Prep football stars heading north for college

Three local football stars announced on Wednesday their commitments to universities to continue playing ball in the fall of 2020.

Rancho Cotate running back Rasheed Rankin signed his letter of intent to play at Southern Oregon University.

Rankin, a 6-foot-1, ?250-pound grinder, ran for 1,347 yards and 20 touchdowns in his senior season, leading the Cougars to the CIF Division 3-A high school championship game.

Rancho finished 11-4 overall and became the first Rancho Cotate team to compete for a state ?title.

Southern Oregon’s Raiders are in the Frontier Conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. The school is in Ashland.

Rankin’s Cougar teammate, Jack Reese, a 6-2, 165-pound wide receiver and defensive back, will play at Western Oregon University.

Reese was a force on both offense and defense for the Cougars.

St. Vincent’s Gio Antonini, a linebacker and defensive lineman, also signed with Western Oregon on Wednesday.

Antonini, 6-3 and 250 pounds, played three sports at the Petaluma Catholic school.

Western Oregon, in Clackamas, is an NCAA Division II school and part of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. The Wolves went 7-4 last season and shared the GNAC Championship with Central Washington.

St. Vincent’s Rory Morgan has verbally committed to San Diego State University, Associate Athletic Director Gary von Raesfeld said.