On Friday, October 30th, the Rangers will take on the school down the street in the 71st annual Cowhide, looking to keep the Hide home. Three players share their thoughts and preparation heading into this game.
By Aliyana Olivera and Kaylee Oregon
The Rangers have won the past two Cowhides; they look to add on another.
Quarterback Nash McElree ’27 and the team have been preparing for the game by simply practicing very hard and watching film.
This year is McElree’s first year playing in a Cowhide game, so he is not familiar with the tradition of Cowhide, though he has heard that it is going to be fun.
McElree believes he needs to work on “My communication with my receivers and my o-lineman. We’ve had some miscommunication issues that are primarily my fault and no one else’s.”
Wide receiver and free safety Jairus Brooks ‘28 is preparing for Cowhide like it is any other game; he will not let the crowd get to him.
Brooks said that the team has a good amount of great players, though the team needs to learn to play as a team in general; they have to practice to improve.
Brooks shares how he thinks he’s done as a player and a team in the season, “As an individual player, I’ve done good things; I’ve gotten ahead of my stats from last year, but on a team I just do my part, making sure everyone is doing their part and making sure that we’re all working as a team.”`
For cornerback Nathan Gonzalez ‘27, it is hard to prepare for Cowhide as he has been doing it for a while. The rallies and weekly build-up are fun; Gonzalez is excited for his last one.
“Knowing that this is the last game before playoffs is Scary because I feel like the season is coming to an end. Realistically, if we go far and make the playoffs, we could have five more games. This feels like the end of one of the season’s chapters. The next part will be fun,” said Gonzalez.
Knowing that this is his last Cowhide is also “Kind of scary because I’ve been on Varsity since my sophomore year. I feel like emotions and how packed it’s going to be are going to be crazy. I’m excited to experience it all over again, and I’m excited for the whole day.”
Aliyana Olivera
Aliyana Olivera '30 is a sportswriter and is entering her first year with the Redwood Gigantea. She enjoys being around a new environment every couple days. You can reach her at @[email protected]
kaylee Oregon
Kaylee Oregon ´ 29 is a sports writer for the Redwood Gigantea, she enjoys getting to know new people and learning different athlete's perspectives.
Tags: cowhide '26, redwood athletes, redwood athletics, redwood football, sports, visalia ca
