Familiar Foes Get Rematch

One of the more intriguing first-round matchups in the Southern Section Division VII playoffs figures to be Troy and Rancho Alamitos, but Troy Coach John Turek wasn’t exactly clamoring for it.

“I understand where (the Southern Section) is coming from,” he said. “It’s an interesting matchup, and it’s a money-maker. But sometimes it’s kind of fun to play a team you’ve never played before.”

And sometimes it’s nice to play a team that has never defeated you. Turek figured the Southern Section owed his team that much since they did win the league title.

“I’m a little disappointed we weren’t seeded,” he said. “We had a better record than (third-seeded) Lompoc and we beat the defending champions (Sunny Hills) in our last game.”

However, Troy still will have to face Rancho Alamitos, which beat Troy, 27-17, in the season opener.

Neither coach put much credence in the teams’ first meeting.

“I don’t see it meaning much of anything,” Rancho Alamitos Coach Doug Case said.

Turek said: “We were a pretty young team offensively. We’ve made a number of personnel changes. We’re executing a lot better than we were then.”

The Warriors have lost only once and tied once since losing to Rancho Alamitos. The Vaqueros went into a slide after their victory over Troy, losing two and tying one in their next three games. But since then, Rancho Alamitos has won five of six games.

The difference?

Case points to the change he made at tailback, where he moved Kevin Allen to the slot and inserted Moukda Choulamany, who had a bruised kneecap during the first half of the season.

Choulamany, who runs a 4.5 40-yard dash, has rushed for 756 yards and has averaged 7.1 yards a carry since becoming the starter. His running has been aided by the play of sophomore quarterback John Frank, who has thrown for 16 touchdowns, 1,365 yards with eight interceptions.

Before Case arrived, all Rancho Alamitos and former Coach Mark Miller did was run. Case said it took some time to convince his team they could be successful with the pass.

“They just wanted to run the ball every chance they got,” Case said. “I said, ‘Give it time.’ Now they feel real good about their abilities to pass.”

So good that they have Turek concerned.

“Defensively, we have to eliminate the big play,” Turek said. “They have that capability with their speed on the outside.”

Many of Turek’s big plays have come from receiver/safety Nick Ruzzi, who leads the county in yards per catch at 21.2 and has scored 11 touchdowns in his 34 receptions.

Case said knows all about Ruzzi and everyone on Troy’s roster.

“We both know what each other will do,” he said. “There probably won’t be many surprises.”