Day 61: RB from the OC

Ray Rangel takes the carry (COURTESY: Columbia Athletics)


Ray Rangel '10

The enormous improvement in Columbia's running attack last year, not just compared to 2007 but compared to the many seasons beforehand, was truly a group effort.

The great running stats for QB's Millie Olawale and Shane Kelly, may leave people forgetting how much rising senior Ray Rangel helped the team and has improved since his freshman year.

Looking at Rangel's stats doesn't really tell much of the story, but he did improve to 329 yards rushing last season and posted a 3.6 yards per carry average, up slightly from 2007.

Ray stood out in a few goaline situations, where he found a way to squeeze through the little holes and get scores. He scored the first TD's in both of Columbia's two wins against Dartmouth and 2008. Also against Dartmouth, he put together a great run after a short dump-off pass to ice the game late in the fourth quarter.

All this from a 5-9 , 180 pound guy whose first love was playing hockey not far from the Duck Pond in Anaheim.

Ray came to Columbia in 2006 after his Servite High School team won a tough conference championship his senior season.

I don't know who, if anyone, will be the featured back in the Columbia offense this season. It could be a more spread-out team effort again this season. But Rangel has already contributed a lot to the team in his three seasons and I would not be surprised to see him back in the mix in 2009.