THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 5, 1995 TAG: 9502030259
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 29 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DENISE MICHAUX, SUN SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Long : 101 lines
AT 6-FOOT-6, 280 pounds John Rawls is difficult to overlook.
Yet, when post-season football honors were being doled out, the Southampton High School tackle was overlooked.
While teammates Raynard Holloway, Armazlo Smith and William Brown racked up two first-team all-district selections apiece and a first-team all-region spot apiece, the N.C. State-bound Rawls was named the second-team offensive tackle in the district.
``I felt like he was first-team all-district,'' Southampton head coach Littleton Parker said. ``I guess since we had two other linemen on the first team ... I felt like his stats were better ... I just don't know. We thought he had a tremendous year for us.''
Rawls had 21 solo tackles, 62 assists, six quarterback sacks and eight blocked passes to help pace the Indians to a 9-2 record and a share of the Bay Rivers district title.
``When it happened I was surprised,'' Rawls said. ``But I just let it go. There were a bunch of fellas on that team that don't have the opportunities to do what I'm doing, so I wasn't going to let it ruin my whole year.''
The rest of the district may not have noticed him, but Rawls caught the eye of N.C. State recruiters when he was just a sophomore. The phone didn't start ringing because of his size. It was the 4.9 he ran in the 40 that stirred everyone up.
``That's the thing that got me where I am now,'' Rawls said. ``Most guys my size, people can run circles around.''
``You don't find a kid 6-6 and 280 who can do that very often,'' Parker added.
``When you're in the 10th grade, just turning 16 and they are already looking at you, you might start to think you are something big,'' Rawls said in his thick drawl.
By his junior year, Florida State and several other schools had thrown themselves into the ring and the novelty of being a top recruit quickly wore off.
``There would be six or seven messages on the machine every night, them just calling to check on you,'' Rawls said. ``It got really nerve racking.
``That's why I committed in September, so that would stop.''
Although Rawls was honored to have been on Florida State's list, he didn't have a difficult time picking the Wolfpack.
``They treated me so well every time I went down there,'' Rawls said. ``The town of Raleigh is so nice. Everybody down there is nice to you, whether they know you or not, everybody says hi to you.''
The proximity to home didn't hurt either.
His parents, John and Ann had but one request when he made his choice. ``My father asked me to stay in the ACC close to home so that they could drive to every game and see me play.''
Making the jump from Group AA ball to the Atlantic Coast Conference would loom pretty large for some players, but not Rawls.
``I was playing baseball with boys who were 10 and nine years old when I was five,'' Rawls said. ``I played football with guys two or three years older than me when I started.
``There's not much that can scare me. Besides, I love a challenge. I might get my tail kicked a few times, but I'm going to try.''
Rawls was challenged right away when he decided he wanted to play football, but not by other teams.
In the fifth grade he was already 6-0, 200 pounds and he wanted to join the JV team at Southampton Academy, where he went to grade school. The school said he needed to be in the seventh grade to play at school, but the little league teams in the area said he was too big to play for them.
``They were afraid I might hurt somebody,'' Rawls said.
So after some heavy persuading by his father, Southampton Academy let him play.
Rawls hasn't quite decided what direction he will take after football, but with a quick glance at coach Parker's desk he is certain that isn't for him.
``I need to be doing something outside,'' Rawls said.
Rawls was born and raised ``in the backwoods'' of Capron. He is a true country boy complete with a beat up pickup truck, so it is no wonder his classmates were stunned when he showed up in a shirt and tie Wednesday morning for the official signing photo session.
But by late afternoon he was back in a T-shirt and jeans, looking much more like the kid who has been hunting with his father ever since he could walk.
It isn't hard for Rawls to recall shooting his first deer.
``I was just a little thing,'' Rawls said.
So little that his dad sat him on a tree stump, put the rifle in his hands and pointed him towards the woods. When the dogs started running the deer out of the woods, Rawls fired.
``The gun blast blew me right off the tree stump and I was sitting there bleeding and crying.''
Not far away was the deer.
``I killed the deer and that gun about killed me,'' Rawls laughed.
With the hoopla of being recruited and signing now behind him, Rawls is preparing for his favorite season.
``Baseball is my first love,'' Rawls said. ``I'm not bad at it.''
Rawls plays first base for the Indians and at one point during last season was hitting over .600. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MICHAEL KESTNER
John Rawls who will play for North Carolina State was named the
second-team offensive tackle in the district.
by CNB