One of the greatest to ever coach in Bay County and some of the best athletes the county ever produced are the best of the best from Rutherford High.
Today we dive into the fourth part of the News Herald's "High School Athletics Mount Rushmore" series. The series features all six Bay County schools, highlighting the significant and quintessential figures of the athletic programs at each school.
All-CountyMeet the All-Bay County boys track and field athletes and team of the year
All-CountyMeet the All-Bay County girls track and field athletes and team of the year
The mountain's players and coaches are determined by their impact on the program, the community and beyond. We at the News Herald appreciate our readers and would love to get you involved. Accompanying each article is a poll to vote for someone you believe would be a fifth spot on the mountain.
After brief stints with the Philadelphia Eagles and Tennessee Titans, Witherspoon returned to the Rams in 2013 for his final season.
Shakirah Edwards
During her time at Rutherford, Shakirah "Shake" Edwards was truly elite in basketball and track. A floor general on the basketball court, the point guard averaged 16.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, three steals and three blocks in her varsity career.
Edwards finished with a 93-14 career record, four straight district championships and three Elite Eight appearances.
On the track, Edwards is a two-time high jump state champion and holds the county high jump record of 5-5¾. The four-star guard will play collegiate basketball at Mississippi State University.
Javien Elliott
Coming out of Rutherford, Elliott was undervalued and overlooked as a football prospect. After spending a year at Tallahassee Community College the optimistic defensive back walked on at Florida State and earned a scholarship his senior season.
Elliott played in all 12 games and declared for the 2016 draft but went undrafted and ultimately signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He spent three years in Tampa before signing with the Carolina Panthers in 2019.
Elliott signed with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League for two seasons and signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2023.
Rhondie Ross
Ross took the head basketball coach position in 2003 and slowly started tallying wins. It wasn't until four years later he would capture his first district title. In 21 years Ross has led the Rams to two Final Four appearances and nine district titles (five consecutive).
He has 380 career wins, the most in Bay County hoops history and has coached multiple players to the collegiate level.
Will Witherspoon
Witherspoon played running back for three years before switching to linebacker his senior season, a decision which paid dividends in the long run. He was named the USA TODAY Florida Player of the Year after totaling 112 tackles, three sacks and three interceptions. Witherspoon was also a state champion in the long jump with a distance of 22 feet, 11.25 inches.
Witherspoon played at the University of Georgia, where he graduated with a career total of 211 tackles, 3½ sacks and a forced fumble. He was drafted with the 73rd pick, in the third round overall, by the Carolina Panthers.
He spent three years in Carolina and played in Super Bowl XXXVIII, in which he posted a career-high 16 tackles in the 32-29 loss to the New England Patriots. Witherspoon then signed with the St. Louis Rams and was named team MVP in 2007 after recording 110 tackles and seven sacks.
Banji Bamidele is a sports reporter for the Panama City News Herald. He can be reached at abamidele@gannett.com or through X, formerly known as Twitter, @AdebanjiBamide1.
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