This past Friday Night, the Jesuit Rangers traveled out to Irving for the second straight week this time to face off against their district opponent, the Irving Nimitz Vikings.
Mirroring the success they had last week against Irving, the Rangers continued their dominance against Irving schools by coasting through Nimitz 40-0, advancing to 6-1 on the season. Coach Hickman commented, “The kids followed the game plan very well. We wanted to be able to establish our run game and stop their running game and their talented running back. We played great on defense Friday night and really tightened up when they got inside the red zone which was great to see.”
Both sides of the ball were able to dominate early in the game, which allowed the Rangers to eliminate any hope for the Vikings right from the start. The Rangers scored on all five of their first half drives, and the defense was able to hold the Vikings offense scoreless. Jacob Palisch ’17 was able to connect with Connor Lanpher ’16 for a touchdown, a connection that Ranger fans are accustomed to seeing this year. Palisch was also able to pound into the end zone on a rushing touchdown from 3 yards out. With a Max Loughborough ’16 rushing touchdown and 2 field goals from John Wengierski ’16, the Rangers were able to take a 26-0 lead headed into the half. Junior Wide Receiver John Wunderlick said, “Our offense has been firing on all cylinders which allows us to have great success. Because we can run and throw the ball, we are able to keep defenses off-balance.”
But Palisch wasn’t done in the first half as he found Rusty Landon ’16 on a deep ball for a 35-yard touchdown pass for Palisch’s third touchdown play of the game. Also, Evan Jackson ’17 was able to bruise his way into the end zone for a rushing touchdown. Both of these second half scores gave the Rangers a 40-0 lead. Jackson believes that “Jacob [Palisch]’s abilities to throw the ball really opens up running lanes making it easy for the ground game to get going.”
The Jesuit Defense was able to dominate the Vikings en route to their fourth shutout of the year. The defense was able to hold the Vikings to under 100 total yards and force a few turnovers. Defensive End Ryan Brooks said, “We have really been able to come together as a team and dominate our opponents. We believe we can compete with the best and hold any offense.”
Coach Hickman said this on the defensive success: “We are much improved on defense and our coaches Thompson, Rushing, Maturi, Leal, Golab, DeLong have done an excellent job. Our schemes are tough to game plan for and our D-Line is controlling the line of scrimmage. The 3-4 scheme is something we changed to last year around week 8 and it’s a scheme that fits our kids the best. Also, I think the time of possession has really helped us defensively being that we’ve had the ball for over 25-30 minutes offensively against most of the teams we’ve played. The other night, our starting defense played 27 plays which makes a huge difference keeping them fresh and limiting the opponents’ offensive snaps. “
The Rangers have dominated district play and move to 6-1 on the season but are a perfect 4-0 in district. Coach Hickman said, “We have to finish what we started with 3 remaining games left. The players have to be hungrier than ever on the home stretch of district play which starts in the weight room, practice field, and giving that extra 1% with everything we do. Our goal is to win the District Championship and we can do that if we stay focused taking it one game at a time and not underestimate our last three opponents.”
If the Rangers continue to play like they have been playing, they should be in good shape as they finish up district play and enter the playoffs. So, come out and support the Rangers as they take on their rival the WT White Longhorns this Friday night at Postell Stadium as they compete in the annual Battle For The Saddle.
