Rancho closes season with win over Del Sol

By Jesse Granger

Friday, Oct. 23, 2015 | 11:22 p.m.

With just over a minute to play and his team losing by one point, Alexis Ayon-Lozano stood at the 25-yard line with his heel in the dirt.

The ball was snapped, the hold was good, and Ayon-Lozano kicked the ball straight through the uprights.

Rancho would intercept Del Sol on the subsequent drive to seal their third win of the season.

The 16-14 win caps the Rams' most successful season since 2011.

“We won three games, and in three others it came down to the end,” said first year Rancho coach Tom Pletsch. “We were highly competitive in every game that we were supposed to be.”

The Rams snapped a 29-game losing streak on Sept. 4 by beating Valley 34-14. During the losing streak Rancho lost the games by an average score of 53-7.

A hot start by the Rams allowed them to jump out on top 13-0 with rushing touchdowns by Angel Walker and Robert Howard in the first five minutes.

They took that lead into the locker room before watching it slip away in the second half. Del Sol scored on a punt return, and again on a short run following a long punt return to take the lead 14-13.

Lozano’s 32-yard field goal with 1:10 to play then gave Rancho the win.

And while three wins may not be the standard of success for some programs, it is a giant step in the right direction for a school that fielded a full freshman, junior varsity and varsity team for the first time in four seasons.

And this week, all three teams won to complete a sweep over Del Sol.

“I don’t know how long it’s been since all three teams won their game in a given weekend,” Pletsch said. “I can go back at least 13 years that I know it hasn’t happened.”

The program had 108 players participate this year, up from only 52 last season.

Next year the team hopes to build off the momentum and continue to improve.

Jesse Granger can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Jesse on Twitter at twitter.com/JesseGranger_.