It is safe to say 2010 was “the year of the quarterback” across the District 4 AA landscape. Consider that Towanda produced 1,000/1,000 quarterback Cody Miller; Danville’s Andrew Andreychik threw 32 touchdown passes; Lewisburg’s Camden Cassels helped lead the Dragons to a school-record 14 wins.
But don’t forget about the Bloomsburg Panthers. They have Division-1 prospect Blake Rankin situated at the helm of their offense.
According to Scout.com, Rankin holds a verbal scholarship offer from Rutgers and interest from numerous other programs, including Akron, Bowling Green, Connecticut, Maryland, North Carolina State, Penn State and Pittsburgh.
Rankin has been a three-year varsity starter at quarterback for the Panthers, and he enjoyed successful freshman and sophomore seasons, throwing for more than 1,500 yards each year.
But he really exploded in his junior season, not only showing off his ability to pass, but also as a runner. Rankin completed 96-of-188 passes (51 percent) for 1,580 yards and 16 touchdowns against three interceptions and ran for 981 yards and 17 touchdowns on 127 carries, averaging 7.7 yards per carry.
Bloomsburg finished 8-3 overall in 2010, falling in the opening round of the District 4 AA playoffs to eventual District champion Lewisburg, 21-20. Rankin directed a Panther team that averaged 38.1 points per game.
Bloomsburg’s 419 total points scored in 2010 is believed to be the second-highest season scoring output in school history, trailing only the 2007 Eastern Finalist team that scored 446 points and finished 13-2 overall.
