The Rangers needed a win to recover from the heartbreaking defeat to Lake Highlands last week, and their blowout victory over the MacArthur Cardinals was exactly what they needed. MacArthur made a mistake scheduling Jesuit for their homecoming as the Rangers stomped the Cardinals by 62 points. 72-10! The craziest part was that kicker Parker Brown scored as many points as the entire MacArthur team with 10 points.
1st Half
The Rangers started the game fast forcing a three and out and scoring quickly on offense. Jake Taylor scored the initial touchdown on a 17 yard run up the middle, his first of three. Then, there were three consecutive punts, and the Rangers got the ball back primed to score. They got the ball on their own four-yard line, but a run up the middle gave them room to air it out and convert. Gage Roy connected with Hunter Krepp down the sideline for an 89-yard touchdown, making the lead 14-0. Next, the Cardinals broke a big play that was stopped by Cooper Manning’s chase down tackle. Thankfully, the defense stepped up and forced a field goal.
The Rangers responded with a big trick-play pass from Jake Taylor to Ford Butler for 37 yards to maintain the momentum of the game and capped it off with a Fitzgerald rushing touchdown. The Cardinals scored a touchdown, cutting the lead to 11, but that was the last of it. The Rangers scored 28 unanswered points to end the half. First, a pass to Charlie Clements for a 17-yard score followed by another Taylor rushing touchdown and a wild Fitzgerald pick-six. Finally, the Rangers got up 49-10 with a 36-yard touchdown pass from Roy to Charlie Cook, ending the half with a bang.
2nd Half
The Rangers got the ball to start the half, and a 69 yard first play rushing touchdown by Taylor to complete the hat trick gave the Rangers a 46 point lead. Next, was a punt from each team but the Connor Naughton punt pinned the Cardinals on their one-yard line. This allowed the Rangers to pin their ears back and get after the quarterback, which Sy Mendenhall did, forcing a safety on a tackle for a loss. The offense got the ball back and two Sam Morales rushes got a down to the one-yard line, where Daniel Rodriguez scored on a one-yard rush. Then, on the Cardinals’ first play of the drive, Johnny Franz forced a fumble which was recovered by Tim Brown.
The Offense took advantage of the good field position with a Sam Morales rushing touchdown to put the game at the final score of 72-10. The defense prevented a last-second score and the Rangers won.
My Analysis
This was an important game for the Rangers to respond, so the offense started fast and maintained it while the defense was stifling all game. Gage Roy threw for 296 and 3 touchdowns with only two incompletions, a clean and impressive game from the junior QB. Jake Taylor had over 160 all purpose yards and three TDs. Then, the rushing attack, led by Taylor and Morales, was dominant, combining for 230 yards and 6 touchdowns. The receiving core was elite as well, led by Krepp, Younger, Cook, and Clements. Also, the O-line was fantastic as well, allowing no sacks and were a big reason behind the almost 600 yards of offense.
The defense played spectacular and if it were not for two big plays, they would have forced a shut out. They forced three fumbles recovering one of them and also scored twice with a pick-six and a safety. An impressive performance was led by Jack Judson (12 tackles and 3 for a loss), Peter Melle (7 tackles and 2 for a loss), Graham Bowers (repeated run-stuffs and QB hits), and Robert Fitzgerald (5 tackles and a 47-yard pick-six). Both Johnny Franz and Michael Esteve forced fumbles, and Tim Brown recovered one of them. Finally, the pass defense was stifling holding the quarterback to 5-13 for 23 yards and an interception.
Also, our kicker Parker Brown had a big game with 10 extra points and 5 touchbacks on 11 kickoffs.
For more statistics, you can visit the Jesuit Athletics page!
Preparation for Nimitz
The Rangers are looking to build off of this impressive victory and use this momentum when Irving Nimitz comes to Postell Stadium this Friday. It is both homecoming and senior night.
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!
