The Stallions stalwart running back is making a statement late in his prep career
Watch Top Football Plays 2015, Episode 11, featuring DeMarcus Ramsey’s game-winning touchdown against Lake Braddock as the No. 1 play. (Video by Nick Plum for Synthesis/Koubaroulis LLC / The Washington Post)
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November 11, 2015, 12:30 p.m. — Following a Lake Braddock field goal in overtime and the perfect season on the line, South County senior running back DeMarcus Ramsey was ready to take matters into his own hands.
At halftime, the powerful back told himself he would eventually need to score to win the game in a battle for Fairfax County supremacy between two unbeatens.
His intuition came true as he took the hand-off and trotted his way into the end zone from 10 yards out, showing raw emotion and violently stomping his feet as he marched across the goal line.
“There’s nothing like doing what you told yourself at halftime you wanted to do,” Ramsey said, “it was just exciting to meet my goals.”
The Stallions out of Lorton, Va. rode their 6-foot, 220-pound workhorse to the 10-0 record they so desperately coveted, as he finished the game with 157 yards on 30 carries. Under the leadership of Coach Gerry Pannoni, they now sit at No. 2 in the Washington Post All-Met poll, and have given both Lake Braddock and Westfield their only losses of the season.
The win against the Bruins (9-1) was a long time coming for the Stallions.
“We haven’t beat them in four years,” Ramsey said. “Two good teams going at each other, it’s a big rivalry, and it was just unexplainable emotions going through everybody. We were just really happy and it was a great feeling.”
Ramsey has rushed for 1,159 yards this season, as he is averaging 116 yards and 18 attempts per game. His biggest performance of the season was a 228-yard and four-touchdown outburst against T.C. Williams on October 1.
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He doesn’t get quite as much work as some of the other top backs in the region, mainly due to the explosiveness of the Stallions passing attack. Senior quarterback DeAndre Clayton has also had a breakout year.
“He’s definitely improved from last year,” Ramsey said, “he’s a great quarterback to have, I can always depend on him, wouldn’t have anyone else.”
Clayton’s primary target is sophomore wide receiver Dillon Spalding, a guy Ramsey can’t help but to be amazed by each and every week.
“I don’t think I’ve seen anyone like him in my life,” Ramsey said. “My first year coming here as a junior I actually thought he was a senior and he told me he was just a freshman. The things he’s able to do and the performance he shows out in practice is unbelievable.”
Ramsey transferred to the Stallions program midway through his prep journey from Georgetown, Texas, just outside Austin, where he was temporarily stationed with his father who is in the military.
According to Spalding, Ramsey has taken major steps forward since arriving in Lorton.
“His improvement since last year,” Spalding said, “I’ve watched him train all the time in the weight room and on the field, and he has just turned himself into a beast.”
Ramsey’s brutish running style is very different than a standard running back, although it hasn’t translated to much success yet in terms of recruitment.
So far he has garnered the interest of just one program, that being Catholic University. The schools high on his personal list include Holy Cross, Temple, Virginia Tech and UVA. He hopes his unique style will ultimately lead to a spot on a roster.
“I’ve gotten out of the shiftiness most running backs have, I am more of a north-south running back,” Ramsey said. “I definitely have a lot of power that most running backs don’t.”
Ramsey says that he has good speed for his size, contrary to what people might believe by looking at his frame. Although he may have the look of a defensive player, a position he played back in Texas, he does hope to continue playing offense going forward, as he enjoys the game more from that side of the ball.
“I would bring a positive attitude and I think I am more disciplined than a lot of players around the area from what I’ve seen,” Ramsey said, “and I have great ability to put forth the effort.”
The Stallions will continue needing his effort going forward as they will put their perfect season on the line in the playoffs, starting this Friday against Annandale (5-5).
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