Nordhoff Rangers run wild over Coyotes, 61-14
By Jesse Phelps

Nordhoff's varsity football team took a giant leap forward on Thursday with a 61-14 pummeling of county rival Calabasas in front of its first home crowd of the year.

The Rangers dominated the line of scrimmage during a second-half barrage that saw them take a 21-14 game and turn it into an absolute rout. Amazingly, the team scored 61 points on a night that quarterback Ryan Whitcomb threw only seven passes. Ranger backs scored seven touchdowns, including four by junior tailback Will Strong.

Strong ran 13 times for 158 yards, mostly in the first and second quarters, and senior Josh Catlett added 127 yards on 10 carries. In total, the Rangers ran 39 times for an amazing 465 yards, an average of 11.9 yards per carry.

The game was actually tied after one quarter but then, on the Rangers' fourth possession of the day, Strong broke out a 57-yard scamper on the first play of the drive for his - and his team's - third touchdown.

The Nordhoff defense took over from there with two huge goal-line stands. After Calabasas drove inside the Nordhoff 10-yard line, Clark Bigler stripped quarterback Keith Barrett and recovered the fumble for the Rangers.

But the Rangers (2-1) couldn't capitalize and wound up punting. Bigler's kick was blocked and suddenly Calabasas (0-3) had a first and goal at the Nordhoff inside the Nordhoff 5-yard line. But Casey Catlett recovered another fumble and the Rangers took their seven-point lead into the locker room at the half.

The second half quickly became a blowout. Micah Reed blocked a field goal attempt by Calabasas kicker Brett Bumerts and after a 32-yard run by Bigler, Whitcomb scrambled in from 21 yards out to put Nordhoff up by two scores.

Nordhoff head coach Cliff Farrar pointed to Reed's blocked kick as a turning point in the game and said his contributions to the team have been numerous. "He loves the game of football and he's our spiritual leader. He wants to have fun and he's doing that and bringing people with him."

But Nordhoff wasn't done yet. After Strong intercepted a Barrett pass, Whitcomb went to the air, connecting with junior wide-out Andy Doyle for a 15-yard strike on a fade pattern.

Now the sideline buzzed as the Ranger players began to smell blood in the water. On the first play of the next drive, Josh Catlett sacked Barrett. On the second play, the defense forced a fumble, recovering at the Calabasas 30. A penalty forced a punt, but Nordhoff again shut down the Calabasas offense on the ensuing drive, thanks, in large part, to a vicious sack by Sean Baier.

Strong scored his fourth touchdown of the game, leaving him one short of the Ranger record, on the next Nordhoff possession. This time, he took it in from 20 yards out. After a failed PAT, the score was Nordhoff 41, Calabasas 14 heading into the final quarter.

In the fourth, the Rangers kept it rolling, ultimately threatening the school record of 69 points. Max Thomas got around the corner for a 12-yard touchdown, Josh Catlett scored from 40 yards out and Spencer Hill added the final score on a 54-yard interception return.
"I think it showed in several spots that we were faster than them," said Farrar. "That's pretty uncommon for us at Nordhoff to be faster than anybody, so that was nice to see."

Farrar said that his backs were fortunate to run behind a line that consistently opened gaping holes. "Those five kids, Reed, (James) Thompson, (Taylor) Downey, Kevin Bigler and (Josh) Bonsworth, those guys just played a great game."

Strong agreed with Farrar's assessment of the line's play. "They opened up big holes," he said. "Anybody could have run through those things."

Said Reed, "Blocking every time and just kicking somebody's butt is just the greatest feeling."

The Rangers are now ranked No. 5 in Division 11, a jump of five spots from their ranking last week, heading into their first Tri-Valley League showdown this weekend at home vs. Carpinteria.

© 2003 The Ojai Valley News

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