South Bend Tribune

Preview: After historic season, what can South Bend Riley football do for an encore?

By Austin Hough, South Bend Tribune,

12 hours ago

SOUTH BEND — Last year was one for the record books for South Bend Riley football, winning its first conference title since 1965.

The way it ended, though, left a bitter taste.

After going 8-1 with a 5-0 Northern Indiana Conference North-South Division record in the regular season, the Wildcats lost a Class 4A sectional opener to 1-8 Wawasee . Still, head coach Darrick Lee knows that season was something the program can build on.

“We have been lucky to be in a position where those guys that are stepping into leadership roles — they may have played different positions last year, but they’ve been part of our program,” Lee said. “They know what our expectations are, they know what our standard is and what we’re trying to accomplish, both on and off the field.”

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Several key players to replace

Numerous standout performers for Riley a season ago have moved on, including all-NIC selections in running back Dominick Jolley, offensive lineman Marcus Henderson, quarterback Austin White, wide receiver Payton Baird, defensive linemen Tavaris Townsend and Marques Young, defensive back Montrell Northern and linebacker Robert Nabieu.

Helping with the quarterback question is senior Phoenyx Clark, who has spent the last two seasons as the starter at South Bend Adams. Clark joined the Riley roster late in the 2023 season, only playing a handful of snaps at wide receiver. He’s thrown for 1,913 yards and seven touchdowns in 17 games at quarterback.

“Phoenyx Clark has done a phenomenal job of leading,” Lee said. “He’s more of a quiet leader — he’s coming out of his shell some, but he’s done a great job in the weight room, with the playbook. The day after we lost (to Wawasee), he was reaching out to me, asking if I could unlock the field so he could come get in some work. Guys just gravitate to him.”

Expected to help Clark lead on the offensive side of the ball are running backs in junior Teon Wadley and senior Karon Miller, wide receivers in senior Travion Thomas and Ayden Monroe, and offensive linemen in junior Aaron Burton and senior Shawn Fryman.

“We’re going to have a good team this year,” Miller said. “We’re all decent players who work hard in the weight room and on the field, so that’s a good thing. … We all just have to work together.”

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Defensively, Lee is high on junior cornerback Nick Washington, who missed most of the 2023 season with an injury. He’s joined in the defensive secondary by his sophomore brother, Bradford. Sophomore Mur’i Jackson and senior Quatez Foster are two linebackers Lee has liked in fall practices, along with seniors Anthony Schmok and Ky’ion Chappell on the defensive line.

“It’s really about teaching (the younger guys) football smarts,” Schmok said. “You don’t have to be the biggest guy on the field in football to get stuff done. If you know what you’re doing and everyone else knows what they’re doing, you can really make stuff happen.”

Revised schedule to make things tougher for Riley

The NIC condensing from 12 to eight schools — eliminating divisions in the process — has led to an upheaval in the Wildcats’ schedule. Of the nine teams they faced in the regular season last year, just three are on it in 2024: Adams, Washington and New Prairie.

The new NIC schedule means Class 6A schools Penn and Elkhart , plus Catholic programs with strong traditions in Mishawaka Marian and Saint Joseph , return on a yearly basis. The two non-conference games Riley plays this season are teams they haven’t faced in more than a decade as well.

“If we can compete, do some things and have some success (in the conference), I think that once we get to the playoffs, we’ll be ready,” Lee said. “We’ve still got that sour taste in our mouth from last year, but you move forward. You’re always chasing your standards and expectations, and if we do that, I think we’ll be fine.”