READING – After six straight playoff appearances, including two Division 8 state championships in 2018 and 2019, the Reading Rangers and coach Rick Bailey endured their first losing season since 2016. The 2023 season (2-7) was marked by close losses to rivals and a tough non-conference schedule that included a state finalist in Ottawa Lake Whiteford.
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The Reading football team now has a seven-game Big 8 Conference schedule for 2024, and despite facing the White Pigeon in Week 1 to start the year, Reading’s seniors are optimistic they can get the Rangers back in the running for the Big 8 crown.
But how the Rangers will navigate a new-look Big 8 Conference while also facing the Union City Chargers (two-time Big 8 champions) and their rivals in Quincy remains to be seen. However, returning seniors like Skyler Charters, Lukas Strine and Stephen Anderson have made strides over the summer and prepared their teammates, both new and returning, for the challenges ahead.
“It’s going to be a very different (season) than last year,” said Lukas Strine, RB/LB 2025. “We have a lot of linemen coming up and some guys coming back from other schools. What makes this group special is that we have confidence and we like to work hard. We like to work hard. We practice hard, that’s for sure. We don’t take days off. We take extra days, come in on weekends and bring in new stuff (and) new strategies.”
Strine scores the decisive touchdown for Reading Football against Erie-Mason
Reading’s junior Lukas Strine scores the decisive touchdown. Tayshawn Bester scores the 2-point conversion. Reading wins 32-20.
Strine, a unanimous All-Conference linebacker and running back, led the team in tackles and rushing yards last season. Senior Skyler Charters, a sophomore, led the team in interceptions last season with four, tied for the most in the league. Along with senior edge rusher Stephen Anderson, the trio will look to bring last year’s impressive defense back to the field.
“I think we’re all going to improve,” Charters said. “I also think we have a really good team. We’ve put in a lot of work. We’ve had that attitude all season.”
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All three players will play their primary roles on offense, where the Rangers struggled the most last season. The offense only scored more than 30 points twice during the season and didn’t concede a goal in two games, including a 28-0 loss to Union City last season. The biggest question marks for the Rangers in 2024 will involve that side of the football.
The trio of seniors touted their team’s speed and high football IQ, a combination of hard offseason work and implementing new strategies that put players in a position to make plays.
Their road back to the playoffs begins in Week 1. The Rangers face White Pigeon at 7 p.m. on Thursday, August 29. Anderson says the team has been studying tape from the past two seasons to take every advantage possible.
“(We have to) look at the film from our game against them last year and see what mistakes we made,” Anderson said.
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The Rangers have had a budding non-conference rivalry with White Pigeon since 2022. Back then, the Rangers beat them 33-14 to start the season before White Pigeon exacted revenge in the district playoffs. White Pigeon won last year’s opening game 36-14.
One of the key returnees expected to pave the way for a potential Week 1 win is lineman Drew Elder. Elder returns for his senior year after breaking his foot last year, which kept him off the field in 2023. He will be an anchor on the offensive line for Reading as a left tackle.
The team has two sets of twins, the Tuckers and the Charters, who will be playing on the field this season, continuing a family tradition and team unity that the program is known for. Elder spoke of the bonds this year’s team has already formed, which will give them a chance to avenge some of their rivalry losses from last year, with Elder having his own chance to help his team get those wins now that he is eligible to play again.
“We’re all really close friends,” Elder said. “There are no enemies on the team or anything… so we can work together. We all want the same thing, wins and everything.”
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There were certainly a few losses last season that the Rangers would like to make up for, but none were as devastating as their rivalry loss to Quincy in Week 2 in an 18-12 final. The leadership team has set the Battle for the Bell as their must-win game this year.
This small series of rivalry games from Weeks 2-4 includes Union City and Bronson. Later in the season, the Rangers will face three newcomers to the conference: Stockbridge, Maple Valley and Sand Creek. There are still plenty of opportunities for the 2024 Rangers to realize their goals and bring the Big 8 crown back to Reading High School.
