by Joe Slaninka
Sentinel.com
09-23-2008

Lining up against the opposing scout team wide receiver, with his knees bent and his hands out in front of him in a ready position, he reads the offense to see what they have up their sleeve. His fingers twitch in anticipation of the snap.

The quarterback drops back to pass, he reacts to the receiver, matching him step-for-step. His movements are fluid and graceful. The quarterback throws up a bomb in his direction. As it comes down, he leaps above the sea of players around him, jerking his body like a swordfish at the end of a fisherman's line, knocking the ball to the ground.

It is just another rep in team drills during a Monday practice for Seneca Valley cornerback Joe Rankin, who just two years ago was on a life path to nowhere.

At the time, Rankin attended the Mark Twain School located in Rockville, an alternative school for troubled seventh through 12th grade students.

"I really didn't know what I wanted to do with my life," Rankin says at the top of the hill that he and his teammates just sprinted up and down on during conditioning to close out practice. "I was getting into some trouble outside of school, my grades weren't all that great and I just wasn't on the right track to be successful."

While at the Mark Twain School, Rankin met teacher Mark Smith, founder of the Pro Power Foundation, a non-profit organization that is dedicated to giving the opportunity for a successful start in education and sports to all youth, especially underprivileged youth. Smith took Rankin under his wing six years ago, telling him he had all the potential in the world if he would just focus and take his life seriously.

"Joe is like a son to me," Smith said about his relationship with Rankin. "He was an angry kid coming from a single-parent home who had no father figure directing him down the right path."

The Pro Power Foundation, founded in 2006 by Smith, has a mission to empower youth to realize their potential and goals through involvement in academic supports, mentoring, local athletics, health education, injury prevention programs and participation in their Pro Power Football Camp. Their ultimate goal is to decrease incarceration and gang involvement while increasing high school graduation and college admissions.

"Pro Power Football is a big part of my success in making me a better student-athlete and a better human being," Rankin said. "Mark Smith is a huge part of my life because he was the one who said I could do it, and that I could be something special if I just screw my head on straight and do the right thing. Now everything he said is coming true."

Last year was Rankin's first season ever playing football, and he says he always knew he could play well, but never pictured himself sitting down and talking to different college coaches. "Towards the end of last season a lot of colleges were looking at me and talking to me, and that in itself was a great experience," Rankin said.

Last school year, Rankin won the Maxey Award, which is given out every year at Seneca Valley High School to a student who perseveres to turn their life around for the better. Two years ago he did not take school seriously. He posted flunking grade point averages every quarter. Last year, Rankin earned a 3.57, another 3.57, a 4.0 and a 3.66 GPA in each academic quarter, respectively.

"[Joe] has come a long way," Seneca Valley head football coach Fred Kim said proudly. "People thought he would end up dead or in jail, but now he is on his way in the right direction." According to Kim, Rankin already has a full scholarship offer to play football at Army.

Rankin, a Philadelphia Eagles fan, says he looks up to Deion Sanders and tries to imitate his style of play when he is on the field. "I'm a competitive player and I know I could be a great player some day, but the only person I can be is me," he said.

Undecided on where he wants to play in college, Rankin is just focusing on school and football for right now. "I just love playing football. I love being a team leader, winning games and just making big plays."

Email to a Friend
Printer Friendly Format