To paraphrase the old adage, big production comes from small running backs. We’ve seen in the past diminutive tailbacks racking up huge numbers, and over the last two seasons, two have stood out above all others: Grayson’s Ean Pemberton and Westminster’s Ralph David Abernathy IV. Pemberton has graduated and gone on to Austin Peay, but Abernathy is still tearing up the high school gridiron and is looking at BCS conference schools for next season. Abernathy in reality is a few inches taller than Pemberton and runs with just as much heart, if not more, and RDA4 has his team ready to host North Oconee, the No. 3 seed of Region 8-AA.
“It’s been a pretty good season for us at Westminster. We’ve been working hard as a team, trying to get better.” Westminster finished as the regular season 7-3, 5-1 in region play, runner up to Buford after falling to the Wolves last Friday. Now North Oconee and the stout defense offers up quite a challenge for Abernathy as well as the rest of the Wildcats. “Their stunts might post a problem,” said Abernathy of the looks North Oconee will give Westminster.
The Wildcats will have RDA4 however and he has been a load for all of Westminster’s opponents all season long. He has been so much of a load in fact, that several SEC coaches have taken notice of his abilities. Abernathy has received an offer from Ole Miss and has received interest from Tennessee and Georgia. The Rebels were the first school to offer Abernathy and that has helped Ole Miss shoot up to the top of his list.
“Dexter McCluster caught my attention with how Coach (Houston) Nutt used him even though he was an undersized back.” Abernathy was very high on Nutt actually, calling him a great coach. “He’s a great offensive-minded coach. He’s a running backs coach and a straight-forward guy.”
Abernathy would not officially call Ole Miss his “leader” but he did put them at the top of the list later in the interview when discussing Air Force and Cincinnati. RDA4 likes the Bearcat offense in Cincinnati because, “it is the same that we (Westminster) run.” He pegged Air Force as a solid third behind Ole Miss and Cincy.
Despite not having an offer from the Volunteers, Abernathy says he still likes Tennessee because of its atmosphere. “The stadium and the fans are awesome.”
And the home-state Georgia Bulldogs have an in with Abernathy, in that Athens is so close. “They are the state school. It’d be really great if Georgia offered me,” Abernathy gushed. He went on to admit that the Dawgs would be No. 1 if Mark Richt and company offered. Location is one of Abernathy’s most important considerations when deciding and Georgia clearly has that going for it, along with academics. He said it wouldn’t matter if it was as a running back, slot receiver or returner, the positions he says he could play at the next level.
But for now, because it has extended an offer, Ole Miss is his unofficial leader and it is because of Nutt and the coaching staff. “The energy and the excitement and their level of intensity caught my attention,” says Abernathy of Nutt and his staff.
If Ole Miss is able to nab Abernathy’s services for next year, he says the Rebels will be getting a player that handles his business. “I feel like I could step in and be a leader on and off the field; a guy that will try to be the best he can be at his craft.” Don’t discount Abernathy’s size on the outside. His heart is huge and so are his numbers. The man is a giant.
Loading ...
