Prep Football: Rancho Bernardo High ready to collide with San Marcos in Division II semifinal
By Michael Bower
Tristan McCoy was a star linebacker and team captain at Rancho Bernardo High in 1995 — the last time the football program won a San Diego Section championship.
Now, 19 years later, the Broncos are just two wins away from capturing a section crown with McCoy as their head coach.
“He will show us his championship ring sometimes,” said Rancho Bernardo safety/receiver Kameron Calhoun. “He tells us how nice it is to have one and it definitely motivates us.”
But Calhoun and Rancho Bernardo know there is still plenty of work to be done before they can start thinking about ordering a ring like McCoy’s, especially with second-seeded San Marcos standing in the way of the program’s first section title game appearance since 2001.
The No. 3 Broncos will collide with the Knights (10-1) in a San Diego Section Division II semifinal game Friday night at 7 at San Marcos High School.
The winner earns a trip to the section championship game on Dec. 6 at 3:30 p.m. at Southwestern College, where it will face the winner of the other semifinal between No. 1 El Capitan and No. 4 Brawley.
“This season has been really exciting, because in the past we have not had much success and it has just been nice to have a turnaround season and go as deep as we have gone,” said Calhoun, who helped close out the Broncos’ 42-23 win over No. 11 Scripps Ranch in the quarterfinals last week with two interceptions. “We always set goals at the beginning of the season and now we are really close to reaching our final goal of winning (a section title).”
Much has been made about Rancho Bernardo’s turnaround season, going from 2-19 the last two years to 9-2 and a spot in the semifinals for the first time since 2004 after last week’s victory.
The Knights are going to be one of the Broncos’ toughest hurdles yet. San Marcos has a star-studded cast on offense led by senior quarterback James Harwell and receivers Tyler Nix and Johnny McWilliams.
Nix has 50 receptions for 698 yards and seven touchdowns, while the 6-foot-5 McWilliams has 33 catches for 708 yards and 11 touchdowns. The duo will be a tough test for the Broncos’ strong secondary.
“I think it is going to be a good matchup,” Calhoun said. “Our secondary is one of the best and they are one of the best passing offenses. It should be a good show.”
Despite losing senior running back Tyree Range for the season on Oct. 24 (knee), the Broncos have gotten solid production on the ground from junior Anthony Barnum and sophomore Milan Grice. The duo combined for 311 yards and four touchdowns in last week’s win.
Quarterback Tucker Reed struggled a little in the win over Scripps Ranch, but the senior has shown he has the ability to hurt the opposition through the air on a consistent basis down the stretch of the season.
“He will bounce back this week,” said Calhoun of Reed. “He will make sure he is on point and he will get the ball in the hands of our playmakers.”
The Broncos have risen to the challenge all year in tough situations, a vast different from a season ago when they blew several leads late in games. If there is some adversity Friday night, Calhoun has no doubt his team will be ready to fight through it.
“We have been clutch in situations we needed to be and have made big plays to close teams out,” Calhoun said. “We didn’t have that quality last year, but that has changed. This year we just refuse to lose.”