Football: Rangel leads Bronchos in many ways

There are two kinds of leaders on any football team, those who lead by example and those who are vocal in their guidance.

Last Friday against Midland High, defensive end Dejion Rangel of the Odessa High football team became both.

Disappointed with the way the defensive unit was playing against the Bulldogs, Rangel gave an impassioned speech at halftime about what needed to be done — and then went out and backed up his words, sacking Midland High quarterback Jack Bolger on a fourth-down play to preserve the Bronchos’ 28-21 victory and first undisputed district crown since 1964.

“I really needed to step up after the speech,” Rangel said. “I couldn’t let me teammates down and we needed to play better as a unit.

“We let them get some confidence and hang around in the first half, when we should have been taking control and crushing their spirit. We need to come out faster and take the game over quicker on defense.”

Rangel and his fellow defenders will have their work cut out for them at 7:30 tonight as OHS travels to face Midland Lee in the regular-season finale for both teams, with the Rebels still fighting for a playoff berth.

Still, as aggressive as Midland Lee wants to be on offense, it is going to have to account for Rangel and his ability to make plays all over the field.

Whether rushing the passer, stopping the run, covering a running back out of the backfield or running stride for stride with a tight end running a pass route, the OHS junior uses his athleticism well.

“He certainly does use his athletic ability,” Bronchos coach Ron King said. “He is so much better than he was last year and he has so much room to grow that the sky is the limit; it’s just a matter of how hard Dejion wants to work to make it happen.

“You have to account for him if you are the offensive coordinator because he’s going to disrupt every play. And the way he plays, at 100 percent all the time, rubs off on his teammates and they want to play at the same level, too.”

Rangel isn’t limited to just defensive duties, either, having stepped in on kickoff coverages, as well as punt teams. He’s done his job so well on punt returns, in fact, that twice this season he has made a block that has allowed teammate Gabriel Rodriguez to return kicks for touchdowns.

Those are the moments in each game that Rangel loves, the ones that help the Bronchos on their way to another victory.

Plays that turn followers into leaders.

“We have a lot of leaders on this team and that allows everyone to play more relaxed,” Rangel said. “Last week, I had to step up my play and the rest of the team played better in the second half and we were able to win the game.

“We feed off each other, with big hits or turnovers and we feed off the offense, watching them score and then wanting to get them the ball back as quickly as possible to watch them again. It’s has been a good season so far, but we still have a lot of work left to do and need to work harder.”

Spoken like a true leader.

>> DISTRICT 2-5A PLAYOFF SCENARIO

Clinched: Odessa High, Amarillo High, Permian.

Permian wins, Odessa High wins: Lee qualifies.

Permian wins, Lee wins: Lee qualifies.

Midland High wins, Odessa High wins: Midland High qualifies.

Midland High wins, Lee wins: Midland High qualifies.

Bottom line: A Midland High victory eliminates Lee; or Midland High is eliminated with a loss.

>> ODESSA HIGH AT MIDLAND LEE

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday

Where: Grande Communications Stadium, 801 N. Loop 250 W, Midland.

Records: Odessa High 8-1, 8-0; Midland Lee is 5-4, 5-3.

Last year: Midland Lee 17, Odessa High 14.

Radio: KHKX (99.1-FM).