Player Spotlight: Coquille’s Tom Riley
There’s no more aggressive of a lineman in small school football than Tom Riley. His quickness off the ball is something few can rival, giving him a momentum advantage virtually every snap of every game. His strength is something few…
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Continue ReadingThere’s no more aggressive of a lineman in small school football than Tom Riley. His quickness off the ball is something few can rival, giving him a momentum advantage virtually every snap of every game. His strength is something few in small school football can handle, nonetheless match, as even all-state caliber linemen struggle to keep him from advancing up field–with or without a defender in his hands–on offense or penetrating on defense. His legs don’t stop moving after contact, his pad level–always important but even more so in a Wing-T offense–is impeccable, and his agility, largely created and refined on a wrestling mat, is absolutely a strength.
In the playoffs last year Riley flourished. Defensively against Jefferson in the state quarterfinals the best the Lions could do was to simply shield him for a count and a half, but if the ball was coming to his side he was almost always in on the play. Against Kennedy in the state championship, the Trojans struggled to keep a clean pocket despite boasting multiple all-state caliber linemen largely because Riley was able to consistently get penetration into the backfield shortly after the ball was snapped. On the first play of the game, as a perfect example, Trojans Quarterback Riley Cantu had his pass, a quick out that took less than a second and a half to leave his hands from the time he caught the snap, was batted down by the big hands of Riley, who came screeching into the backfield through B-gap at a speed suggesting he wasn’t even touched. Riley shined on the biggest stages 2A had to offer last season, 3A this fall should expect nothing different. Winning the 2A ‘Defensive Lineman of the Year’ award as a Junior, despite multiple Seniors that were also in consideration, speaks to Riley’s uniqueness.
This summer in the Oregon All-State game Riley once again showed out, anchoring a defensive front that held their opponent to just 28 yards rushing and forced three turnovers. One of the turnovers, an interception made by Dallas’ Emilio Miranda, happened largely because Riley was in the face of Quarterback Andreus Smith and forced a bad throw down the seam. Give Riley a gap to shoot, and he’s a force.
Coquille Head Coach David Thomason said of Riley, “He is the heart and soul of our offensive and defensive lines. He plays with a chip on his shoulder.”
Riley allows himself to get too far upfield on defense at times, sudden change of direction isn’t his strong suit, a two-gap scheme may take time for him to get comfortable in, and he isn’t going to chase down a toss-sweep away from him defensively, but the framework is there to build a solid collegiate lineman–offensive or defensive.