Rudnick named R-C male athlete of the year

It's a rarity when a talented high school athlete will take a look at a variety of options to play at the next level and choose "none of the above."

But after four years of juggling a three-sport schedule, recent Douglas High graduate Tim Rudnick will be forgoing his career as an athlete in order to settle in as a student.

"I'm sure there will be some intramurals with my cousins and stuff like that," Rudnick said. "But I think it is just time for school. I kind of want to see how it is to just go to school."

He plans to enroll at the University of Nevada in the fall and hopes to pursue civil engineering.

"I'm going to have a lot on my plate with that and I feel like I had a pretty good high school career," he said. "I felt like I accomplished some good things and it would be a good time to leave it there."

"Good things" might be a bit of an understatement.

Rudnick had a stellar senior season for Douglas, earning all-league honors in football, basketball and baseball, winning the Sierra League Offensive Player of the Year award in football and helping the Tiger baseball team to its first regional title in 20 years.

His efforts over past four years, during which he won eight varsity letters, have resulted in him being named The Record-Courier's Male Athlete of the Year for 2009.

"He's a throwback type of guy," Douglas football coach Mike Rippee said. "He does everything you'd want an athlete to do. He performs well under pressure, he's a trustworthy leader, very coachable and just a wonderful young man. It's been a pleasure to just be a part of what he has been able to accomplish at Douglas High."

Like breaking the school's three single-season passing records with 157 completions, 2,550 yards and 23 touchdowns, for example.

"I had no idea we'd ever throw it that much," Rudnick said with a laugh. "Before, Douglas had always been run-first. This year, we passed all the time. I didn't expect it, but I loved it.

"It didn't have much to do with me, though. Everyone around me, the offensive line, the receivers and the running backs, all had wonderful years."

A fact Rippee readily agrees with.

"We looked at our personnel coming in and did what we thought was best for the team this year," Rippee said. "Tim was never about the numbers though. He cared a lot more about the letters, you know, 'W' or 'L.'

"He didn't care about the records. If we ran the ball 68 times in a game and won, that would've been fine with him. He accomplished some great things, but he'd be the first to tell you that he wanted to go further with the season. Certain kids leave their mark on the program more than others. He'll be a hall of fame guy for us down the road."

Rudnick's season totals placed him fourth in the NIAA state record books. He finished ranked second in all three career passing categories at the school (199 completions, 3,237 yards, 31 touchdowns) even though he only started at the varsity level for a season and a half.

Fresh off first-team all-region honors in football, Rudnick slid quickly into the starting point guard role in basketball for the winter.

He ended up taking second-team all-league honors after finishing as the team's second leading scorer (177 points, 6.5 ppg) and second leading 3-point shooter (12).

"I shared time at the position the year before," Rudnick said. "We had the same coach and a lot of the same guys, so it wasn't that big of an adjustment."

Despite not making the playoffs, the Tigers ended the year on a high note, beating arch-rival Carson High 69-55 in the season finale. Rudnick scored 15 points and hit a 3-pointer in the win.

But the highlight of his senior year was saved for the final season as the Tiger baseball team roared to a school-record 31 wins, a Sierra League title, a Northern 4A title and a win in the first round of the state tournament over eventual state runner-up Cimarron-Memorial.

Rudnick had seven doubles, two home runs and 35 RBIs on the year, batting third in the Tigers' order, and compiled a 3-0 record on the mound with 33 strikeouts as the Tigers primary reliever.

He finished his baseball career, during which he played four seasons for the Tigers, with 75 RBIs.

"We knew coming into the year that a lot of people were talking about us as the favorites," Rudnick said. "We didn't really care what people were saying though. We just wanted to go out there and do what we needed to do and play fundamental baseball.

"We had great pitching, good defense, a lot of experience and a lot of returning starters. We ended up doing what we wanted to do."

Rudnick will have one last contest in his high school career next Friday, when he takes the field as the probable starting quarterback for the Blue squad in the annual Sertoma All-Star Football Classic.