Two-thirds of Anoka’s terrific running back trifecta, Ryan Rand and Josh Werness, played key roles in the team’s 34-27 comeback victory against Centennial.
Playing to their strengths and playing well off each other, Rand and Werness kept the Cougars in pursuit or on their backs throughout the game.
Rand put Anoka (4-1) ahead 7-0 in a manner befitting his breakaway ability. He caught two passes from Cole Boughner on the opening drive. The first went for 28 yards into Centennial’s side of the field. The second was a 44-yard touchdown.
Rand 7, Centennial 0.
Then Centennial’s offense got rolling, scoring 20 consecutive points within the game’s first 12 minutes.
Rand, a 5-10, 165-pound bottle rocket, struck next. Taking an inside handoff, he ran left down the line of scrimmage as if it were a balance beam. And then he was gone. A burst of speed carried Rand 41 yards to the end zone and cut Centennial’s lead to 20-14.
After Centennial’s failed fourth-down pass attempt late in the first half, Boughner and Rand got creative in jump-starting the drive. Rolling to his right, Boughner looped back toward the middle of the field, saw Rand on the far side and fired. Rand scooted 33 yards to the Cougars’ 29-yard line.
“I was supposed to be blocking but then I saw Cole run back across the field,” Rand said. “He and I have really good chemistry. We’ve been playing together as quarterback and running back for about eight years now.”
The duo executed a precision curl pattern in the end zone and Anoka led 21-20 at halftime.
The Tornadoes extended their lead in the third quarter as Werness battered his way through the Cougars’ defense and turned a 4th-and-4 into a 17-yard touchdown.
Werness, a 205-pound fullback, helped close out the game by gaining 22 yards on a 3rd-and-5 in the fourth quarter. Boughner later scored from close range to give Anoka a 34-20 lead.
“The whole first half they were just trying to shut down Josh,” Rand said. “That’s what opened up things for me on the edges. We knew they weren’t going shut him down the whole game, though.”
Centennial coach Mike Diggins concurred.
“Our defense played tough but when you’re on the field the whole time you wear down,” Diggins said. “And No. 32 is tough to bring down.”