Motivation can come from everywhere.

It can be based on the fact that the 2009 high school football season is finally here. It can be based on the fact that you want to have a strong showing in the first game of your senior year. And it can be based on the fact that you and your teammates want to prove to the rest of the region that all of the preseason hype and No. 2 rank in Class AAA is warranted.

For Gainesville senior Teryan Rucker, the motivation came from his heart.

Prior to the start of Gainesville’s 34-0 win over Chestatee on Friday at City Park, it was announced that Rucker’s mother Teresa Williams, who passed away at the age of 41 on New Year’s Day due to a blood clot in her lungs, would be honored all season long with a jersey hanging in the end zone at Bobby Gruhn Field. After that announcement, her son put on a performance that his mother would be proud of.

Playing with a heavy heart, Rucker rushed for 84 yards and a touchdown in the first half and finished the game with 140 yards and two scores.

"I do everything for her," Rucker said. "She is my motivation. When I’m down and things are going wrong during the game, I take a time out and ask her what I can do? And somehow she sends me a message to keep moving forward and not worry about the past."

Knowing what their teammate was going through, the rest of the Red Elephants (1-0) made sure that Rucker would leave the field with a win.

"He’s a special kid," Gainesville coach Bruce Miller said. "He’s a special kid with a special family around him and they love him and that’s what you gotta do in this situation. You just try and be his friend and let him know that you’re here for him."

It was evident that Gainesville wanted to get the ball to their senior running back, who carried the ball 10 times in the first half for 84 yards and a touchdown. His biggest play from scrimmage came on a 54-yard run in the first quarter. But his best play was a 16-yard carry in the second where he put his head down and ran over a Chestatee (0-1) player for a first down. Two plays later he was in the end zone.

"I was just pumped and hungry for the end zone," Rucker said.

That touchdown capped a 21-point first half for Gainesville.

The first score came on the Red Elephants’ first possession, when they took over the ball at Chestatee’s 20 after the War Eagles began the game with a fumbled snap. With just 46 seconds off the game clock, Blake Sims found a wide-open Tyson Smith in the end zone for the score.

Gainesville got on the board again with Sims’ second touchdown of the game with 8:33 left in the second. After Sims reeled off 15 of his 82 yards rushing, he finished a 17-play drive by connecting on a 7-yard pass to junior Markece Robinson.

Chestatee put together its best drive of the game on its ensuing possession, but a fumble on Gainesville’s 44-yard line gave the ball back to the Red Elephants and led to Rucker’s touchdown.

Turnovers plagued both teams all game, with Gainesville losing three fumbles and Chestatee fumbling seven times and losing three. The final turnover came at the start of the second half when Kevin Hall sacked Scott Chewning in the end zone to force a fumble that was recovered by Thomas Sprague.

Gainesville’s lost fumbles, combined with 135 yards in penalties, left Miller with some concerns.

"Everything that could have gone wrong on offense did go wrong," he said. "We were so sloppy on offense and thank God our defense was able to put up a shutout."

They were able to do that thanks to the play of Sprague, A.J. Johnson and a defensive line that limited Chestatee’s split-back attack to 88 yards rushing, and its leading rusher Ben Souther to 23 yards on 14 carries.

"Ben Souther is a heck of a player," Sprague said. "We did pretty good containing him."

Chestatee had no such luck with containing Rucker, whose play is often overshadowed by Sims and wide receiver Tai-ler Jones, who had five catches for 73 yards.

"Our offense is so balanced," said Sims, who had 254 yards of total offense. "(Teryan) is gonna be the main player this year. So many teams — not to sound cocky — are gonna worry about me and Tai-ler, but then you gotta worry about T-Ruck."

Especially on opening night, when he was playing with a little extra motivation.

"I know he’s playing for his mom this season," Sprague said. "And he did it tonight."

Rucker proved that in the fourth quarter when he sprinted 31 yards for the game’s final touchdown.

"She always wanted to see me succeed on the football field and in the classroom, too," Rucker said. "I honor this season in memory of her. She’s watching me now, and every time I scored, I looked up there at the jersey and a tear ran through my eye and it let me know that she was here."