Gainesville's Rucker using tragedy as motivation

GAINESVILLE -- As a kid, Teryan Rucker knew that if he ever strayed from the straight and narrow, his mother Teresa would be there to put him back on the right path.

As a senior star for the No. 1-ranked Gainesville High football team, Rucker says his mom is still leading him every step of the way, even though she is no longer doing it in person.

On New Year’s Day, 2009 Teresa Williams passed away from a blood clot in her lungs -- as her son held her in his arms. And while Rucker will never forget the pain and loss he suffered that day, the Red Elephants starting running back has also striven to find closure and turn that pain into something positive.

“She’s still leading me down the right path,” Rucker said. “It’s different, obviously, but even though I don’t get to see her, I know she’s right here with me all the time. I can never get away from her now. And I’m using it as motivation.”

Teresa Rucker always kept her son first, traveling to watch Teryan play his favorite sport at every level imaginable. And when the games were finished, she was always there to pat him on the back -- and give an honest critique.

“She’d let me know if she thought I had an off day,” Rucker said. “She never missed a game. And playing football the best I can every time I’m on the field is my way of repaying her.”

Certainly no one can argue with what Teryan has accomplished on the field this season.

So far, Gainesville’s starting running back has amassed 1,024 total yards -- 841 rushing -- and 13 total touchdowns, 11 on the ground. In last week’s 63-0 win over Johnson, Rucker had 148 yards rushing on nine carries -- 16.4 yards per carry -- and five total touchdowns, four rushing and one on a 35-yard screen pass.

Needless to say, when the Red Elephants line up against Flowery Branch this Friday in a region title-deciding tilt, the Falcons would be wise to keep an eye on No. 42.

Yet his accolades haven’t just been confined to the gridiron, and Rucker was also named the Boys and Girls Club’s Youth of the Year in Hall County and was first runner-up at the state level, for which he will receive $2,000 toward a college scholarship.

It’s been the kind of season that makes his coaches and teammates smile.

“The more you’re around Teryan, the more you love him,” Gainesville coach Bruce Miller said. “He’s been through a lot. And he’s a great kid. He’s been blessed to have a very strong family around him. And he’s adapted and adjusted very well -- but that’s the only thing you can do when something like that happens.”

Rucker currently lives with his grandmother, Georgie Williams, and aunt, Valerie Williams.

“I grew up in a house full of women,” Rucker said, chuckling. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything though. And I did learn how to cook.”

Neither would he trade his moments on the field, especially this season, as the Red Elephants are putting together the kind of campaign he envisioned even as a sophomore.

“Going into my junior season, I knew we had a team that could go far,” Rucker said. “I looked around and saw all this talent and knew that everybody would be coming back for at least two years. And I knew that when we became juniors and seniors our class could be the one that leads Gainesville to a state title.”

The Red Elephants started to display that to everyone else last season when they went undefeated through the regular season and reached the Class AAA quarterfinals before falling to Carver, Columbus 28-14. Rucker totaled 676 yards on 85 carries in ’08, splitting time with Devon Pierce in the Gainesville backfield.

“After that loss to Carver, we just decided we weren’t going to stop at 13 games this season,” Rucker said. “We want to get to the [Georgia] Dome and be holding up that trophy at the end of it all.

“To do that it all comes down to discipline and staying united as a team.”

As a team captain, Rucker takes a key role in making sure that happens.

“He’s one of our captains,” Miller said. “I can go talk to him about getting things fixed, and he makes sure it happens.”

Rucker’s on-field role has also expanded this season, as the senior has developed into a feature of the Red Elephants’ spread offense -- part of a three-pronged attack also led by quarterback Blake Sims (an Alabama commit) and receiver Tai-ler Jones (a Notre Dame commit). And while Sims, Markece Robertson and Tyson Smith have also gotten plenty of carries, the 5-foot-10, 180-pound Rucker has shouldered most of the load in the backfield, getting 35 more carries than the next highest rusher, as Pierce has struggled with a hamstring injury through much of the season.

And though Gainesville’s wide-open attack ensures that Rucker will never be a 30-carries-a-game player, Miller has no doubt that he would be successful in that mold.

“He’s got that explosive speed and determination that running backs need,” Miller said. “And while he isn’t huge, he’s well built and can take a pounding. He’s really what I would call a slasher. He’s got great vision and can make one cut and get into the secondary.”

With defenses worried about containing Sims and Jones, Rucker’s production has ensured that the Red Elephants haven’t stagnated or relied on just the pass or big runs from the quarterback -- though the running back who is looking at several college programs, including Western Kentucky, Troy and UT-Chattanooga, is quick to point out that Gainesville’s offensive line is just as big a key for a unit that is averaging 47.1 points per game.

“Without them nothing is possible,” Rucker said. “And while we get all the credit, they’re the ones that should be.”

Win again Friday, and the entire team will continue earning the publicity that comes with a 23-game regular-season win streak and second straight Region 7-AAA crown. And while the Red Elephants know they face a tough task in Flowery Branch, Rucker is eagerly awaiting the showdown.

“These are the games that are the most fun,” he said. “You’ve got the two best teams in the subregion going at it... You best believe we’re going to play our best. We’ve been kind of playing mediocre a lot this season. But last week showed we’re on our way.

“Our motivation is to stay home through the playoffs, and to do that we have to win this week. I don’t like traveling.”

After what he’s been through, motivation certainly isn’t an issue for Rucker, and you can rest assured that Teresa Williams’ son will find a way to do his best this Friday and throughout the postseason. After all, that’s what she would expect.