on their historic season this Friday, October 9th, verse the Irving Tigers.

Offensive Players of the Week: Team Offense
Defensive Players of the Week: Team Defense
Special Teams Players of the Week: Fletcher Rosenbleeth and Emmet Flood

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