Rangers Cap Off Homecoming Weekends with a Pair of Wins

Jesuit holds a very strange tradition unlike many other high schools, that being having their homecoming dance once weekend and having the other festivities another weekend. The Jesuit Dallas football, had a game on both of these weekends, coming off of a bye week after a loss to Highland Park. On October 13, the first weekend, the Rangers secured a big win against Berkner, then the next weekend, recognized as the traditional homecoming game, earned a dominant victory over Nimitz.

Berkner

The win over Berkner was a game of reassurance for the Rangers, securing a 29-7 victory of the Richardson city champions. Berkner had beaten Lake Highlands earlier in the year, who had, well, crushed on the Rangers and also beat JJ Pearce who Jesuit struggled against. The clear victory displayed what many had already known, the previous two games had plenty of mistakes in them but are still winnable games, as well as that the Rangers can get it done against big teams.

“Well I’m thankful to say coming into this game being tagged as a ‘Jesuit clash against a high powered Berkner offense’ we showcased an awe-inspiring display of defense, holding them to a mere 7 points. Meanwhile, our relentless offense dominated with an impressive 29 points. A testament to grit and teamwork, we also delivered a standout goal-line stop in the 3rd quarter that led to a solidified team victory.” -Chris Simington ’24

The player of the game was clearly Noah McGough ’25, who has asserted himself as one of the best kicker in the nations, going 5-5 on field goals including a 46-yard field goal.

“That was the most physical game I’ve ever played, it felt like we completely dominated the defensive line and we were moving the ball really fast and efficiently.” -Ben Petroff ’24

This win also gave Coach Brandon Hickman his 100th career victory with Jesuit Dallas. Hickman is currently the second-winningest coach in Ranger history, second only to former head coach Gary Pasqua.

“That’s how we play a game” -Charlie Peters ’25

Nimitz

The Rangers came out hot against the Vikings, forcing a quick 3-and-out on Nimitz first drive then a touchdown on the second offensive play in the game. The first half was just a dominant showing from the Rangers, the Rangers taking a 28-0 lead at half. The defense shut down run after run after run after run (after run) and the offense made it look like recess football with the easy deep throws and fun they were having.

“Now that’s how you play defense!” -Coach Woods

The second half saw less scoring offensively, Coach Hickman trying out new looks on both sides of the ball in anticipation for playoffs, however the dominance never stopped. There were several players who stood out, including offensively sophomore Cade Kirby ’26 and Thomas Villaba ’24 who went on a monster touchdown run.

“This was an amazing win on both sides of the ball, I’m really happy we got to get a lot of guys who don’t normally have time into this game and get that experience. Amazing work!” -Coach Hickman

Looking Ahead

These wins bring Jesuit to a 5-3 record on the year, with a 4-2 district record. Not to worry though, as the the deep playoff run in 2019 to the regional round came from a 6-4 record. This team looks very promising and looks like they can make a deep playoff run, combining experience from last year to new talent from this year.

Jesuit will play MacArthur this week on Thursday, October 26 at Joy and Ralph Ellis Stadium. Last year the Rangers won 16-12 in a rainy homecoming game. I seriously doubt the score will even come this close this year, even though current conditions are set for rain. I have confidence in our run game this year and our defense showed that they can stop the run well this previous week.

After MacArthur they will finish the season at home against Richardson on November 3rd for Senior Night recognizing the members of the Jesuit football community who have given of themselves so much.

Stay tuned to The Roundup for more football coverage!