Ted Silary: Communications Tech DT Ragin-Nickson flashes speed

PASSING ALONG some city high school football tidbits . . .

As of last Friday, Communications Tech senior Aasim Ragin-Nickson was a 6-foot, 307-pound defensive tackle.

Now, we're about to see him on the other side of the ball. And not with the chubsters. Off the line of scrimmage a shade.

"I've been coaching Aasim since middle school," said CT coach John Gossett, "and he has always been beggin' me for a carry. I'm going to give him some now. If you look at the tape, he was actually running away from people."

Ragin-Nickson capped CT's 33-8 win over Prep Charter by returning a fumble (stolen ball, actually) for a 53-yard touchdown.

"It was a dive play, and I got in there fast, as the quarterback was completing the transaction with the running back," Ragin-Nickson said. "I was getting ready to finish the tackle, but I wasn't heading down [to the turf] at all. I realized my hand was around the ball and I pulled it away.

"I'm pretty fast for a big guy. Particularly this time. I didn't think they had time to notice I had the ball, but [teammates] said three guys were chasing me. Well, I only saw one. When I finally turned around and saw where he was, I thought, 'I got this.' I even slowed down.

"To be a senior and get a chance to run for a TD, that's special. Real special. I've been telling coach John I'm a much faster guy now. I've been playing basketball and doing a lot of running with my dogs. Glad I could prove it to him."

Ragin-Nickson sounded overjoyed when told Gossett would try him in the backfield with star rusher Rolando Ransom.

"That's going to be awesome!" he said. "I'm going to make it special."

He'd made wonderful comments about Gossett even before learning about his new assignment.

"He has taught me everything pertaining to football and life," Ragin-Nickson said. "He has made me into a man. It's a great experience being around him."