Blake Rankin is a throwback athlete. The Rutgers University-bound Bloomsburg High School quarterback is 6-4, 205, and not just a strong arm. In track, he does a somewhat rare double - javelin and high jump.
It's not enough that he has thrown for 775 yards and six touchdowns for the 4-0 Panthers. He's also their leading runner, with 362 yards and 10 touchdowns.
So when the unbeaten Panthers host unbeaten Southern Columbia (5-0) tonight at Bloomsburg University's Redman Stadium, there's no doubt what player will be on the Tigers' minds 95 percent of the time.
"At the level he's going to play at, the things he does are one thing," says Southern head coach Jim Roth. "But within the level he's playing at now, he does things extremely well. He makes decisions real well, he has some poise, he keeps his focus downfield and he's a more than capable runner.
"They're not an option team by any means, but they have designed runs for him within their system, which says a lot for him on top of being a 6-4 kid with a rife for an arm."
Roth says Rankin's agility and athletic ability are the biggest reason why he was offered a Division I scholarship.
"They look for guys that can move, who have agility and athletic ability on top of their size and being able to throw the ball."
Facing Rankin this week will be quite a test for Southern's secondary, which was burned for several big plays in last week's 29-28 win over Lewisburg.
"We've been kind of up and down in that area," Roth says. "Some of has been a result of what other teams have had to do at times. We gave up a couple of long passes that were an element of surprise, especially when Lewisburg was coming back. It's an area we have to be more consistent with.
"We played better against the run though, especially considering the kind of ability they (Lewisburg) have."
Some of it has been a result of what others teams had to do at times.
Rankin's favorite receiver is junior John Klingerman, a 5-9, 175-pound speedster who has caught 17 passes for 343 yards and two touchdowns. Another receiver, Tanner Thrush, has 14 catches for 242 yards.
"Klingerman is a good kid," says Roth. "We lost to him when he was a freshman because we didn't know much about him. He's not the biggest kid but he's just a very good receiver. He runs good routes, he catches the ball and he makes good moves after he catches the ball."
"It's no secret that they're going to come out and throw. We have to get good pressure on him and disrupt their timing and flow."