Recent first-game struggles continued for Jesuit Dallas Friday in Garland.
For the fourth consecutive year, the Rangers dropped their season-opener, falling on the road to Sachse, 52-24.
It was just the second meeting all-time between two programs that each qualified for the playoffs a year ago, with Sachse also taking the previous encounter, 49-42, in the postseason in 2011.
Things couldn’t have started better Friday for Jesuit, however, as the Rangers scored on the sixth play from scrimmage when quarterback J.P. Livingstone connected with Joseph Konings for a 25-yard touchdown just 2:30 into the first quarter.
But Sachse would take control from there, outscoring Jesuit the remainder of the half, 35-7, including closing with 21 consecutive points.
Sachse quarterback Christian McCaffrey threw for 195 yards and four touchdowns in the first half alone, while running back Ladainian Jones was nearly at the 100-yard mark at the break.
The Mustangs also forced a pair of interceptions in the first half and converted both turnovers into touchdowns, including a 70-yard reception by DJ Doyle that gave the Mustangs their first lead of the game at 14-7 with 3:50 remaining in the first quarter.
Doyle would later haul in a 16-yard touchdown catch from McCaffrey for a 35-14 lead heading to halftime, while Brendon Quinn and John Brown also had scoring receptions.
“It was a good first drive, but we just couldn’t put drives together,” said Brandon Hickman, Jesuit head coach. “We had too many mistakes. I give credit to Sachse. They came out and played well, but we just made too many mistakes to win the ball game.”
The Rangers second score came courtesy of running back Ty Daboub, who darted in from 20 yards out to bring Jesuit even at 14-14.
Daboub finished with eight carries for 38 yards, but the Jesuit offense struggled to move the ball consistently in the second quarter and things were only made tougher after Livingstone departed following the first Jesuit offensive play of the third quarter.
For the night, Livingstone completed 15-of-27 passes for 209 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions.
“We had a bunch of guys that were cramping up out there,” Hickman said. “But that’s no excuse. We have to hydrate better and take care of our bodies better. Those guys just weren’t able to get back in the game.”
Gage Griffin did enter and led Jesuit on a scoring drive in the fourth quarter capped off by a 4-yard run from Chase Brown, but was also intercepted three times, including one returned 67 yards for a touchdown by Jason Aniede for the final margin.
The Rangers will look to bounce back at 7 p.m. Friday when they host Rockwall.
“We need to lock in and focus on the job at hand,” Hickman said. “We get to play at home, so we’re excited about that, but tonight we just shot ourselves in the foot too often. We can’t do that to play a good Rockwall team next week.”
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