Perhaps eager to make a statement, the Highland Park defense has proven its resilience over the past two weeks.
The Scots recorded four interceptions to complement a stellar offensive performance by Buck Randall during a 42-14 win over Jesuit Dallas on Friday at Highlander Stadium.
It marked the sixth consecutive victory for HP over its neighborhood rival, including four years in a row. More importantly, the Scots (2-1) seem to have bounced back from a season-opening loss to Rockwall-Heath, first with an abbreviated shutout of Lovejoy and then with a balanced dismantling of the winless Rangers (0-3).
Randall threw for 337 yards and four touchdowns and ran for another score. Matthew White finished with 233 all-purpose yards, including 150 receiving and 83 rushing.
Ronan Moreland was the defensive standout with two takeaways, one to shift momentum midway through the third quarter, and a diving grab to disrupt a potential Jesuit scoring drive in the fourth.
“They’ve improved each week,” HP head coach Randy Allen said about his defense. “Four turnovers is tremendous. They got better as the game progressed. [Jesuit] was hitting their passes and made it really hard on our guys, but they had a lot of pass breakups and put a lot of pressure on the quarterback.”
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The Scots used a big-play barrage to take an early advantage, needing just 13 combined plays to reach the end zone on four consecutive drives.
Randall found Case Messer for a 26-yard touchdown, then connected with Cannon Bozman for a 77-yard score immediately following a Martin True interception on a tipped ball deep in HP territory.
Randall scrambled 45 yards for a touchdown early in the second quarter to extend the margin to 21-0. And on the next possession, he hooked up with White for 72 yards on a third-and-19 strike.
“We’ve missed him because he’s got breakaway ability, he’s a good blocker and a good pass receiver,” Allen said of White, who was injured during a preseason scrimmage and has been limited in the first two games. “We’re just so glad to have him back. He’s a tough player.”
With the Scots scoring quickly, Jesuit found a rhythm with its short passing game, leading to some sustained drives, including a 12-play march that culminated in an 11-yard scoring pass from Beck Berry to Cade Kirby. It was the first offensive touchdown of the season for the Rangers.
Berry added a 15-yard rushing touchdown midway through the third quarter, capping a possession that included a 40-yard scramble by Berry. That trimmed the margin to 28-14, but miscues prevented Jesuit from getting any closer.
“I’m really pleased with the way we fought,” said Jesuit head coach Brandon Hickman. “We started settling in and playing. I’ve seen some really good flashes from our team.”
While the offense staked HP to an advantage, the defense staved off any potential Jesuit rally when the Scots struggled to move the ball after halftime. After allowing 52 points in the Heath loss, the Scots have surrendered only 14 points in their last six quarters.
Eventually, HP pulled away in the fourth quarter with a 14-yard scoring catch by Charlie Olmstead and a 12-yard scamper across the goal line by Isaiah Lee.
Randall averaged 22.5 yards on his 15 completions for the Scots. Bozman accumulated 109 yards on three grabs, surpassing 100 receiving yards for the third consecutive game.
“Buck is a very accurate passer and we’ve got some outstanding receivers. We have confidence in all of them,” Allen said. “Once we get everything in sync, we’re going to be hard to stop.”
Meanwhile, Jesuit’s numbers have been ugly against a challenging schedule thus far. The Rangers have been outscored by a combined 104-23 through three games, and have seven turnovers with just two offensive touchdowns.
Still, there are reasons for optimism heading into the District 7-6A opener on Sept. 25 at Irving. For example, Berry passed for 193 yards and ran for another 116 on Friday, and multiple injured players could return after the upcoming bye week.
“I’ve always liked to schedule big. It’s all about playing good teams,” Hickman said. “You get exploited with certain things, and you want to patch those up when you get to district. We know now where we’re at.”
HP will host Arkansas powerhouse Pulaski Academy to wrap up nondistrict play next week before starting the District 7-5A Div. I schedule on Sept. 26 at Tyler.
