The Rangers faced off against Unity Christian in a very high-scoring game.
Unity Christian received the opening kickoff to begin the game. They drove down the field, scored, completed the two-point try, and led 8-0. The Rangers then received the kick and drove 20 yards before running back Michael Badiluco had a long run and took it to the house for the Ranger touchdown, making it 8-6.
Unity Christian again drove down the field and scored. The two-point attempt was good, making it 16-6 Unity Christian. Both teams drove down a couple of times before Unity Christian’s running back broke loose. He looked like he was going to score a touchdown, but he was stopped short and fumbled, which the Rangers recovered. Unity Christian got the ball back and drove down the field for yet another touchdown, bringing the score to 24-6. The Rangers then drove down the field, and quarterback Blake Teliczan saw Carson Schick one-on-one and threw it up for Schick. He came down with an amazing catch in the front pylon of the end zone. The score was 13-24, with Unity Christian leading with a few minutes remaining before halftime. In the last drive of the first half, Unity Christian battled down the field and scored a rushing touchdown. The score was 32-13 at halftime.
Besides the score, some things looked good for the Rangers. Luka Nuo played pretty well on both sides of the ball for the Rangers in the first half.
“I think our 11 and 10 personnel went really well,” Nuo said. “We got a lot of long gains and good plays.”
The Rangers received the kick and were looking to turn things around in the second half. However, it did not start well for them, as they came up empty on their first drive. Unity Christian then drove the ball down the field and scored their fifth touchdown of the day, making it 39-13. The Rangers received the kick and drove down the field. Blake Teliczan dropped back and found Finn Brunink in the end zone for the Ranger touchdown, cutting the Crusader lead to 39-20. On the last play of the game, the Rangers stopped Unity Christian from another touchdown.
Dane King had a few catches toward the end and made some great tackles for the team. The Rangers look to bounce back and win next week’s game. It is all about what happens in this week’s practice and what the team can do to improve.
“Ball knowledge,” said King. “We struggled with reading their offense and run formation, along with aggression. We struggled to finish tackles once we had a player wrapped up. But at the end of the day, it is all about resolving those issues so they don’t occur in the next game. Our team has a strong connection, and we just need to learn to seize it to its full potential.”
Being a quarterback comes with a lot of responsibility. They need to throw perfect passes, ensure everyone knows what the play is, and provide leadership. Blake Teliczan does all of that and is a good leader for this Rangers squad.
“It is all about practice, so we have to have a good week of practice and then build from there,” said Teliczan. “We need to have confidence and keep each other up.”
The Rangers will stay at home and face South Christian in their next matchup.
