Mix of young talent, veteran leadership fuels River Ridge’s hopes of deep playoff run

Last season River Ridge was soundly defeated by perennial Class 2A powerhouse Archbishop Murphy 47-7 in the first round of the state playoffs. Despite the lopsided score, Hawks coach Steve Schultz walked away from the game with a sense of hope.

Schultz said he saw certain things, like how sophomore cornerback Jose Nieto defended against Archbishop Murphy’s top wide receiver Kyler Gordon, who is now a defensive back for the Washington Huskies. Nieto had two pass break-ups in the game and played in a way that left Schultz feeling there was more to come.

“Our future is bright,” Schultz said in his office Tuesday.

The young talent extends beyond Nieto. Schultz said there are five sophomores this season that he expects to make an impact for River Ridge, which finished 7-4 in 2017, and advanced to the state playoffs the past four seasons.

Sophomore wide receiver Dontae Owens is one of those players. Owens, who is 5-foot-7, 140 pounds, will be used as a weapon on offense and will line up all the over the field.

Coaches hope to utilize the speed of Owens. As a freshman, Owens posted a personal-best 11.33 seconds in the 100-meter dash and qualified for the 2A West Central District championships in the event.

Joining Owens on offense are senior running backs Kieran Hunkin and Brian Melloy. Hunkin, an agile runner, will be the starter in the Hawks’ pro-style offense, which features a two-back system with a fullback.

Schultz anticipates Hunkin to pile up 20 to 30 rushing attempts per game. Melloy, who Schultz said is pound-for-pound the strongest athlete on the team, will also see extensive action.

At quarterback is sophomore Jevon Brown, a cerebral player who prefers the pocket. Schultz said Brown (5-10, 170) has been working with Taylor Barton in the offseason, a trainer who specializes in quarterbacks.

Protecting Brown will be an experienced offensive line with four seniors and one junior.

On that offensive line are three key players in junior right guard Tyrese Thrower (6-3, 265), senior left tackle Herbert Polu (6-3, 245) and senior right tackle Joel Mellin (6-5, 310). All of them will be starters on defense as well.

“When Herb’s not out there, bad things happen,” Schultz said. “He makes big plays for us and does his job on both sides of the ball. Whatever Herb wants to do, Herb can do.”

The senior two-way starter said he has seen improvement from the team over the course of the spring and summer.

“I think we’re going to do really good this upcoming season,” Polu said after Tuesday’s practice.

The Hawks’ defense — a 5-2 scheme — will be led by Melloy and Thrower, both inside linebackers. While the team has a set base defense, Polu and Schultz both mentioned that River Ridge can manipulate their game plan to react accordingly to the opposing offense.

Anchoring the defensive line are senior defensive end Ryan Adamson, defensive end Polu and nose tackle Mellin. Seniors, and twin brothers, Ryley and Jeter Larson are the starting outside linebackers.

In all, Schultz said that River Ridge has 25 seniors on its roster this season, which is above average for the Hawks.

The mix of young talent — like Owens, Brown and Thrower — and veteran leadership serves as a basis for Schultz’s positivity.

“I expect a playoff run,” Schultz said. “I expect an incredible season, something really special.”