Ranger football is starting to heat up as we are getting into the late stages of district play. The Rangers faced off against the Vikings of Irving Nimitz for our combined Homecoming and Senior Night. It was a big night for the Rangers in terms of importance and in their amazing score. Jesuit dominated the Vikings, winning with the big score of 56-7, sending the Ranger football fans home beyond happy.
1st Half
The Ranger Offense started the game off with the ball, and they scored quickly with a 52 yard rushing touchdown by Kyle Heckel 21′. Then, the defense stopped the Vikings on a fourth down in Jesuit territory and gave the Rangers the ball back. Following the turnover on downs, the Rangers extended their lead with Ford Butler 22′ breaking off of a jailbreak screen for a 60 yard touchdown. Next, the defense forced two punts and a missed field goal from the Vikings, and the Rangers then proceeded to fumble and punt. After the second Viking punt, the offense struck quickly on a 3 play 69 yard drive that lasted 41 seconds, capped off by a 29 yard touchdown rush by Jake Taylor 21′.
The Vikings attempted to attack back but the Rangers forced another field goal, which they missed. Following the missed kick, the offense had 48 seconds to score before half. But with the explosiveness of the Ranger Offense, it proved to be an easy task. First, the offense was set back by a blown up screen play. Then, Jake Taylor exploded through the line for a 46 yard rush on a draw play. Coach Hickman called a timeout and gave the Rangers 8 seconds to advance 35 yards and score before the half. Gage Roy 22′ threw a laser to Charlie Clements 21′ who barreled into the end zone to score as time expired. The Rangers lead 28-0 at the half.
2nd Half
Nimitz tried to gain some momentum to start the half, but the Rangers stifled the promising drive once they got into Ranger territory. The Rangers continued to pile on with a 21 yard touchdown pass to Cole Younger 22′, sprung by the odd “Ninja” formation, where tackles Ryan Lengyel and Matt Craycraft split out like wide receivers. The defense forced a three and out, and then the offense drove down the field and scored with a fifteen yard touchdown pass from senior Connor Naughton 21′ to Charlie Clements. Following the touchdown, the Vikings fumbled the kickoff and Max McFarland 21′ hopped on the ball. The Rangers scored quickly with a Naughton to Heckel 18 yard touchdown pass.
Then, the Vikings got their first score to cut the lead down to 42. The Rangers responded, driving down the field to score a Naughton rushing touchdown to get the lead to 56-7. The defense prevented another Nimitz score for the rest of the quarter and the Rangers won 56-7, establishing their record of 3-1 in district play.
My Analysis
The offense was unstoppable, attaining 542 yards, with 341 passing and 201 rushing. The passing attack was led by Roy and Naughton who had more touchdown passes (5) than incompletions (4). Neither QB was on the ground as it was another week without any sacks allowed. The rushing attack was led by Heckel, Taylor, and Naughton who each had a touchdown. It was a special night for our captain Jake Taylor as he eclipsed 2000 career rushing yards for the Rangers, going 8 for 129 and a touchdown on Friday. The passing attack was spread out, led by Krepp 22′ and Cook 21′, with big nights without scores, and Clements (2), Butler, Younger, and Heckel eaching having touchdown receptions. And the offense was this dominant even though they were only on the field for 17 minutes. Absolutely crazy!
The defense was strong again, holding the Vikings to 7 points and only 99 passing yards throughout the night. This dominant effort was led by Pierce Jackson 21′, Jack Judson 21′ and a great night by the defensive line. Pierce Jackson led the team in tackles with 10, and one tackle for a loss. Judson had 9 tackles and an impressive 2.5 tackles for a loss. The dominant D-line led by Peter Melle 21′ with his .5 sack, tackle for a loss, and two QB hits. Ryan Allred 22′ had 1.5 tackles for a loss and Graham Bowers 21′ had half of a sack and a tackle for a loss.
After last week’s impressive performance, senior Parker Brown 21′ stepped it up this week. Last week he tied the Cardinals in points, but this week he outscored the Vikings 8-7. So again he had a busy night kicking the ball with impressive accuracy. The rest of special teams were strong, having good returns, with McFarland recovering a Nimitz fumble for the only turnover of the night.
For more statistics, you can visit the Jesuit Athletics page!
Preparation for Berkner
Berkner is on a bit of a slide, dropping their last three football games, and the Rangers want to make it four this Friday in Richardson. The Rangers’ only district loss came at the Richardson ISD Stadium against Lake Highlands, so I expect the Rangers to make a statement against the Rams this week.
The Jesuit defense has gotten close to a complete shutout, and I believe going against a struggling Ram offense, the defense can get their first shutout of the year.
For the rest of the Jesuit Football path to a 7-6a District Championship and playoff run, stay tuned to The Roundup for more football coverage and information!
