THE BIRTH certificate reads Tyree Rucker, but most folks know him as "Bam. "

"My aunt gave me that," he said. "When I was a little kid, I was always running into things and bumping my head.

"The one time, when I was maybe 6, I was chasing a ball inside the house and ran smack into the wall. That gave me a bump on my forehead for a while, and I still have a little scar. "

That brings us to yesterday, when quarterback Tyree "Bam" Rucker, essentially, ran into nothing but raindrops.

The occasion at Northeast's Charles Martin Memorial Stadium was a Public AAAA Silver contest between Samuel Fels and Thomas Edison. Well, let's make that a lack of a contest. With Rucker running (and throwing) wild, the Panthers stormed to a 62-6 victory.

The 150-pound Rucker, who at first claimed to be 5-9 but then quipped that it would be OK to call him 5-8 1/2, posted 234 yards on only 12 plays. Out of a no-huddle, triple-option offense, he turned keepers into the game's first three scores, covering 5, 32 and 7 yards.

He pinpointed Jared Hines for a 62-yard touchdown on the final play of the first quarter (Terry "Dark" Brown's conversion run made it 30-0) and connected with Kevin Burton on a 79-yarder 4:34 into the second quarter.

In all, Rucker ran five times for 45 yards and passed 4-for-7 for 189.

"I wasn't that surprised that we won like this," he said. "They had to bring the heat to beat us, and that didn't happen. We should do this to everybody, I feel. "

Actually . . . Though the Panthers have lost twice in seven outings, they are averaging 39.3 points and have zoomed to 140 in their last three.

Much of the credit goes to the ever-frisky Rucker, a true dual threat. He has run for 448 yards and eight TDs while adding 933 yards and 13 scores through the air.

And to think, he could still be a running back.

"That's what I always used to play for the Northwest Raiders," he said. "But we would do trick plays, and I'd be the guy throwing them. Even at age 12 I could throw the ball 50 to 55 yards, so then they moved me to quarterback.

"I like being the quarterback. You get a lot of publicity. Always have people congratulating you. I like getting congratulated. Plus, it's a good feeling to be the team leader.

"I like running and passing 50-50. But if I had to choose one, I'd say running. I like showing people I'm not just an arm. I have legs, too. "

As he acknowledged, Rucker formerly feared he'd eventually lose his coveted spot.

"I'm still a little guy," he said. "The older you get, the bigger the d-linemen get. My o-line gets bigger, too, of course, but it can be tough to see over them. With this offense Mr. Harrigan [Bill, head coach] put in, I do a lot of rolling out. I'm comfortable and confident. "

Not to mention lucky.

Check this out: Fels' sixth TD was a 59-yard run by Hines. The play began as a left-side option. Rucker's pitchout bounced once, twice, right into Hines' arms. Next stop: end zone.

"I'll put the blame on me for that one," he said. "I just flipped it out there. I was busy trying to read the d-end and when I pitched it . . . I didn't think Jared would be as far away as he was. My bad. "

TD No. 7 came on the first play of the third quarter as Nadir Hudson, the backup quarterback, used a great block from wideout Jamiel Hines, Jared's brother, to run 44 yards.

The last one? Did you have to ask? With only 47.6 seconds remaining, Rodney Drayton returned a fumble 95 yards.

Fels' grunts were center Jamal Barksdale, guards Girard Fleetwood and Isaiah Lawrence, and tackles Dontae Bacon and Morgan Willingham.

Edison did have some fun. A fumble recovery by Roberto Fontanez, at Fels' 9, set up an 11-yard TD run by Dom Boseman, the defending PL shot put champion, on the last play of the third quarter, and Timothy Stuckey-Torres totaled 152 yards on four kickoff returns. Also, freshman cornerback Daviel Otero, freshly promoted from the JV, after running forever and ever, made diving attempts at the goal line to stop the TDs of 79 and 59 yards. Came close, too.

"He was hesitant about coming up to varsity," first-year coach Brian Kelly said. "He's tall, fast and can catch. We'll hope to get involved in the passing game. "

The Owls had only 20 players in uniform.

"Nobody has quit," Kelly said. "Two of our best guys - Nick Buelna (broken ankle) and James Long (high ankle sprain) - are out with injuries, and other guys are hurt, too. We even had someone out with the flu today. "

As water dripped off his baseball cap, Kelly smiled ever so slightly and added, "When it rains, it pours. "

Rucker, a solid student, lives near Castor and Benner in Oxford Circle. He's hoping to generate college interest and, yes, he does realize a change in position would have to take place; he sees himself as a slotback.

In time, he wants to broadcast NFL games.

"What would I have said about this one?" he said. "Well, I'd just be honest. 'That was a huge blowout. Edison has to work on everything. Nothing was really working today. ' "

Damn, it sure was for Bam. *

 

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Loading up the pass that broke the record.

 

 

Jared Hines heads for the end zone.

 

 

Bam (No. 2) and teammates after beating
      Furness for the Silver crown.