Rangers start 0-2 With Loss to Keller

Following a disappointing loss in the season opener in the newly dedicated Postell Stadium, the Jesuit Rangers headed out to Keller Fossil Ridge to play the Panthers. Unfortunately, the Rangers lost to Keller 63-19.

Regarding the blowout loss, head coach Brandon Hickman said, “Keller did a good job putting us in space and making plays on offense. Defensively they beat us up front at times and we didn’t execute every series. As the game progressed it snowballed on us and it was hard to rebound.”

Jesuit had dominated the Panthers last year, so this loss seemed somewhat unexpected. Hickman describes the new and improved Keller team: “Fossil Ridge was an older more experienced team this year. They had 15 returning starters, and they were much better than last season. They had some new athletic receivers, and their senior QB was much improved and made great throws all night. Their defense was very fast and physical which made them much stronger than a year ago. They beat us in every phase of the game.”

In a big loss like this one, it’s important to try tolook at the positives. And that’s what Coach Hickman always does: “I thought being down in the first half our players demonstrated great character. I am very proud of that and their demeanor on the sidelines and after the game in the locker room.”

One may ask why play such good teams that aren’t in Jesuit’s district? Keller was obviously a top team, and last week featured the number one team in Pennsylvania. But Hickman has great reasoning behind this type of scheduling: “We have been tested in non district…as a staff you want that heading into the district race. I will always schedule good non district opponents to get our players prepared for district when they count. If you play weaker non district teams everything looks good and you might get exposed in areas later in the season. Both teams were really athletic and that has made our staff see some strengths and maybe a few weaknesses in our team. We are still trying to put the puzzle pieces together and are getting there.”

Let’s take a deeper look into the game and dissect the Rangers’ performance.

Despite losing, Jesuit was the first to get onto the scoreboard, with Bo Schneider ’13 completing a 10-yard pass to receiver Will Carney ’14. This was Carney’s first touchdown catch of the season.

Keller was quick to respond as quarterback Jacob Gnacinski completed two touchdown passes on two consecutive drives. Running back Keshawn Mitchell also scored a one yard rushing touchdown and put the Panthers up 21-7 with 2:03 left in the first quarter. During the span of those three drives, the Rangers had two unsuccessful series that featured a fumble and a punt.

Jesuit was, however, quick to rebound as Schneider connected with receiver Kellen McAlone ’14 twice for 19 and 45 yard receptions, the second being for a touchdown. The 45-yard touchdown snag by McAlone was his fourth touchdown of the season. The score was 21-13 going into the second quarter after a missed extra point attempt.

The Panthers started the second quarter off strong with another rushing touchdown by Mitchell to gain a 14 point lead over Jesuit. This was followed by a quick three-and-out by the Rangers to which Keller capitalized on with a touchdown pass.

Schneider was then intercepted on the ensuing drive, and yet again Keller didn’t miss a step by scoring another touchdown. It was Gnacinski’s third touchdown pass of the night, putting the Rangers down 35-13.

The Panthers would score three more times before the end of the first half as Jesuit had two more unsuccessful drives, leaving them scoreless in the second quarter. The Rangers went into the locker room with a large 43 point deficit looming over their heads as Gnacinski led the opposing team with six touchdown passes. The senior had a stellar first half that proved to be too much for the Rangers.

The second half began shortly after, and the Panthers started with the ball. Not all hope was lost for the Rangers as Keller’s opening drive featured a missed 48-yard field goal. But Jesuit was unable to capitalize off such mistakes, and their next drive ended with another punt.

Another glimmer of hope appeared with an interception by the Ranger defense. However, the story of the night continued as Jesuit could not convert and score off of Keller’s first turnover.

The rest of the game was relatively quiet as the Rangers couldn’t rally to a comeback victory. Backup quarterback Kyle Mueller ’16 was put in and even completed a 41-yard pass to receiver James Smith ’14, his first of the season. This was preceded by another Keller rushing touchdown which made the score 63-19. This would be the final score of the game.

There are other factors to be happy about:
-The receiving core is very deep and talented-five different receivers caught balls while Schneider threw for 246 yards
-McAlone is continuing to shine as he had 6 receptions for 94 yards and a touchdown
-The offensive line is doing a pretty decent job at protecting the quarterbacks
-And lastly, the team was still lacking star athlete Orion Salters ’14. Hickman described Salters’ importance and how he “gives our team some experience and some speed we need.”

The Rangers hope to bounce back after a disappointing 0-2 start to the season. They play Strake Jesuit at home this upcoming Friday, so go out and support your Rangers versus their fellow Jesuit foe.