Despite facing teams with more experience and size, the Rangers have yet to let up, no matter the extent of the beating they have taken.
The Taylor Ducks got their shot at the first-year varsity program Friday and they took full advantage, pinning a 49-0 loss on the Rangers at Memorial Stadium in District 24-3A action.
The Ducks (3-4, 1-2) got 223 rushing yards and four touchdowns from Tristan Meyer, the district's leading rusher, while handing the Rangers (0-6, 0-4) their sixth consecutive loss.
"This is hard, this is hard on anybody," Rudder head coach C.M. Pier said. "I am proud of them for the fact that they keep coming back."
The Rangers put up a solid fight in the first quarter after giving up a score on the game's opening possession, which took only five plays to cover 86 yards. Meyer capped the drive by scooting in from 2 yards out.
Rudder tried to answer, but as was the story for most of the first half, the Rangers' offense bogged down once it reached midfield and was forced to punt the ball away.
"They run a little different set defensively," Pier said of the Ducks. "It gave us some problems in there."
Taylor added to its lead by scoring three of the next four times it touched the ball. Meyer scored on runs of 11 and 5 yards, and quarterback Rick Cobia hooked up with Seth Samuelson on a 64-yard scoring pass.
The only time the Ducks failed to score in the first half was when they fumbled and Rudder's Kelvin Caldwell recovered.
The second half was much of the same, as Taylor's size advantage seemed to take a toll on the Rangers on the offensive and defensive lines.
"Down there [the lines of scrimmage] is where the biggest difference is," Pier said. "If you run a 4.5 [second 40-yard dash] and I run a 4.5, it doesn't matter what our age is, if you can run you can run. But if you bench press 300 [pounds] and I bench press 200, there is a difference."
Meyer added another rushing touchdown in the first two minutes of the second half and quarterback Rick Cobia threw a couple more touchdown passes.
The Rangers did have several nice plays in the second half, including runs by quarterback Tre Hammond, who finished with 71 yards on 17 carries. He also passed for 73 yards, including a 34-yarder to Michael Jones, who had two catches for 40 yards.
The Rangers return to Merrill Green Stadium next Friday for their final home game of the season, against the Cameron Yoemen.