THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 15, 1995 TAG: 9509150675
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ROBIN BRINKLEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 88 lines
When your uncle is World Boxing Council welterweight champion Sweetpea Whitaker you set your goals a little bit higher.
For Lake Taylor's Ronyell Whitaker, that means becoming one of the best running backs in South Hampton Roads, leading the Titans to the state playoffs and graduating with a 4.0 grade point average.
Whitaker, only a sophomore, is off to a scintillating start. He leads the area with 292 yards rushing and the Titans are 2-0 entering Saturday night's Eastern District showdown against Booker T. Washington at Harbor Park.
Sweetpea Whitaker's sister, Sivonia, is Ronyell's mother, and the family is close. Ronyell has traveled from Europe to Texas to see the fights of ``Uncle Pete,'' as he calls Sweetpea.
He missed the most recent Whitaker title fight, a Aug. 26 unanimous decision over Gary Jacobs, however, because it conflicted with football practice.
``I'm not going to miss practice,'' Ronyell said. ``If I'm sick I'm coming to practice. If my leg hurts, I'm coming to practice.''
That's an attitude passed down from uncle to nephew.
``The best advice Uncle Pete ever gave me,'' Ronyell said, ``was to always give 110 percent. He said a play lasts only five seconds and you ought to be able to give each one your best.''
If he doesn't, Sweetpea will let him know about it.
``He comes to all my games and is the loudest one, next to my mother and grandmother,'' Ronyell said. ``He used to be the biggest Booker T. fan and would come back and tell me Booker T. this and Booker T. that. Now Lake Taylor is his team.''
Lake Taylor may be the perfect place for Whitaker to realize his dreams. The
Titans' veer offense is geared toward the run and of the 13 players in South Hampton Roads to rush for more than 3,000 yards in a career, three are former Titans.
Tony Collins (3,608 yards), Amos Lawrence (3,428) and Dink Hodges (3,106) rank fourth, sixth and 10th respectively, on the area's all-time rushing chart. Of those three, only Collins played as a freshman and he carried once for 5 yards.
Whitaker returned a kickoff 92 yards in his second game last season and rushed for 421 yards in 70 carries on the year. Two games into 1995, he has 713 career rushing yards and is averaging 6.4 yards per carry.
``Ronyell doesn't have blazing speed, but he has great balance and an innate sense of what's going on around him,'' Lake Taylor coach Bert Harrell said. ``He has a chance to be one of the best running backs we've ever had.''
Whitaker's instincts were never more in evidence than on a 75-yard touchdown run against Salem two weeks ago.
The play was a sprint draw and Whitaker took the handoff right up the middle. He broke a tackle just across the line of scrimmage, veered right and faked out the cornerback, got a brush block on the safety from tight end Darnell Whitaker (no relation) and outraced the pursuit down the sideline.
Harrell recognized that ability in Whitaker before he knew his name.
``Ronyell showed up two summers ago at our passing league and I'd never seen him,'' Harrell said. ``But we didn't have enough players so we put him in. I told Andy Anderson (one of his assistant coaches) then that Ronyell did things you don't teach.''
Football has always been Whitaker's favorite sport, but it was only natural that he give boxing a try.
``I saw all the fame and all the money so I asked Uncle Pete to give me some gloves,'' he said. ``I got hit a couple of times and said I can't do that. Now I do all my hitting with pads on.''
His uncle is still generous, but the gifts aren't boxing gloves. ``When I have a good game he takes me shopping,'' Ronyell said.
Whitaker's 131-yard effort against Wilson last week was worth two shirts and a pair of sneakers.
``I got another big present from my mother and my grandmother,'' he said. ``A huge kiss. I love them to death.''
A lot of people are going to love this Whitaker before he's through at Lake Taylor. ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]
MARTIN SMITH-RODDEN/Staff
Ronyell Whitaker's goals: To be a great runner, help put Lake Taylor
in the playoffs and grab a 4.0 grade-point average.
KEYWORDS: PROFILE by CNB