By Todd Jorgenson
Whether a blowout or a nailbiter, Jesuit Dallas isn’t particular when it comes to victories in District 6-6A play.
One turned into the other on Friday, when the Rangers were on their way to a lopsided win over resilient McKinney Boyd before escaping 35-28 to extend their winning streak to three games.
J.P. Livingstone tossed three touchdown passes, including an 8-yarder to George Gladstone to give Jesuit a 27-0 cushion midway through the third quarter.
Livingstone helped build the advantage, but Ty Daboub preserved it down the stretch. The Jesuit bell cow carried 35 times for 161 yards and two scores.
With the Rangers leading 27-21 in the fourth quarter, Daboub was given the ball on nine of Jesuit’s 14 plays during a marvelous 63-yard drive that consumed more than seven minutes. The march included four straight third-down conversions.
“The offensive line played great,” said Jesuit head coach Brandon Hickman. “Ty got those tough yards at the end so we could get away with a win.”
Daboub’s 1-yard plunge into the end zone provided some valuable breathing room — especially since Boyd scored again on a 71-yard strike from Major Smith to two-way standout Jett Hilliard on the ensuing snap.
But the Rangers (3-2, 2-0) were able to run out the clock and celebrate heading into a bye week, after which the schedule will intensify. Jesuit will put its unbeaten district mark on the line on Oct. 8 at Prosper Walnut Grove.
“We’re ready for it. Our kids are working hard,” Hickman said. “We’ve got a five-game stretch where we’re playing some really good opponents. We’re very excited about that opportunity to rise to the occasion.”
Earlier, the Rangers rebounded following a slow start that featured an interception by Hilliard at the Boyd 1-yard line.
Jesuit reached the end zone on three consecutive possessions before halftime. The latter two drives culminated with catches by Konings, who paced Jesuit with eight receptions for 90 yards. Zander Arthur set up one of the scores with a fumble recovery after a sack in Jesuit territory.
The Rangers headed to the locker room with nine straight shutout quarters from its defense, covering 24 possessions in a row without any points.
The Broncos (1-4, 0-2) came alive after halftime thanks to four consecutive drives capped by Smith scoring passes. Three of them went to Hilliard, who finished with a game-high 125 receiving yards and averaged 31.5 yards per catch.
When Smith connected with A.J. Stewart on a 25-yard strike with 9:15 remaining, it marked Boyd’s third touchdown in an eight-minute span and cut a 27-point deficit to 27-21.
That touchdown followed a key fourth-down stop by the Boyd defense on fourth-and-2 at the Jesuit 33-yard line.
Still, Jesuit never relinquished the advantage due mostly to Daboub, who has rushed for more than 500 yards and 10 scores at the midway point of the regular season.
“We knew this year we were going to have to lean on our O-line and Ty,” Hickman said. “Ty is a workhorse. He’s got to get in the cold tub, hot tub, whatever, to keep those legs healthy. He’s got to be the guy here over the next five weeks.”
Livingstone was an efficient 21-of-27 passing for 221 yards. Also for the Rangers, Max Smith had a key fourth-down reception in the third quarter and caught a two-point conversion throw in the fourth. Ben Phillips recorded an interception on Boyd’s opening drive of the game.
Meanwhile, after struggling to find his rhythm early, Smith completed eight of 10 passes for 227 yards in the second half. Timothy Karsholt tallied 129 all-purpose yards, including 77 on the ground for Boyd.
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