Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

High School Football:

Rancho football’s face-lift includes upgraded locker room, new uniforms

Rancho upgrades

Special to the Sun

New paint has been applied to the walls of the Rancho High locker room.

This could be a different Rancho High football program. At least it will look different.

The Rams open the season in two weeks on a 29-game losing streak, having been outscored 1,451-187 over the past three seasons. It got so bad, they successfully petitioned the Nevada Interscholastic Athletic Association to play an independent schedule because players were getting injured while competing in the large-school classification.

But first-year coach Tom Pletsch has been aggressive in taking steps to transform the program, including upgrades to uniforms and the locker room with hopes the extras will translate to wins.

The flooring in the locker room was ripped out and replaced with new porcelain black tiles. In the middle of the room is an "R" in white tiles. New paint on the walls includes motivational sayings such as, “Tradition Never Dies.”

Click to enlarge photo

The flooring in the Rancho High football locker room was ripped out and replaced with new porcelain black tiles. In the middle of the room is ‘R’ in white tiles.

They’ve also painted Sir Herkimer’s Bone — Rancho plays Las Vegas each season in the “Bone Game,” where the winner takes possession of Herk’s bone — above the door leading to the field. Rancho hasn’t won the game with Las Vegas since 1995.

“To change the program, we had to get rid of everything and start fresh,” Pletsch said.

The project cost about $4,000 and was paid for by alumni. Pletsch, a Rancho graduate, envisions returning the Rams into a playoff contender. It’s one of Southern Nevada's oldest schools and has four all-time state championships, including three straight in the 1960s.

Wireless speakers have been ordered for the locker room and practice field, emulating other programs that have started blasting music during practice.

The changes don’t end there.

Players will have new uniforms this season. And when they started practicing in pads Thursday, all players had new gear — everything from helmets to shoulder pads. The ram-horn logo, common during the Rancho glory years, will reappear on the helmets.

Rancho opens Aug. 28 against Gila Ridge of Yuma, Ariz. Pletsch is confident the losing streak will soon be a thing of the past.

“From top to bottom, it’s a brand new team,” Pletsch said. “To change the program, we went back to our roots.”

Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21

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