Cody Rinne, Stratford football, Sr.
On the field: Rinne carried the Elks as a dual threat at quarterback in a 56-21 win over Wink in the Class 2A Division II regional round in Lubbock. He got Stratford going by scoring on runs of 13 and 41 yards to spark the Elks to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. That was just the start of Rinne’s day running the ball, as he finished with 186 yards and four touchdowns on only 13 carries to lead Stratford’s ground attack. In terms of passing attempts, Rinne wasn’t that prolific, but he made the most of things when he did put the ball in the air. He completed 5-of-8 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns to cap a night where the Elks racked up 548 yards of total offense. The quarterback spot may have been a question mark for Stratford entering the season, but Rinne, who has played receiver and also starts at safety, has stepped up behind center and become the leader of the offense. He’s a big reason the Elks are in the state quarterfinal in a Panhandle area matchup against Wellington on Friday at Dick Bivins Stadium.
Coach Matt Lovorn: “Cody is a big-time player who we can count on in big games. His leadership and his effort are great. Somebody like him sets such a great example for the rest of the team. As soon as he got into the program we knew that he would. He’s the kind of player we can put in at a number of spots. Our run game obviously is No. 1 and anytime we can do that with him it sets up our passing game. We’ve had some good passers the last few years and he just sure does a good job complementing the running game. I think what and the other guys do offensively is complement each other as far as where we can put the ball.”
Rinne: “It is extremely important for us to get off to a good start because we’d been slow the past couple of weeks. I didn’t do anything, our line just opened up some big holes I could drive a truck through. We’ve all got our jobs to do and one persone can’t do their job unless we all do. It was definitely one of my better playoff games. I was more than pleased with it. Our run offense has helped me throw the ball extremely well. I have to credit our offensive line and running backs. A lot of the times I threw the ball up there and they just caught it. It’s good to get that momentum in the playoffs. It’s huge. You’ve got look out for everybody because we’ve got so many different weapons.”
About Rinne
Favorite band or musician: Flatland Cavalry
Favorite social media platform: Instagram
Favorite athlete: Brett Favre
Bet you didn’t know: Couldn’t hear when he was born for the first few days of his life.
Parents: Michael and Tammy Rinne
