Rangers Outlast Lakeview in Playoffs
By Sean Shapiro / Special Contributor
Based on the final score, you would have thought it was an early-season basketball game between Jesuit and Garland Lakeview Centennial on Friday at Postell Stadium.
In a wild, back-and-forth game that saw both teams combined for 1,479 yards, the Rangers outlasted the Patriots 79-55 in a Class 6A Division II bi-district game.
Jesuit quarterback Parker Towns accounted for seven total touchdowns. He completed 13 of 18 passes for 335 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 155 yards and four scores on nine carries.
After winning a first-round playoff game for the sixth straight year, the Rangers (7-4) will play Longview in the area round at 4 p.m. on Nov. 25 at Kincaide Stadium. The Lobos (10-1) defeated Beaumont Westbrook on Friday.
Lakeview freshman Camar Wheaton ran for 439 yards and five touchdowns on 22 carries. Wheaton had five scoring runs that were 43 yards or longer, including an 81-yard run in the second quarter. Wheaton only had 441 yards and six touchdowns throughout the regular season.
After a relatively pedestrian first quarter, the teams combined for 43 points in the second quarter and 49 points in the third. In a game with that many points, there was no shortage of standout offensive performances.
Jesuit sophomore E.J. Smith ran for 179 yards and two touchdowns. Matthew Priddy had 176 all-purpose yards (50 rushing, 126 receiving) and Fletcher Rosenbleeth caught five passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns. Rosenbleeth also scored on his only rush, a 19-yard effort.
Zikamein West caught four passes for 137 yards and a touchdown for the Patriots (4-7).
Jesuit got the separation it needed in the second quarter. Thirty seconds after Wheaton had pulled his team within eight points at 21-13, the Rangers took a 28-13 lead on a 16-yard run by Towns. On the ensuing possession, Lakeview snapped the ball out of the back of the end zone for a safety, and Towns followed that up with a 40-yard touchdown run.
