Playing in front of a lively home crowd in the biggest rivalry game of the year on Teacher Appreciation Night, Jesuit ambushed perennial district contender Skyline, emphatically staking their claim to first place in district 9-6A.
Jesuit (3-3 overall, 3-0 district) again leaned heavily on the running game, as the senior duo of John Wunderlick ‘17 and Evan Jackson ‘17 combined for 334 yards and 4 touchdowns. The defense also continued its run of stalwart performances, forcing three turnovers and holding Skyline (2-4, 2-1) to two touchdowns.
The Rangers set the tone early, as Fletcher Rosenbleeth ‘18 returned the opening kickoff 50 yards into Skyline territory, setting up a 23 yard field goal by Israel Ollarzabal ‘18 after the Raider defense made a red zone stop.
After strong special teams coverage forced Skyline to start inside their own 20, the defense held Skyline to one first down on a drive that included two tackles for loss by Michael Schoettmer ‘17 and Jordan Rice ‘17. Starting at their 45, the Jesuit offense went to work through the air as quarterback Jacob Palisch ‘17 completed a 23-yard pass to Wunderlick and a 28-yard pass to wide receiver Connor Jackson ‘17 before running it in himself for a 4-yard score, putting the Rangers ahead 10-0.
Skyline responded with a nine play, 79 yard drive capped off by a 35-yard touchdown pass. However, the Rangers’ special teams unit retook the momentum as Rice blocked the extra point attempt before Billy Daly ‘17 returned it 98 yards for two points. The first quarter ended 12-6 as the Rangers began their next drive from their 35.
Just over a minute into the second quarter, Jackson showcased his explosiveness, breaking free for a 41-yard touchdown run to give Jesuit a 19-6 lead. The defense continued their strong play, forcing a three-and-out as DB Luke Nolan ‘17 and DL Jack Metz ‘17 combined for two tackles for loss.
The offense dipped into its bag of tricks to start its next drive, as an unsuspecting Skyline defense fell prey to a double pass. The Rangers lined up with four receivers on the right side of the field, one of whom was backup quarterback Parker Towns ‘18. Disguising the play as a screen pass, Palisch threw a lateral to Towns before breaking down the left sideline. Towns threw a perfect pass to the undefended Palisch, who ran to the Skyline 3-yard line for the longest reception of the game. “It felt awesome,” Palisch said of the trick play. “Every year we get to run that play, and it’s my favorite because I get to catch a pass. It’s a lot of fun to be a part of.”
The Raiders responded, however, by intercepting a pass in the end zone before Skyline’s Velton Garnder, who rotated between quarterback and a hybrid wideout/tailback position, while accounting for 303 of Skyline’s 333 yards and both of their touchdowns, gashed the Jesuit defense for a 75 yard score. Skyline again failed to convert the point after, as Metz blocked the kick, again holding the Raiders to a six-point drive, and maintaining the Jesuit lead by a touchdown.
Strong rushes by both Wunderlick and Jackson on the next drive set the Rangers up for another field goal, as Ollarzabal converted from 30 yards to give the Rangers a 22-12 lead. The defense forced another three-and-out, as Andrew Miskell ‘17 sacked Gardner on third down to force a punt. Taking over at the Skyline 43 with 3:58 left in the second quarter, Jesuit efficiently marched downfield, scoring on a connection between Palisch and the receiver Jackson. The defense again stopped Skyline, forcing another punt, before Palisch took a knee with nine seconds left in the half to take a 29-12 lead into halftime.
Skyline started with the ball in the second half, but the Rangers responded to a 75-yard rush by Gardner with an interception by Daly at the 7-yard line. Jesuit’s subsequent drive featured Wunderlick, who contributed a 55-yard rush on the first play, followed by a 22-yard touchdown run four plays later, to put the Rangers ahead 36-12.
The defense refused to allow even a first down to a desperate Skyline offense, as the Raiders failed to convert on 4th-and-1, giving the ball back to Jesuit at the Skyline 27. Wunderlick continued to rack up yards, taking the first play of the drive 19 yards before punching it in from three yards out to effectively put the game out of reach late in the third quarter. The Rangers forced a fumble on Skyline’s next drive, before Wunderlick rushed 42-yards for his third touchdown, all three coming within 6 minutes of each other in the third quarter.
The Rangers defense didn’t relent, forcing another fumble and recovering at the Skyline 13-yard line, setting up Ollarzabal’s third field goal, sealing the 41-point victory.
“Our focus was to win [each] play and execute at a high level in all three phases of the game,” Head Coach Brandon Hickman said after the game. The Rangers did just that, gaining a total of 508 offensive yards, recovering two fumbles and forcing an interception while limiting Skyline to two scores on defense, and blocking two extra points while converting 3/3 field goals and 6/6 extra points on special teams.
Billy Daly commented, “heading into district, we knew we had faced some of the best teams in the state already, so we were prepared for anything and anybody.” Against Skyline, he said, “it was all about controlling #1, the quarterback. Other than one big play, we did a great job of getting to him early and often.”
Palisch added that “the tough non-district schedule…prepared us to face adversity. No matter what happens we stick together as a team, and that has become very evident and important as we battle through district.”
For last week’s game, Palisch also emphasized a play-by-play approach, saying the team was able to “play at [their] level and win the 1-on-1 battles.” He continued, “we know how good we can be if we play our style of football. It gives the team a lot of confidence but also it should make us more excited for each week, getting better, challenging ourselves to go out and make history.”
“Skyline is always the game that is circled on our schedule at the beginning of the year,” said Billy Daly. “Beating them, especially by the amount of points that we did, was a huge confidence boost. We’re going to ride the momentum and focus on playing one game at a time.”
On the remainder of the schedule, Hickman said, “We want to continue to improve and be peaking the next 4 weeks as a team. Our guys have been outstanding preparing each day for our upcoming opponents and I’m very excited about our chemistry and leadership as a team moving forward.”
The Rangers host Richardson J.J. Pearce on Friday for Senior Night.
