Redwood High football wins with 'college' practice
· Yahoo Sports
Curtis Allen may be a high school head football coach, but he runs his program like a college one.
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Why?
Allen, the former College of the Sequoias head coach, brought over his previous coaching experience with him to Redwood High in 2025 when he took over Visalia's biggest high school.
And under Allen, everything starts at practice, especially preparation.
Redwood practices the 2-minute drill every day leading up to the big stage on Friday nights.
That approach was on full display in a 34-29 win over Tulare Union on Oct. 2 at Mineral King Bowl in Visalia.
After Tulare Union star receiver Demaje Riley put Tulare Union ahead 29-28 on a 21-yard touchdown pass to quarterback Kylan Henderson — Riley also ran in the two-point conversion with 6 minutes and 2 seconds left to play in the game — Allen's squad went to work.
Redwood senior quarterback Nash McElree engineered the game-winning 11-play, 76-yard drive that freshman receiver Exavier Jackson capped off with a 33-yard touchdown catch.
That possession ate up 5:35 off the game clock and the Rangers re-grabbed a 34-29 advantage with 27 seconds left in the East Yosemite League showdown.
With 49 seconds left, McElree and the Rangers even overcame a 15-yard personal foul penalty that set up a first-and-25 at the Tulare Union 33-yard line.
On the very next play, McElree lofted his fourth touchdown pass, and the Rangers (6-0, 2-0) held on to win their sixth straight game of the 2026 season.
"That's what we do," Allen said. "We practice this stuff all the time. Two minutes. We practice the drill. We did what we were supposed to do.
"We're a high school team, but we practice like we're in college. We put ourselves through adversity."
The X Factor
McElree has elevated Redwood's quarterback play since his homecoming from Texas.
McElree, who grew up in Visalia, attended Oak Grove Elementary School in northwest Visalia before moving away to Texas in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
His return has helped the Rangers get off to their first 6-0 start since the 2019 season.
In just his third game as a full-time starter, McElree completed 77% of his passes against Tulare Union (2-4, 0-1), hitting 14-of-18 attempts for a career-high 313 yards and four touchdowns.
He fired two touchdown bombs to junior speedster and Division I prospect Jairus Brooks, connecting with the Rangers' star wideout on a 75-yard scoring strike in the first quarter.
That touchdown gave the Rangers a 14-0 lead with 4:13 remaining in the first.
Then in the second period, McElree lofted another deep pass, this time to Brooks for a 61-yard touchdown, giving Redwood a 21-14 lead at halftime.
"Nash did a good job," Allen said. "His feet keep the ball alive. He did what he was supposed to do. It was good."
Drive of the game
McElree was superb on the Rangers' final drive despite facing some adversity.
On third-and-17 at Redwood's own 33-yard line, McElree fired a 17-yard dart to Jackson for a 12-yard gain.
On the very next play, a fourth-and-five, he connected with Brooks for eight yards on a shallow crossing pattern.
That resulted in a first down, and the Rangers were in business.
Three plays later, McElree had another key completion to Brooks for 16 yards. That gave the Rangers a fresh set of downs at the Tulare Union 18.
But on the ensuing snap, the Rangers were flagged for a 15-yard personal foul; however, that moment never got too big for McElree and Co.
Why?
Because of Allen and his staff's preparation and attention to detail leading up to game day.
Did that quell the pressure?
"100%," McElree said. "Coach Allen has us running that all throughout the week, and I think you could tell that by the end of the game, they were gassed, and we were just throwing right at them. They couldn't stop us. It was great.
"It was awesome. I just want to thank my O-line. That was some of the best blocking on a 2-minute drill you could do because I'm trying to get them in the right spots, and their heads are just spinning, and they just did a great job. Coach Jack was great with the play calls. It was super cool. That might have been one of the loudest stadiums I've ever been in at that moment. That touchdown, it was crazy. A surreal moment. It's probably one of the coolest moments of my lifetime."
The big play
All five of Redwood's touchdowns came via the big play and from at least 33 yards or further.
In the opening quarter, running back Qur’An Goodman gave Redwood a 7-0 lead with the game's first touchdown on a 46-yard run. He rushed for a game-high 133 yards on 16 carries.
Brooks' two touchdown catches traveled 75 and 61 yards, respectively.
Jackson found the end zone twice, too, also hitting paydirt on a 44-yard touchdown catch-and-run in the third quarter.
Jackson put the finishing touches on the victory with his game-winning 33-yard touchdown grab.
Brooks was flat-out dominant at receiver, leading all pass catchers with nine catches for 213 yards, averaging nearly 24 yards per catch.
Jackson finished with four receptions for 101 yards.
"That's what happens when you got speed, and you got a big ole' dawg in E.J. and a quarterback who can run and keep the ball alive, keep the ball moving," Allen said. "It was good."
Redwood 34, Tulare Union 29
TU 14 0 7 8 - 29
Redwood 14 7 7 6 - 34
First quarter
R – Qur’An Goodman 46 run (Josgar Guerrero kick), 7:18
R – Jairus Brooks 75 pass from Nash McElree (Guerrero kick), 4:13
TU – Demaje Riley 46 pass from Kylan Henderson (Alex Rodriguez kick), 1:46
TU – Osie Early 1 run (Rodriguez kick), :40
Second quarter
R – Brooks 61 pass from McElree (Guerrero kick), 9:53
Third quarter
TU – Michael Warner 9 pass from Henderson (Rodriguez kick), 1:02
R – Exavier Jackson 44 pass from McElree (Guerrero kick), :51
Fourth quarter
TU – Henderson 21 pass from Riley (Riley run), 6:02
R – Jackson 33 pass from McElree (run failed), :27
Individual statistics
RUSHING – TU: Kylan Henderson 8-22, Dashad Hicks 4-38, Osie Early 13-66, Noah Soto 2-4, Demaje Riley 6-28. Redwood: Qur’An Goodman 16-133, Nash McElree 6-2, Chase Luna 3-23, Adrian Melgar 2-8, Team 1-(minus) 1, Jairus Brooks 1-0.
PASSING – TU: Henderson 10-17-0 198, Riley 3-4-0 64. Redwood: McElree 14-18-1 313.
RECEIVING – TU: Frankee Allen 2-17, Riley 2-79, Jaylon King 1-22, Michael Warner 7-123, Henderson 1-21. Redwood: Brooks 9-213, Exavier Jackson 4-101, Goodman 1-(minus) 1.
Records – TU 2-4, 0-1; Redwood 6-0, 2-0.
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Redwood High football wins with 'college' practice