Jesuit 42, Mesquite Horn 21
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by Keith Whitmire, special contributor
Jesuit took advantage of four turnovers to pull away from Mesquite Horn, 42-14, in a Class 6A Division II bi-district playoff game at Postell Stadium.
Jesuit defensive back John Michael Priddy had two interceptions, returning one of them 95 yards for a touchdown and a 21-0 first-half lead.
Priddy's second interception foiled Mesquite Horn's drive to open the second half. The turnover led to the first of two Jacob Palisch touchdown passes to Rusty Landon in the second half.
The second Palisch-to-Landon connection gave Jesuit a 35-0 lead with 28 seconds left in the third quarter.
Jesuit (10-1) came into the game ranked No. 9 in the Class 6A area poll and will meet the winner of Friday's game between Rockwall and Copperas Cove. Horn wound gaining 518 yards to Jesuit's 356. Horn also generated 24 first downs to Jesuit's 14
Not only was Mesquite Horn (6-5) plagued by turnovers, but quarterback Chris Robison, an Oklahoma commit, suffered an apparent ankle injury after leaping out of bounds early in the second quarter. Robison, who was 20-of-33 passing for 267 yards, was able to return to action but limped noticeably through the rest of the game.
Horn did not score until 13 seconds left in the third quarter when Elton Taylor broke a 71-yard touchdown run.
Jesuit's final score came with 8:57 left when Adam Holtz scored on a 46-yard pass from Palisch for a 42-7 lead.
Jesuit led 21-0 at halftime despite trailing Horn in total yards (193-187) and first downs (12-8). The difference was three Horn turnovers, two of which led to Jesuit touchdowns.
A 42-yard pass from Palisch to Landon on a crossing route set up Jesuit's first score, a one-yard touchdown run by Holtz. Landon had five catches for 129 yards.
Horn then drove inside the Jesuit 10 yard line, but fumbled on first-and-goal and Jordan Rice recovered.
Following the turnover, Jesuit marched 90 yards in 13 plays with Palisch finishing it off with a 26-yard touchdown on a bootleg. Palisch wound up completing 13 of 16 passes for 261 yards and three touchdowns.
Now trailing 14-0, Horn again drove inside the Jesuit 10 yard line. However, Priddy picked off a pass on the sideline and sprinted 95 yards for a touchdown.
Horn's Bryston Cummings, who had five receptions for 144 yards, caught a 13-yard touchdown pass with 36 seconds left to finish the scoring.