Rancho football anxious to continue its rebirth

By Taylor Bern

Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016 | 4:24 p.m.

The signs read Beast on Bruce Street, and they hearken back to a time when the Rancho High football team was a force to be reckoned with. They’re up in the Rams’ rebuilt weight room, and after snapping a 30-game losing streak with three victories last season, the Rams have their eyes on even more.

“The fact that they had a little bit of success last year made them come into this offseason hungry for more success,” defensive coordinator Tasean Young said.

First-year coach Stan Davis was the Rams’ defensive coordinator last season and he steps into the top role after coach Tom Pletsch had to step down after one season because of health reasons. But in his lone year Pletsch helped Rancho shed the weight of its losing streak, and now Davis has his players looking back to the program’s dominant days of the past to continue to build the future.

“Our coach always tells us stories about how it was back in the day and how Rancho was the top, people were scared to come into Rancho,” said senior lineman Gabriel Dorantes. “We’re trying to reach into that and see if we can bring that back.”

Young said the coaching staff is focused on the process of coaching and building, trusting that success and victories will follow. After all, Rancho’s rebuild is still in its early stages.

“Because the program has been down in past years it’s hard to get kids that really want to come in,” Young said. “So for us, we’ve got to create that culture and make Rancho a place to land.”

Improving the weight room helps, as does packing it with current players like senior middle linebacker Jordan Betts. The senior class would love to take down Las Vegas High and win the Bone Game for the first time in 20 years, and Betts knows his leadership will be key to accomplishing goals like that.

“I’ve got to take control of the defense all the time and make sure we’re in the right spot,” Betts said.

Betts is also one of the guys the Rams are counting on in the backfield, along with senior Eddy Samano. But Young made it clear that building on last year’s success is going to take a team effort, and the coaches believe they’ve got a group that can pull it off.

“They work their butts off and they deserve what’s going to come to them,” Young said. “… We’re not going to go out and say we’re going to win the state title; it’s getting better week to week. As long as these guys keep working like that, they’re going to get that.”

Taylor Bern can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Taylor on Twitter at twitter.com/taylorbern.