By Lee Davis
Journal Sports Writer
Georgie Salem and Aaron Ernest come from very different backgrounds.
Salem was born and raised in the Birmingham area. He is the latest link in a family famous for its athletic exploits at the University of Alabama. Salem plays for the Vestavia Hills Rebels.
Ernest grew up in New Orleans. He and his mother came to this area after their neighborhood was decimated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Ernest played for the Homewood Patriots, one of Vestavia’s oldest rivals.
Despite their differences, Salem and Ernest are similar in a very important way: They are both extraordinary athletes.
The two have something else in common: They’re making history. Salem and Ernest have both been named as recipients of the 2010-11 Over the Mountain Boy Athlete of the Year award.
The selections were made by an exclusive poll of sports journalists, parents and former high school athletes. Never before have two athletes been chosen for the honor in the same academic year.
Salem is a traditional two-sport athlete in football and baseball for Vestavia. In his first year as a starter on the Rebels’ football team last fall, he immediately gained a reputation as one of Alabama’s most outstanding high school running backs.
Salem rushed for 1,251 yards on just 174 attempts for a 7.2 average and a whopping 19 touchdowns as he led the Rebels to a 9-3 record and appearance in the state 6A playoffs. And he did all of this despite suffering a minor knee injury in mid-season.
Salem, now a rising senior, had many great moments on the gridiron in 2010, but at times he was like a human highlight reel. For example, in Vestavia’s 35-23 win over Pelham, Salem rushed for 132 yards in six carries in the first half. Those numbers included touchdown runs of 48 and 63 yards, respectively, in the second quarter.
Salem had already started the game off with a 93-yard kickoff return in the opening stanza, as the Rebels rolled to a 35-10 halftime advantage.
Another example of Salem’s explosiveness came in Vestavia’s 35-3 homecoming rout of Oak Mountain. He ran for touchdowns of 68 and 81 yards in the third quarter and finished the game with 172 yards on a mere 15 carries.
If anything, Salem was even more impressive as a centerfielder/pitcher on the Rebel baseball team. Facing some of the state’s toughest pitchers, he hit a titanic .577, with 17 home runs, and was also outstanding in the field. Salem had 48 putouts with one assist and no errors for a 1.000 fielding percentage.
On the mound, he compiled a highly respectable 3.35 ERA in 40 innings of work.
Salem was also named the 2010-11 Over the Mountain Baseball Player of the Year in May.
When contacted last week, Salem seemed genuinely surprised to be named Over the Mountain Boy Athlete of the Year.
“It feels great to win,” said Salem. “I also kind of feel lucky. There are always so many great athletes from which to choose. It’s a real honor.”
Salem’s athletic talents may come from his pedigree. His father, George Jr., starred for Vestavia in football – he was named Over the Mountain Player of the Year in 1981 – and later played for the University of Alabama.
His grandfather, George Sr., was a running back for the Crimson Tide in the 1950s. The elder Salem’s late brother Ed was an All-American halfback at the Capstone in 1950.
As the heir to the family’s athletic legacy, Salem considers his name much more of a blessing than a burden.
“It really helps,” he said. “I’m very proud of what they have accomplished.
“I like to work hard at sports, but one thing is for sure – if I wasn’t working hard, my dad and granddad would have something to say about that,” Salem added, laughing.
Salem has already committed to play baseball at Alabama and has high goals for his senior season in both of his chosen sports.
“I want to do the best I can to help Vestavia go as far as it can in the season and in the playoffs,” he explained. “I’d really like to do something good for the high school before I move on.”
Salem has already done a lot for his school. Being named 2010-11 Athlete of the Year may be near the top of the list.
If the cards of fate brought Aaron Ernest to Homewood, he undoubtedly made the most of the opportunity, as the LSU-bound senior became one of the nation’s outstanding track athletes in 2011.
In the state 6A meet, Ernest earned victories in the 100 meter dash, 200 meter dash and long jump. His 20.72 in the 200 yard dash was a state record and ranked as the third fastest time nationally under any wind conditions.
Ernest was just as impressive in the Mobile Challenge of Champions. He earned Most Valuable Runner honors by winning the 100 meter, 200 meter and long jump events in the highly prestigious international division.
His time in the 100 meter run was a sizzling 10.17, at the time the fastest pace of any American high school sprinter this year. Ernest ran the 200 meter run in 20.86, also a state record and the fourth-best time of any American high school runner last spring.
But Ernest’s athletic magic extended far beyond the running track. As a wide receiver for the Patriots, he caught 38 passes for 795 yards – a 20-yard per completion average – and scored nine touchdowns.
Ernest will be participating in track at LSU but may consider walking on for football, if his coaches allow it.
Incredibly, Ernest was not an immediate success in track and field. As a freshman, he ran a decent but hardly spectacular 12.7 in the 100 meter dash. But by the end of his first season, Ernest had shaved nearly 1.5 seconds off of that time. By his junior year, he was consistently running the 100 meter dash in less than 11 seconds.
In many ways, Ernest’s running techniques and training rituals are delightfully unique. He admits that his start is the weakest part of his race.
“I just get a kick out of catching up with the other runners,” he explained.
In a sport where many athletes obsess about discipline and nutritious dietary habits, Ernest goes his own way. He has only begun to spend serious time in the weight room in the past year and usually doesn’t eat anything on the day of a big race. Part of the reason is nerves.
“I won’t even drink Gatorade an hour before I run,” he said. “That’s cutting it too close.” His drink of choice is Sprite – not exactly a typical sprinter’s beverage.
And when Ernest does choose to eat before a running event, his dining selection isn’t a protein bar. He’s been known to eat marshmallows before a race and devour as many as 15 ice cream sandwiches afterward.
“I guess I am a little different,” said Ernest, laughing. Maybe his ways are the product of youth. Ernest won’t turn 18 until November.
Whatever he’s doing, it’s working. Ernest’s coaches see him as a potential Olympic runner.
But still, his heart may be with football. As might be expected, Ernest is a huge fan of the NFL’s New Orleans Saints.
“I’d rather play five years for the Saints than win two gold medals in the Olympics,” he said.
Only time will tell if Ernest’s future is the NFL or the Olympics. But for now, along with Georgie Salem, he is the Over the Mountain Boy Athlete of the Year.
