Good article on late Tazewell player

[Unchained]

The 2008 football season will long be remembered at Tazewell High School.
Just one year after suffering through the heartbreak of a 1-9 season, the Bulldogs became the talk of football-hungry Southwest Virginia by posting a 9-3 record and charging to the Region IV, Division 3 championship game against Richlands.
There were many headlines and highlights for Tazewell head coach Bobby Wyatt, but one memory is indelible. It involved an undersized hero who persevered through a nightmarish prognosis and nearly insurmountable odds.
In March of 2008, Tazewell junior T.J. Rasnick was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma. The rare form of cancer is usually found near the joints of the arms or legs.
Rasnick, whose cancer was discovered in his right hip, endured exhaustive radiation and chemotherapy treatment sessions at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C.
?A lot of people doubted that T.J. would play football as a senior, and I even had my doubts,? Wyatt said. ?T.J. proved us all wrong, though. That kid fought with all his might.?
The fight finally ended on March 27, as Rasnick died at his home.
Precious memories
The 5-foot-10 Rasnick weighed around 155 pounds as a sophomore. According to Wyatt, Rasnick had lost nearly 30 pounds by his senior year.
Rasnick did not start the first game of the season against George Wythe, but he entered the game at receiver in the first half and helped the Bulldogs record a 21-19 win. Rasnick played in every game after that. Even in his weakened condition, Rasnick scored three touchdowns and accumulated 19 points as a place-kicker.
Feeding off the courage of their ailing teammate, Tazewell defeated powerful Gate City en route to a 4-0 record.
?T.J. was very weak in that first game, but he wanted to play and he played every single game after that,? Wyatt said.
Near the mid-point of the season, Wyatt approached Rasnick to see if he was ready to return to his accustomed spot at kicker and punter.
?I asked T.J. if he was strong enough to handle those roles,? Wyatt said. ?He said ? ?Coach, I?ve been strong enough the whole time.? ?
Longtime Tazewell fans still rave about the deft moves and instinctive running style of Rasnick. Many of the same qualities that allowed Rasnick to score 104 goals in soccer carried to the football field.
?T.J. could definitely make some moves,? Wyatt said. ?I didn?t know where T.J. was going to at times, but T.J. knew. He just had that raw talent that you can?t coach.?
In a 43-14 first-round playoff win over Graham, Rasnick scored two touchdowns, connected on a 36-yard field goal and added four extra points.
The little warrior
The sideline to Tazewell?s breakthrough season was Rasnick?s pursuit of the all-time school rushing record held by Quentin Reed. Rasnick finished his prep career less than 200 yards shy of Reed?s mark of 2,455 yards.
?I still have regrets that we couldn?t get T.J. that rushing record because he deserved it,? Wyatt said. ?I didn?t know what his stability was going to be as went on through the year, but T.J. was a big part of our success.?
Tazewell?s 2008 playoff run ended on a muddy Saturday afternoon as Southwest District rival Richlands posted an epic 28-27 decision in overtime. Richlands coach Greg Mance said he will never forget that struggle, in part because of the tenacity of Rasnick.
?As a coach, you understand what T.J. went through just to get on that field,? Mance said. ?He sacrificed and showed commitment to play for his teammates and town. To accomplish what T.J. under the circumstances is remarkable.?
Even as a freshman, Rasnick created many long nights in the film room for opposing coaches. Whether he was returning a kickoff, making a cut after a pass reception or attempting to get off a punt under a heavy rush, Rasnick had the uncanny ability to make defenders miss.
?It?s rare that you see kids excel as a freshman, but T.J. was a tremendous athlete,? Mance said. ?You always had to know where he was on the field.?
Mance said he regrets that Rasnick was unable to display his many talents at the college level. Rasnick signed to play soccer at Emory & Henry this fall, but was forced to leave school before the season began.
?It really is a shame,? Mance said. ?We don?t understand some things in life, but I know that T.J. was a winner.?
Wyatt said he plans to use the example of Rasnick was a motivation for his current and future athletes. In addition to his success in football, soccer and basketball, Rasnick was an honor student.
?I?ve already talked to some of my players about T.J., and we?re going to have a team meeting [Friday] where I plan to talk about what a dedicated and hard-working athlete T.J. was,? Wyatt said. ?When T.J. heard that something couldn?t be done, that just inspired him even more. That?s why I admired T.J. so much. He just never gave up.?
The Tazewell coach shared a couple of stories of Rasnick?s heroics, which have reached near mythic proportions in recent days.
?There was the football game in his sophomore year where T.J. scored 29 of our total 35 points,? Wyatt said. ?Then there was the soccer game against Carroll County where he played goalie in the overtime session and kicked the winning goal. T.J. was fun to watch.?
Wyatt said he will treasure those nights when a healthy Rasnick unleashed his creative magic to the delight of loyal Bulldog fans.
?T.J. was just one of those kids that you would remember no matter what he was doing, and he certainly left a lasting impression on me,? Wyatt said. ?T.J?.s loss has been very emotional for everyone in our community.?
Tazewell athletic director and softball coach Tom Keene said that Rasnick earned the titles of ?leader? and ?motivator.?
?T.J. didn?t say a whole lot, but he showed by example,? Keene said. ?You would never knew that T.J. was in pain. He just went about his way every day.?
It?s been an emotional year for the Tazewell community, Keene said.
Bulldog football and wrestling coach Dennis Grindstaff and Tazewell softball assistant Dennis ?Kink? Parsons both died in December. Kelly Necessary, who directed the Tazewell cheerleaders for many years, died last month.
?And we?ve also had several students and parents of students pass away,? Keene said. ?It?s just been one thing after the other.?
Rasnick?s father, Tim, continues to serve as the coach of the Tazewell boys soccer team.
?I think T.J. would have wanted it that way,? Keene said.
Tim Rasnick was unavailable for comment Thursday evening.
Amazing grace
A group of Tazewell students compiled a video montage of Rasnick?s athletic feats for an April 3 memorial service in Tazewell. Tazewell principal Keith Hovis, who spoke during the service, said Rasnick deserved the accolades.
?Some of things that T.J. did just had a ?wow? factor ? they were that amazing,? Hovis said. ?There was no doubt that T.J. was very talented and knew the game.
?There have a lot of great athletes in various sports at Tazewell over the years, but few have work harder than T.J. That?s what really impressed me.?
Hovis shared Rasnick?s story during an assembly in the school auditorium on March 29. He pointed to the upbeat and resilient approach of the fallen Bulldog hero.
?I just wanted to talk to our athletes about everything T.J. taught us,? Hovis said. ?T.J. took advantage of every day, and he was the same way on the morning he died. ?
For Hovis, the most vivid memory of Rasnick was an ever-present smile. Not even the pain and tortuous cancer treatments could wipe away the glow.
?Amid all that he went through, T.J. always had that smile,? Hovis said. ?We can all learn from his lesson.?
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[starbuck]

good read