Prepared For Next Test: Central’s Steven Ranel has Been Driving Force on Undefeated Team
by: William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor
Central’s Steven Ranel loves a good challenge.
Try picking apart his game, tell him something unflattering about his play, and the senior cornerback will respond accordingly.
He’ll take his game to another level which the 6-foot-2, 190-pound Ranel has done this season in helping Central to a 5-0 start and No. 10 ranking in both the GeauxPreps Top 10 and LSWA statewide rankings in Class 5A. The Wildcats host Woodlawn (2-3) in Friday’s District 4-5A opener at 7 p.m.
“I have a lot to prove to people who say that I can’t do certain things,” said Ranel, who has made 12 tackles and defended a team-high five passes. “People questioned my speed, so I went out and ran a 4.5 (at UL-Lafayette) camp. I’m proving to myself that I can do these things. I’m also proving other people wrong, that think I can’t do this or that. It’s like a chip on my shoulder to prove to people who said I couldn’t do something.”
Some of the questions that have served as motivating factors for Ranel have originated from college coaches. When they’ve wondered whether one of the Baton Rouge area’s top cover corners could also play safety and exhibit more physicality, he’s taken the perceived slight and incorporated it into his game.
“It’s nothing personal because it’s helping me,” he said.
Ranel has already compiled scholarship offers from 10 schools but continues to hear from larger Division I schools that are interested in seeing him play safety.
Houston, which already has a commitment from Central defensive end DK Mays, is one such school expressing interest in Ranel playing safety along with Tulane, UL-Lafayette, and Miami, the latter of which is scheduled to dispatch defensive coordinator and Louisiana native Lance Guidry to Friday’s game.
The Hurricanes were a childhood favorite of Ranel who grew up in Alexandria before his move to Central in the fourth grade.
“I’ll play wherever they need me to play,” Ranel said of the collegiate level.
When Tulane made its pitch to Ranel, he answered the following week in the team’s 31-6 victory over Denham Springs with a bone-jarring tackle on a receiver following a short completion. Three weeks ago, facing one of the state’s top athletes in Cecilia’s Diesel Solari, Ranel tracked him down on the run and dropped the elusive quarterback on an impressive open-field tackle.
“We’re seeing him play his most intense football, him playing with his best energy, as we’re moving into our district season,” Central football coach David Simoneaux Jr. “There were times where his energy was waning with the amount he was playing. He’ll bust a long kickoff and then have go to defend against three straight go-balls. You can see he’s caught up with playing more, in all three phases, and it’s been good to see his energy, and his mentality just continue to rise and be at its highest point as we’re entering our most competitive phase.”
Moving from Offense to Defense
Ranel was like most kids growing up with a dream to one day be in the NFL. In his mind, he would bypass college with a straight path to some of the more iconic football stadiums to live out his fantasy.
“As a little kid you don’t think about college, you’re thinking about the NFL,” he said. “As you get older, you realize you have to go to college to go to the NFL. So, once I started seeing that I could go to college, it’s been up since then. I pray to God every night,”
Ranel was a wide receiver during his playing days in the Alexandria youth leagues until his family moved to Central in the fourth grade and began a new athletic journey. By the time he reached middle school, coach Chance Atkins (his current position coach at Central High) decided to move him to cornerback in the eighth grade, creating a new path to the field.
The only problem was that the position change was going to take some getting used to.
“When I first started, I was playing with my butt to the sideline and running straight back,” Ranel said with a laugh. “I didn’t know anything. Now that I’ve seen the progression through the years, I thank him for moving me now.
“I love stopping people that the quarterback wants to throw to,” Ranel said. “When I was at receiver, I didn’t really get the ball. That’s my whole purpose behind it.”
Ranel’s eyes were opened during his time when Central’s three-star safety prospect De’Veawn Armstead, who picked off six passes during his senior year signed a scholarship with TCU. He’s subsequently transferred to Sam Houston where he’s a redshirt junior.
“I knew I go to D1 from Central,” Ranel said after watching Armstead’s path. “My training coach (Ken) Anio helped get me right and it became a thing where I wanted to get offers and get to college.
“My team comes first,” Ranel said. “The recruiting is a plus, but we’re trying to win state. It’s really easy to balance. As we win, the personal stuff will come. Team success comes first, and the personal success will follow.”
McNeese State was the first school to offer a scholarship to Ranel. UL-Lafayette, UL-Monroe, and Louisiana Tech are three more in-state Division I schools that have followed suit along with Arkansas State and South Alabama.
Could Houston, Tulane, and Miami follow?
“In terms of his coverage skills, his ceiling is limitless,” Simoneaux said. “He’s got length, strength, and physicality and that’s an elite combination.”
A Big Part of a Program on the Rise
Ranel earned first-team all-district honors in 2023 under defensive coordinator Anthony Camp, further developing his skills in his second season as a starter. Central went 7-3 during the regular season and caught fire during the postseason, upsetting No. 15 East St. John (43-15) on the road and No. 2 Neville (17-16) in Monroe to reach the state quarterfinals.
A 21-20 setback at No. 7 Dutchtown in the Division I non-select bracket did little to diminish the upward trajectory of the program under Simoneaux. It signaled a bright future where the Wildcats have won their last seven regular-season games.
One of his more impactful performances last season transpired in Central’s district showdown with Zachary, the eventual state runner-up to Ruston. The Broncos featured one of the nation’s foremost offensive weapons in 6-foot-7 tight end/wide receiver Trey’Dez Green who signed with LSU.
Central hadn’t witnessed many defensive teams getting up to press the 245-pound Green at the line of scrimmage, a task they handed to Ranel in a 35-28 defeat to the Broncos.
Green, against zone coverage, beat Central on an 87-yard catch for a touchdown but outside of that highlight, made two receptions for 18 yards against Ranel.
“He was locked up with him all night long and did a good job,” Simoneaux said of Ranel who recorded three interceptions in the playoff win over East St. John. “They were trying to go to him (Green) as everybody would. He just got physical with him at the line of scrimmage.”
Simoneaux added what he believed was a key piece to his coaching staff in March to continue Central’s growth in the secondary that also included Blaysen Stoken, a two-year starter at the corner opposite of Ranel.
Korey Lindsey, a former head coach at Liberty Magnet, brought plenty of credentials to gain instant credibility with the group of safeties he would work with. A former standout at Scotlandville, Lindsey was a four-starter at Southern Illinois where he’s being inducted this weekend into the school’s Hall of Fame.
Lindsey was drafted in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. He also played for the Arizona Cardinals, New Orleans Saints, and Dallas Cowboys before embarking on a high school coaching career.
“He’s been very receptive,” Lindsey said of Ranel. “He’s allowed me to coach him. He’s a very coachable kid. Some kids that have talent can shut you out. Stevan’s completely opposite. He’s a warm kid. He asks for insight and actually takes it and applies it. He loves the challenge I give him day to day, week to week. He doesn’t back down from it.
“I told him he’s going to meet a lot of (college) coaches that are going to challenge him,” Lindsey said. “I told him to be open to doing more than what he’s doing. I’ve seen him become a better all-around player, better punt returner, better kickoff returner. I let him know I did those things, too and those things go into the player he ultimately wants to be.”
Expanding his Game
Simoneaux decided to test Ranel going into his final season. To drive home his point, he found footage of former Dunham standout Derek Stingley Jr., now of the Houston Texans, who also showed his worth to his high school team on offense and special teams.
“He was affecting so many areas of the football game,” Simoneaux said of Stingley, who starred at LSU before being a first-round draft pick at cornerback. “That’s what Steve’s leaned into this year. He’s accepted his role that, ‘I can change a game in more than just one facet’. There’s a lot of good defensive backs in this district. There has to be some personal pride when it comes to getting on that all-district and all-state team.”
When an auto accident sidelined three of Central’s starters for the season opener at De La Salle, Ranel rotated on offense at wide receiver and scored the Panthers’ first touchdown of the game – an 8-yard sweep on fourth-and-one in the fourth quarter for a 7-0 lead in a game they ultimately won, 14-3.
Ranel’s also caught a pair of touchdown passes from the wide receiver position.
“One of his goals is to play in the SEC or play at the highest level of college football,” Simoneaux said. “We’ve challenged him about guys like Derek Stingley. This is what his high school highlights were like. He was returning a punt for a touchdown; he was picking a football off and coming to knock the heck out of a running back and then he was catching a seam ball for a touchdown.”
For the first time in his career, Ranel’s become a weapon on special teams where he’s averaged 22.3 yards on seven punt returns with a long of 53 yards. He’s also averaged 30 yards per kickoff return with a long of 42 yards.
He credited Lindsey with learning the intricacies of becoming a good punt returner who can effectively change field position in his team’s favor.
“Coach Lindsey was back there in high school and college, he walked me through it,” Ranel said. “He knows I’m an athlete and can make those decisions. It’s what you’re doing before you catch the ball, how you see the field, and what to do. I wanted to show my athleticism. I want to show that I’m a big-play guy that can change a game on any play. I want to do it all since it’s my senior year. I’ve got to do it all for the team.”
Central begins the most important part of its schedule led by a defense allowing 9.4 points per game. The Wildcats have allowed a touchdown or less in three games, including a shutout of Cecilia three weeks ago.
The two Mays twins – KD and DK – get their share of credit for creating havoc with their pass rush, but it’s been a byproduct of that pressure which have brought smiles to the faces of Ranel and Stoken.
“It’s a dream,” Ranel said “I’m only covering for like two or three seconds. I love my d-line.”
Lindsey believes Ranel has the characteristics to reach the collegiate level. His footwork is an added bonus for a larger corner, he says, but it has been Ranel’s athleticism that sets him apart.
“Some corners that big rely on their arms and body frame,” he said. “Stevan can move his feet and really run. As he moves up, he’ll be able to play either safety or corner. I’ve told him that his ability to cover allows him to have more success as he moves up. If you come in ready to cover, that allows you to have a step up on your peers and your competition. I’ve told him he’s got everything it takes; he just has to stay healthy.”
Ranel is a bit of a jokester when it comes to trying to keep the mood light with teammates. It’s not uncommon for him to laugh and crack jokes and keep everyone loose so they can play with great energy.
He also provides a veteran presence in the secondary along with Stoken that allows the secondary to complete the Wildcats’ defense.
“Our whole defense has grown together as a team,” Ranel said, “and we’re playing well.”