Unheralded Piedmont sophomore QB back in action

It’s always fun to find someone first—QB Ross Rushing of Piedmont High in Monroe, for instance.

Rushing was ‘way under the radar last season, and no wonder—he’d been playing in middle school the year before. And Piedmont was a bad, and accordingly unnoticed, team, finishing 1-10.

So the freshman toiled in obscurity, winning the starting job, holding it for the season’s last ten games and throwing for 920 yards and 6 TDs. He rushed for 3 more scores.

He was hopeful that this would be his breakout season. And then, a week before the season started, Rushing broke the fibula (just above his left ankle).

He’s recovered quickly, though, and expects to start Friday against Union Academy.

“He’s a quick healer,” says dad Danny Rushing.

Ross, who already has good size at 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds, is also a lot of other things.

He started for the basketball team at shooting guard as a freshman, averaging 6.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists. But he’s even better at baseball; he was 7-1 as a jayvee pitcher last season and also played shortstop, batting .449.

Now, if he can just keep those ankles healthy; two years ago in middle school, Rushing broke his right ankle, and now has three screws holding it together.

--Stan Olson