Morgan Park’s Nasir Rankin is one of the top juniors in Illinois on the basketball court.
Over the last few months, however, the 6-foot-1, 185-pound receiver has become an even hotter commodity on the football recruiting trail, picking up offers from 13 Division I schools — including Illinois, Northwestern, Iowa and Wisconsin — and hearing from several other powerhouses.
So, which sport does Rankin see his future coming in? Stay tuned.
“Right now, I don’t really have a favorite sport between the two,” Rankin said. “I’m just taking it day by day. I’m only a junior so I’ve got time. I’m just trying to take it all in.
“I’ve been playing both sports since I was 4 or 5 years old and I really love both.”
Rankin showed off his explosive athleticism again Saturday night, hauling in five catches for 104 yards and a touchdown to lead the host Mustangs to a 34-0 victory over Tinley Park in a Class 5A first-round playoff game at Gately Stadium in Chicago.
Marcus Thaxton completed 10 of 16 passes for 203 yards and four TDs for top-seeded Morgan Park (9-1). Pierre Jackson Jr. had TD catches of 21 and 14 yards, while Geordan Pettie led the defense with three sacks and Quince Shearer came up with a fumble recovery.
The Mustangs’ second-round game will be on the road at ninth-seeded Metamora (7-3), which beat eighth-seeded Centralia 23-9.
Keoni George ran for 87 yards on 22 carries and Noah Swaw picked up a fumble recovery for 16th-seeded Tinley Park (5-5).
Rankin is in his first year at Morgan Park after transferring from Whitney Young. He said he’s found what he was looking for with the Mustangs.
“I was expecting to find a family and an explosive offense, and it’s definitely been what I expected,” Rankin said. “We just work and keep getting better every day.”
Rankin caught a 40-yard TD pass from Thaxton on the third play of the game Saturday. That was just the latest example of how the duo has developed strong chemistry.
“Me and Marcus have connected really well ever since I got here,” Rankin said. “We worked all summer together. There was a lot on the side, too, just me and him.”
Jackson, a senior wideout, is glad to have Rankin as a part of the Mustangs’ receiving core.
“It’s very exciting seeing him on the field,” Jackson said. “Whenever he touches the ball, it’s going to be a positive gain, 10-plus yards. I know he’s going to make a play when it needs to be made.”
Jackson came through with a huge play with 54 seconds left in the first half when he hauled in a 14-yard TD catch on fourth-and-nine, helping the Mustangs extend their lead to 14-0.
He added a second TD catch in the fourth quarter.
“We’ve got weapons on every single part of the field, from the O-line to the running backs, quarterbacks and receivers,” Jackson said. “That makes it tough to stop us.”
Tinley Park did its best to keep all those weapons on the sideline, putting together two long drives in the first half, the first one burning 10:50 off the clock.
But Morgan Park’s defense did not relent, bearing down in the red zone both times.
“I promise you, we weren’t worried at all,” Pettie said. “We condition, we run all day. We were prepared for that, and we knew that once our offense got on the field, they were going to execute.”
Morgan Park coach Chris James knows his offense does not need much time to score, especially with Rankin on the field.
“The first thing about him is he’s been really coachable since he got here,” James said of Rankin. “He knows how to play football. He’s been playing forever. We’re just teaching him the game.
“He’s got elite ability so you just allow him to be him. You don’t put a leash on a dog.”
