IRVING — Jesuit Dallas earned its first victory of the season on Thursday, but how the Rangers won might have been more important.
They were consistently efficient on offense, tenacious on defense, and flawless on special teams during a 52-13 dismantling of Irving in the District 7-6A opener at Ellis Stadium.
After an 0-3 start against a challenging nondistrict schedule, Jesuit bounced back against an overmatched opponent, which follows a familiar script. The Rangers have won 11 of their past 12 district openers, most of which have come after dropping early-season matchups.
“We needed to get a win,” said Jesuit head coach Brandon Hickman. “I believe in playing tough nondistrict games because it prepares you for district.”
However, a dominant performance might have been especially critical for a team that had been outscored by a combined margin of 104-23 during the first three weeks.
The Rangers (1-3, 1-0) responded by more than doubling their season point total in the first quarter en route to a 38-0 halftime advantage. It was their 10th consecutive win over the Tigers (1-3, 0-1).
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“The bye week is always good. We were trying to hit the reset button,” Hickman said. “We went back to the basics, and I’m proud of the way we executed.”
Jesuit scored on its first seven offensive possessions, including six touchdowns. Cade Kirby caught a pair of scoring passes, while Max Smith reached the end zone twice on the ground. The first of those came on a fourth-down plunge to cap Jesuit’s opening drive.
After a short Irving punt, Kirby grabbed a 56-yard strike over the middle from Beck Berry for a quick 14-0 lead. Kirby finished with four catches for a game-high 111 yards on a night when Jesuit only attempted 10 throws.
Things started to unravel for Irving on the next possession, when Jackson Gair blocked a punt, then scooped it up and raced to the end zone.
The ensuing drive lasted just three plays before Joe Norman pounced on a fumble deep in Irving territory, leading to a 13-yard score by Smith.
Moments later, the best first-half scoring chance for the Tigers ended with a Gabriel James interception on third-and-long at the Jesuit 24-yard line. His long return was nullified by a penalty, but Jesuit drove the field again and extended the margin to 35-0 on J.P. Livingstone’s first career touchdown pass — an 11-yarder to Kirby.
“On defense, we tackled well and for the most part, we kept them in check,” said Hickman, whose team will return home to face Richardson Pearce on Oct. 3. “We ran the ball well and threw the ball really well. We just kind of went at an easy pace, and I felt comfortable with what we were doing.”
With the big lead, the Rangers turned almost exclusively to the ground game after halftime. Judson Harris and Ty Daboub capitalized with rushing scores, the latter coming on a 52-yard scamper.
Elijah Garcia threw a touchdown pass and also ran for a score for Irving. Fred Green paced the Tigers in both rushing and receiving while tallying 101 all-purpose yards.
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