By Sam Weiger / Contributor
A season-best offensive explosion propelled Jesuit Dallas into the second round of the playoffs with a 65-41 win over Arlington Lamar on Friday.
The Rangers racked up more than 500 yards of total offense and averaged almost 11 yards per play in the Class 6A Division II bi-district game. They advance to meet perennial power Denton Guyer in the Region I area round on Nov. 21 in Irving.
The scoring began less than a minute in when Shane Parker ran for a 9-yard touchdown for the Rangers. Lamar immediately countered with a 75-yard drive, highlighted by a critical fourth-down completion to TCU commit Khamill Pruitt, who later capped the drive with a touchdown catch.
The tie was broken moments later when Rangers quarterback Beck Berry found Cade Kirby for an 83-yard touchdown pass. Lamar’s offense kept pace, answering with a touchdown pass from Jayden Shaw, leaving the teams tied 14-14 as the first quarter concluded.
The Rangers (6-5) added an early second quarter field goal, then got the game’s first defensive stop. Berry capitalized by punching in a rushing touchdown to expand the lead to 24-14.
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Jesuit’s advantage ballooned to 31-14 on an Andres Vann fumble recovery in the end zone on a poorly executed punt snap by the Vikings (5-6). Just when it seemed like Jesuit might be pulling away, Pruitt broke free for a 75-yard touchdown, ensuring the Rangers’ comfortable lead did not last.
“Pruitt was our biggest challenge. He’s a good player,” Jesuit head coach Brandon Hickman said. “There’s a reason why he’s going to TCU. I was impressed with the way he ran and caught the ball.”
The Rangers’ quick-strike offense kept rolling as Berry delivered a 67-yard touchdown pass to Kirby just 20 seconds after Lamar scored.
After another stop by the Jesuit defense, the Rangers tacked on 10 more points in the final minute before halftime, on another McGough field goal followed by a Parker touchdown run. Jesuit led 48-21 at the break.
In the second half, the Rangers made a crucial fourth-down stop, halting Lamar’s standout running back, Tayrone Thomas. This defensive stand might have secured the win.
“Our defense stepped up,” Hickman said. “We made some big stops, caused some turnovers in the third quarter, and it just kind of snowballed from there.”
Jesuit added two more touchdowns in the third quarter, on a long Ty Daboub run and a Parker reception from Berry, to stretch the lead to 62-21 and put the game out of reach.
Jayden Shaw threw for 459 yards and six touchdowns for the Vikings, while Pruitt had 227 receiving yards. Kirby finished with 181 yards on four catches for Jesuit, and Parker had 163 total yards with his three scores.
“This win meant a lot to us,” Hickman said. We have a fairly young team, so it’s good for those guys to get their feet wet and play at a high level the way they did.”
