ROHNERT PARK, CA – Rancho Cotate (1-1) spotted Vanden-Fairfield an early 7-0 lead, but then the running game came to life behind Rasheed Rankin and Jayden Herrera, and the offensive line took charge in a 48-20 intra-section victory for the Cougars from the CIF North Coast Section over the Vikings from the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section.
Rankin, a 6-1, 225-pound senior had 17 carries for 137 yards and three TDs, including two from the Wildcat formation. His third TD came on a hand-off for a 54-yard run in which he showed a new found speed by racing clear of four defenders.
“I played with anger tonight,” said Rankin, who lost two fumbles last week that led to touchdowns in a 24-6 loss at Sacramento.
“A lot of people have been looking for me to show some breakout speed so I ran track last year and it helped me get way faster,” continued Rankin
Herrera (11 carries, 54 yards rushing) didn’t find the end zone, but early on the 5-7, 185-pound senior helped the ground game get going with two runs from the Wildcat formation that led to the Cougars first score on a 17-yard pass from quarterback Jared Stocker to senior wide receiver Darius Hurst that gave Rancho Cotate a 7-0 lead it never relinquished.
Stocker, a 6-1, 190-pound senior, was not super sharp, but he made plays when needed and finished 9-of-20 for 117 yards and two touchdowns with an interception, with a second TD a 21-yarder to senior wide receiver Jack Reese that gave Rancho Cotate a 28-14 lead at halftime.
“Our running backs sparked us,” Rancho Cotate Coach Gehrig Hotaling said. “Rasheed and Jayden played their tails off tonight and the offensive line played great. “We went down early but we crawled our way back.”
In reality it was more about the Wildcat than crawling back. After going three and out on their first series and already behind 7-0 and with the offense looking sluggish to start, Hotaling went to the Wildcat and it paid dividends.
All told Rancho Cotate ran nine plays from the Wildcat for 45 yards and three TDs with the third score from the direct snap formation going for a 5-yard TD by senior running back Fautua Tuaua.
“We have the Wildcat in more than one of our sets and we use it when we need a spark,” Hotaling remarked.
Besides showing speed and an ability to hit the hole faster than last year, Rankin showed the power running that allowed him to rush for 1,295 yards and 22 TDs last season. On a 14-yard run that led to the TD pass from Stocker to Reese, he ran over tacklers on what should have been a short gain.
On another 17-yard run that helped lead to the TD run by Tuaua, Rankin carried the pile over 10-yards after first contact.
The Rancho Cotate defense and special teams played a part as well. Mihalis Santorineos, a 6-2, 225-pound junior linebacker that had 119 tackles and eight sacks last season, had two fumble recoveries and forced a fumble. Hurst blocked a Vanden punt that sophomore Gino Mencarini scooped up and returned 5-yards for a score.
“Now you see what happens when you practice hard,” Hotaling told the team in the post game meeting on the field. “We still have to improve on mistakes, and despite the outcome we had mistakes like some penalties, missed assignments and running the wrong routes, but we limited the turnovers.”
The same can’t be said for a Vanden team that falls to 0-2 on the season. They lost three fumbles, and junior quarterback Jordan Woolard was sacked twice and intercepted once. Woolard did have a hand in all of the Vanden touchdowns after passing for two TDs and running for a third score
“Overall it was an unreal effort that allowed us to come back off the mat from last week,” Hotaling summarized.
Rancho Cotate now hosts an El Cerrito team that is 0-2 after losses to Marin Catholic-Kentfield and Vintage-Napa.
Vanden will need to regroup for a game next Saturday with Christian Brothers-Sacramento.
