Holman boosts Rancho to win

Dijon Holman caught 11 passes for 163 yards and a score from his cousin James Cammack to lead the Rancho offense on Friday night.

He also caught two passes thrown by Desert Pines quarterback Dalton Leilua to help the Rams preserve a 21-6 road victory.

With his team nursing a 7-6 lead in the third quarter, Holman caught a 32-yard touchdown pass from Cammack to extend the lead for Rancho (4-3, 3-0 Northeast League).

“It’s just easy,” he said. “My quarterback gave me the ball in good positions with an opportunity to make plays.”

After Cammack connected with Perry Benson on a 65-yard touchdown later in the third quarter, Holman made sure the Jaguars did not get back in the game.

Desert Pines (2-5, 2-2) drove inside the Rams’ 15-yard line in the closing seconds of the third, but Holman intercepted a Leilua pass in the end zone.

After a Rancho punt, Holman halted another Jaguars drive with an interception in the early stages of the fourth quarter.

The Rams won the game despite an inability to run the football.

Cammack completed 17 of 33 passes for 271 yards and three scores, but Rancho was held to just 18 rushing yards.

The lone bright spot in the sluggish performance of the running game was the fact that after rushing for zero yards on seven carries, Zach Foulkrod had 15 yards on three attempts in the final minutes as the Rams tried to run out the clock.

“We haven’t really run the ball well all year,” Rancho coach Elvin Dick said.

The passing game was successful despite the stiff wind that blew throughout the game.

“My receivers are good playmakers, and the wind wasn’t going to stop us,” Cammack said.

He added a 19-yard touchdown pass to Justin Flygare to open the scoring in the second quarter.

Desert Pines answered that score with an 8:13 drive that was capped by a 5-yard scoring run by Leilua. The Jaguars missed the extra point, however, and trailed at the half.

Dennis Scott ran for 99 yards on six carries for Desert Pines. The Jaguars, however, managed just 74 yards of offense in the second half.

The defensive effort was important for a Rancho team that now must prepare for its annual “Bone Game” against Las Vegas with even more than usual at stake.

The teams are tied for the Northeast League lead at 3-0 going into the rivalry game.

“Our defense did great tonight. They did great last week,” Dick said. “They have to play even better next week if we want to beat Las Vegas.”