One of the main stories this year for the Rangers so far has been the number of miles the team has traveled, both internationally and in-state. This past weekend, your Jesuit football team took a trip down I-45 for a date with Strake Jesuit who was 0-2 going in to the matchup.
Coming off back-to-back impressive wins, the Rangers went in to the game against 
Strake with confidence and a desire to keep their unbeaten streak alive. One minute and 34 seconds into the game, QB Jack Brezette ’13 already had 3 completions, 39 yards, and a touchdown pass to WR John Berend ’13. The first series also included 3 rushes by RB Will Brown ’13 for 22 yards.
A penalty and a negative 6-yard rush by QB Kyle Santry of Strake left them with a 4th down and 33, forcing them to punt on their first drive. WR/DB Orion Salters ’14 had an impressive 53-yard punt return that set up the Rangers with 1st and Goal. It only took Jack one play to make his second touchdown connection of the evening to WR Jake Oliver ’13.
Again the Jesuit defense, led by strong play of the defensive line, forced another Strake 3-and-out.
On the third Ranger drive of the night, a miss-targeted deep ball from Brezette was picked off at the Strake 15-yard line. However, Strake’s offense again fell victim to poor execution and the excellent defense of the Rangers. The Jesuit offense trotted back on to the field up 13-0, looking for more blood. “The best ball of the season from Jack” delicately and precisely found its way into the hands of Oliver, putting the Rangers up 20-0. Through seven minutes, Brezette had three touchdown passes.
On their next possession the Strake Crusaders faulted at their 29-yard line and lost a fumble. Jesuit managed to find the
end zone again after a 27-yard sliding catch by WR Daniel Valencia ’13 and a 4-yard strike to Berend, his second of the evening.
After the Crusaders failed to muster up anything again, Brezette hooked up with Oliver for a 52-yard catch and run and his 5th touchdown of the night, matching his total from last week against Fossil Ridge.
With time winding down in the first quarter, Strake managed to get its first first down of the game.
However, a hit by LB Caleb Kunasek ’13 at the beginning of the second quarter, almost gave the Rangers a scoop-and-score opportunity with a 55-yard dash to the end zone by Salters, but a block-in-the-back penalty took the score away from the Rangers. A little later a RB Pierce Durham ’14 rushing touchdown pushed the lead to 40-0 Rangers.
Two scoreless drives by each team followed, and on the next Strake drive LB Jordan Mastrogiovanni ’13 intercepted a Crusader pass and cruised his way 25 yards into the end zone. Immediately after the play, Mastrogiovanni happily exclaimed that he’s “now accomplished every personal high school football goal since that was [his] first touchdown ever.”
Strake put nothing together on the next drive, and the Rangers ultimately attempted a field goal from 37-yards out near the end of the half. The attempt went wide-right, barely missing the crossbars.
At halftime, the coaches said that all starters were done for the game and that backups would finish up the job for the Rangers. The offense shifted to more running, and the defense tried to preserve the shutout for the rest of the game.
A promising Strake drive at the beginning of the second half faltered as Santry fumbled in Jesuit territory. However, the
backup Jesuit offense took a slower approach, looking to avoid running up the score. P Jeff Fulcher ’13 came in to the game for only the second time, booting a 34-yard punt inside the Strake 20-yard line. Again, Strake couldn’t get a first down, and the Rangers took the field again. Rushes by Durham, WR Garrett Amy ’15, and QB Joe Willie Laufenberg ’13 got the Rangers into the red zone, but K Cody Wicker ’13 came in on a 4th and 2 from the Strake 6 to put the Rangers ahead now 50-0.
Jesuit’s defense again was able to stuff a driving Strake offense, but a fumble gave the ball right back to Strake. Strake’s only scoring opportunity of the game came on a 40-yard Field Goal attempt that had no chance of going through the uprights, hitting the turf only 20 yards in front of the spot of the kick.
The next Jesuit drive consisted of all running plays, including more tough running from Durham, including a 22-yard rush and a swift and elusive 39-yard touchdown run, cementing Durham as the night’s leading rusher.
An offensive penalty by Strake halted their last chance at scoring in the game, and the Rangers
came on looking to run the clock out. LS Charlie Turano ’13 and WR Aidan Johnston ’13 took the last three carries, but didn’t pick up the first down. Laufenberg punted the ball, and Strake ran the clock out to end the blowout.
After the game, both teams met at mid-field and prayed together to God, thanking them for the talents and blessing that He has bestowed upon them. A dual-dinner between the two teams followed in the cafeteria, and the Rangers were on their way home, 3-0 for the first time in a long time.
While the game is a rivalry, Jesuit dominated Strake from the get-go, and there was no way for the Crusaders to catch up.
Leaders on the night for the Rangers were:
Passing: Jack Brezette – 12-18, 175 yards, 5 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Pierce Durham – 15 carries, 163 yards, 2 TD; Will Brown – 7 carries, 67 yards; Garrett Amy – 7 carries, 21 yards; Joe Willie Laufenberg – 5 carries, 16 yards; Aidan Johnston – 1 carry, 11 yards
Receiving: Jake Oliver – 7 catches, 123 yards, 3 TD; John Berend – 2 catches, 5 yards, 2 TD; Daniel Valenica – 1 catch, 27 yards; Will Brown – 2 catches, 20 yards
Head Coach Brandon Hickman commented that the Rangers were “on top from the opening minutes and [their] offense needs to open like that every week.”
This week Jesuit has a Bye Week, as 41 seniors will be on retreat for Community Days. Check the Roundup for more information on their next game.
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