By Ronnie Gallagher
rgallagher@salisburypost.com
How big is Salisbury’s Kiontae Rankin? Listen to stand-up comedian Joe Pinyan.
n On how much Rankin weighs:
“We tried to weigh him back during physicals. He got on the scale and it said, ‘Ouch.’ ”
n On the size of his uniform?
“Our biggest problem is finding pants big enough for him. We’ve got’ em, but me and you would have to wear them together.”
n On why he is so much larger than brother ó and teammate ó Darien.
“He doesn’t let Darien near the table.”
Here’s a couple more:
– Rankin’s so big that when he goes swimming, he leaves a ring around the lake.
– Rankin’s so big that if he wears a watch on each arm, he covers two time zones.
Those aren’t Pinyan lines. They’re from the Rodney Dangerfield collection. But you get the idea. Rankin is a talented big man playing a big role in Salisbury’s 3-2 start.
While the Hornets playfully motivate Rankin by picking with him about his size, Pinyan quickly notes he is much more than someone filling out a uniform.
“Kiontae isn’t just a big kid getting in the way,” Pinyan says, getting serious. “He’s not just occupying space. He’s a football player.”
And a good one, as Salisbury’s last two foes, West Rowan and North Rowan, will attest. Rankin had nine tackles in each game.
During a 51-12 pasting of North Rowan on Friday, he added a caused fumble, a sack and three hits for losses.
Teammates like Ike Whitaker push him in the weight room. The coaches push him, always bringing up the opposing center.
It works.
Rankin has been seen running sprints after practice. In fact, assistant Jonathan Oliphant challenged Rankin, saying he’d run with him.
“Coach Oliphant always finds something else to do,” chuckled defensive coordinator Ryan Crowder.
And why is that?
“I might be faster than him,” the soft-spoken Rankin said with a smile.
Asked his role as nose guard, Rankin said, “Just clog up the middle and make a big mess out of everything.”
Pinyan remembers two plays in particular during the 14-7 loss to West. One was when he laid on top of K.P. Parks after a tackle.
“I’m sure K.P. didn’t like that,” Pinyan said.
The other was when Rankin and quarterback B.J. Sherrill went for a fumble. Sherrill pounced on the ball. Rankin pounced on Sherrill.
“I’m sure that didn’t feel too good to B.J,” Pinyan said.
Rankin kept it up against North.
“They were cutting me most of the game,” he said. “I should’ve been prepared for it. I still did my job.”
Pinyan is noticing the tactics against Rankin: Chops, double-teams, high-low blocking, being held.
“You’re not going to move a guy that big,” Pinyan said. “One way to neutralize him is to do something illegal. He’s right in the middle where a lot of things happen to him. But he keeps playing hard.”
Crowder said Rankin’s size helps his teammates.
“He’s taking up two, three blockers,” Crowder said. “If other teams are using that many, there’s several guys running unblocked. He frees up the linebackers to make a lot more plays.”
Crowder said a photo in last year’s Post of Rankin returning an interception says it all.
“That might be the biggest set of thighs I’ve ever seen,” he marveled.
Pinyan set the record straight.
“He’s not an overweight kid,” Pinyan said. “It’s just that his legs are so huge. To be his size and play like he does, people respect him. The kid has athletic ability and he can play.”
And that’s no joke.