Two of the top Jesuit high schools in the nation squared off last Friday night under the lights, playing their first football game of the season.
It was St. Joseph’s Prep from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania vs. your Jesuit Rangers. Let’s recap the highlights of the 48-27 game won by St. Jo’s.
The Rangers started with the ball on their own 15 yard line. First pass of the night completed by the new quarterback, Junior Bo Schneider, was caught by receiver Charlie Eikenberg ’15 for a ten yard gain. What followed was a 75 yard drive down the field, capped by a 12 yard rushing touchdown by running back Adam Holtz ’16 (PAT attempt failed).
The Ranger defense, too, showed up early with a fumble recovery on St. Jo’s third play from scrimmage. It was returned for 23 yards by defensive end Justin Rotich ’14. The offense then converted with a short touchdown pass to Kellen McAlone ’14 as Jesuit quickly put up a 12-0 lead (two point conversion failed).
However, St. Jo’s was quick to respond, as a 50 yard rushing touchdown ensued with their second drive. Unfortunately,  Jesuit  had a fumble on the following series, which the Hawks capitalized on with a brief drive finished by another rushing touchdown. After a missed extra point, the ball game was led by St. Jo’s 13-12 with 1:37 left in the third quarter.
The reliable Rangers did not falter in the first quarter of this game, and answered with a 75 yard drive which ended with another Schneider-McAlone connection for a touchdown. This drive featured a solid 16 yard rush by Holtz and a long 21 yard catch by receiver Will Carney ’14. Rangers were up again 19-13.
With the first quarter over, the Rangers felt pretty good with their performance so far. The Jez crowd was rowdy as usual, a typical Friday night atmosphere under the lights in Texas.
St. Jo’s continued to execute big plays in the second quarter as their first drive was a quick score due to a 31 yard pass resulting in six points. The Hawks then forced a quick three-an-out which was followed by yet another scoring drive. With 2:02 left in the half, the Rangers were worried about an eight point deficit going into the third quarter, especially since they wouldn’t be starting with the ball after the half.
But once again Jesuit proved it had talent as they tied the Hawks 27-27. Bo Schneider led the two-minute drill as he completed a 41 yard
bomb to Eikenberg and two short passes to McAlone, one being for a touchdown. McAlone and Schneider finished the half with three touchdowns, both having impressive performances. Both Jesuit schools went into the locker rooms at the half exhausted not only by the Texas heat, but also by the other team.
Those who expected a blow out by St. Jo’s were sulking at the half as Jesuit held their own against the talented Hawks. The second half finish was up in the air as the first half proved to be a stalemate.
The first few series after the half consisted of many turnovers and the play was incredibly sloppy. Here was the result of the third quarter’s series: punt by St. Jo’s, interception thrown by Jesuit, fumble by St. Jo’s (recovered by Jesuit), fumble by Jesuit (recovered by St. Jo’s), fumble by St. Jo’s (recovered by Jesuit), and then a punt by Jesuit. Backup quarterback Kyle Mueller ’16 had to step into the game due to an injured Schneider. The athletic sophomore looked a bit nervous in his varsity debut but managed the game well.
The turnover nightmare was stopped by a touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter by the Hawks. The Rangers’ woes, however, continued as Schneider threw two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown. After the “pick 6,” Mueller was put back in because Schneider appeared to re-aggravate his injured leg. The Hawks led the Rangers 41-27 win about five minutes left in the game.
Mueller unfortunately couldn’t rally the Rangers as he threw two interceptions in the final five minutes of the game, one of which was returned for another touchdown by the Hawks. This score made it 48-27, and it proved to be the final score as time ran out, meaning the Rangers lost their season opener.
On paper, it seems as though the game should have been much closer. The Rangers led in total yards (384 compared to St. Jo’s 341), passing yards (276 vs. 14), and first downs (25 vs. 24).
Jesuit also led in turnovers, having five interceptions and one lost fumble. The Hawks only had three, all fumbles. This, combined with penalties, ultimately resulted in the Rangers’ demise:
“We had too many penalties and turned the ball over late in the game,” said head coach Brandon Hickman. “When you play good teams, you have to take care of the ball and get 4th down stops.”
The grueling Texas heat also proved to be a major problem for both teams, says Hickman: “Our guys were gassed but so was St. Joes so no
excuses from me on the heat being the problem. Our players hydrated properly and coach Weeks did an excellent job preparing them.” Roughly 16 players from St. Jo’s alone had to be helped off the field due to cramping.
And fear not Ranger fans, for it turns out that it was cramping that was bothering starting quarterback Schneider. “Bo was suffering heat cramps and had a cut on his arm and came out due to blood on his pants. He returned but still had issues cramping and had to sit out. He will be good to go next week,” explained Hickman.
And perhaps it was a lack of experience that hurt Jesuit, as last year’s talented team consisted mainly of seniors. Hickman explains, “We had 9 players on offense and 9 on defense making their first Varsity start ever. I expect our team to mature more each week and I know these guys will have a great season. As a staff we will address the mistakes we made in practice this week and move forward.”
Even with a tough loss like this, however, there are many positives to take away from this game. Here are some things to be happy about (or at least not sulk about):
-St. Jo’s is the number one team in Pennsylvania, so the Rangers can play well against elite talent
-The rushing attack looked good as Holtz had 130 yards and one touchdown
-McAlone showed a tremendous upside and had 3 touchdowns grabs
-Star receiver/cornerback and Iowa State commit Orion Salters was missing due to injury
-Schneider completed 60% of his passes while being hurt
-The defensive secondary held the Hawks to 146 pass yards
-This game doesn’t count in our district standings
Here’s Hickman on the upside Jesuit showed:
“The positive is that our players played their hearts out and we played as a team. I thought all of our players left every ounce of energy they had on the field and even with some mistakes we were still in the game tied up in the 4th quarter. We have a chance to be a very special team this year and I’m proud of our leadership. St. Josephs Prep was the best team and most athletic bunch I have coached against besides Skyline. They had impressive team speed and size which helps us seeing that heading towards district.”
Hickman also commented on breakout stars McAlone and Holtz:
“Kellen is going to have a great year. He has really matured since last year as a player and plays with passion. He can play different positions offensively with his size, speed, and physicality. I think Adam has a bright future and is a very tough player. Adam is not very big but runs hard on every down. He is a true testament that size doesn’t matter if you are fearless and tough. We are excited to have him for three years.”
So fear not Ranger fans, for Jesuit is sure to be a formidable force. While the loss was disappointing, Jesuit has the building blocks for a good season.
Jesuit looks to rebound next week with a win vs. Keller Fossil Ridge. The game will be played away so go out and support your Rangers.
