Highland Park runs past Dallas Jesuit, 43-20: 4 takeaways

Scots win Dallas, Texas high school football showdown, move to 3-0 after 36-point flurry

Highland Park players celebrate with fellow students after the Scots' 43-20 win against Dallas Jesuit on Sept. 13, 2024. / Buck Ringgold

DALLAS, TEXAS - Highland Park was stymied on its opening offensive possession in Friday’s game with city rival Dallas Jesuit.

On their second series, though, the Scots reached the end zone. And on the possession after that and the possession after that and so on.

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Highland Park ended up scoring points on six straight series in building a 29-point third-quarter lead as the Scots went on to a 43-20 win against the Rangers at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on the SMU campus. With the win, Highland Park moved to 3-0.

Here, now, are four takeaways from the Scots’ win.

Shaking Off Early Nerves

Highland Park senior receiver Benton Owens (right) is interviewed following the Scots' 43-20 win against Dallas Jesuit on Sept. 13, 2024. / Buck Ringgold

Through one possession by both teams, Highland Park ran three plays and got 3 yards, while on Jesuit’s first series, the Rangers moved the ball 49 yards in 10 plays - set up by a blocked punt - to take an early 7-0 lead.

But the next time the Scots got the ball, they needed only six plays to reach the end zone. Set up by a 46-yard pass from quarterback Buck Randall to receiver Cannon Bozman to the Jesuit 10, Highland Park answered when Randall took in a keeper from 2 yards out, though the Scots missed the PAT to keep Jesuit in front.

Still, the Scots were just getting started. They got the ball right back after forcing a punt, and marched 69 yards in 12 plays, with Randall scoring again on a 1-yard keeper that put the Scots ahead for good, 12-7.

“I would say on that first drive, we were just getting our nerves out of the way because obviously, it’s my first time being here and it’s a lot of pressure and a lot of people here, and I think we just got the nerves out of the way that first drive and once we realized what we needed to do, we just (took off) and we didn’t take our foot off the gas,” said Randall, in his first season as the Scots’ starting QB.

Highland Park added two second-quarter TDs to extend it to 26-7. Then after getting the ball back at their own 19 following a punt with just under a minute to play in the first half, Randall helped lead the Scots down the field.

They got into field goal range, and Reece Tiffany hit a 32-yarder on the final play of the first half, making it 29-7.

Highland Park also brought its running game with them down the road to SMU. The Scots rushed for 278 of their 504 total yards, and three different backs (Matthew White, Isaiah Lee and James Lancaster) had at least 57 yards rushing, with White finishing with 111 yards and a TD.

Lancaster, a 5-foot-8 195-pound senior, capped Highland Park’s sixth straight successful scoring drive with a hard-fought 13-yard run into the end zone, as he shook off several tacklers. That made it 36-7, Scots, near the midway point of the third quarter.

“I just got the ball and started hitting a couple of guys and just bouncing off of them, and so I just told myself, ‘Keep moving your legs and get in that end zone,’ and so that’s what happened,” Lancaster said. “I’m proud of my o-line, I’m proud of Buck for playing the way he did and I think we just did a great job (Friday).

“We were just able to run the ball the way how we run it, and I’m just so proud of the offensive line for getting in the trenches and just pushing hard so we can run the rock well. That was just Scottie football at the end of the day, so I’m so proud of them.”

The Scots also brought an experienced offensive line with them into Friday's game. On their two-deep roster, they had three senior starters (left guard Will Ogle, right guard Gage Clark and right tackle Grayson Davenport) and two junior starters (left tackle Stuart Allday and center Tripp Townsend).

In stark contrast, Highland Park's defense held Dallas Jesuit (1-2) to just 12 yards rushing.

What’s In A Name

Randall divulged afterward that his first name is not a nickname, but rather a given name at birth.

“My mom did not want to name me Buck,” Randall said. “She wanted to go with Ford, but my dad knew a guy when he was a kid and his name was Buck and he was just some big, cool dude and he was like, ‘I’ve always wanted a kid named Buck,’ and so they named me Buck.”

Randall finished the night completing 15-of-21 passes for 226 yards and a TD to go along with his two rushing TDs. He also remarked it is an honor to follow in the footsteps of legendary Highland Park quarterbacks, a lineage that includes Bobby Layne and Matthew Stafford.

But there were two other Scot signal-callers Randall really looked up to.

“I grew up watching John Stephen Jones and Chandler Morris, and they won three state championships in a row, and that really set the standard high for all of HP. … I’ve always wanted to be like Chandler Jones and John Stephen Jones; those guys led the way and they paved the path,” Randall said.

Both Jones and Morris (now at North Texas) went on to play college ball, and Randall is hoping to do the same.

“No offers yet, but I’ve definitely talked to a lot of coaches,” he said. “It’s pretty hectic with like talking to one team one year and all of a sudden, it’s a new coaching staff and it’s like, you don’t really have a connection there anymore.

“It’s been a little bit here and there; talked to SMU, Texas, (Texas) A&M for a little bit.”

‘Putting It Together’

Highland Park players celebrate with the school band following the Scots' 43-20 win against Dallas Jesuit on Sept. 13, 2024. / Buck Ringgold

Highland Park dropped down from 6A in the offseason and is now in 5A Division I. The Scots will play one more non-district game next week, playing at home against Cherry Creek, Colorado.

Lancaster believes the drop in classification can only be beneficial to the Scots.

“I think we’ve just been able to learn from our mistakes and our offense, it started slow, but I think we’re really putting it together,” Lancaster said. “And of course, our defense is one of the best in Texas, so with a good defense like that and offense that’s starting to really put in the work, I think we have a great team and we’re getting it done and we’re playing Scot football, so I’m super proud of our team and how we’ve competed so far.”

- Buck Ringgold | buck@scorebooklive.com | @SBLiveTX