Last year, River View had the postseason in its sights before falling victim to a common problem, especially in Class A football.
After dropping three of their first four games, the Raiders ran off three straight wins to put themselves in the playoff hunt before things went south down the stretch.
Second year assistant coach Tashaan Vineyard, a 2013 Mount View graduate, spoke on behalf of head coach George Kennedy who was caring for an ailing family member.
“We went on a hot streak there for a minute,” Vineyard explained. “Then it all changed when people started getting hurt and we couldn’t hold it up towards the end of the season.”
Narrow losses to Clay County, PikeView and Richwood ended the playoff dreams for River View.
As with all teams this time of the year, however, hope springs eternal for River View who looks to flip some of the losses over to the win column this season.
“It’s hard to keep the bodies sometimes, but we have a little over 30 kids this year,” Vineyard said. “We have about 15 returners, but only 5 seniors.”
Making up the 34-man roster for the Raiders will be 24 freshman and sophomores. Postseason aspirations will depend largely on how quickly the youngsters can get up to speed.
“By midseason we will be solid, but the first few games will determine how things end up as far as the postseason goes,” Vineyard said. “We have size, talent and speed. We have everything that we need, it’s just a matter of putting it all together. If we can get these guys to bond together, we might be looking at something special.”
Although River View is low on numbers in the upper classes, it will have several quality contributors this season out of those grades.
Senior Mikey Picklesimer returns at quarterback and he will also guide the defense from his middle linebacker position.
“We seem to be a little more sturdy on the defensive side because they picked up a little better on what we were trying to do last year. We have some guys that are willing to get after it,” Vineyard said.
Juniors Hayden Jones, Blake Matney and Blake Starr will anchor the trenches on defense along with senior Matthew Savage.
“Hayden is one of our defensive leaders. He has been there and has played a lot as a freshman before performing really well last year as a sophomore. He is a little bit more vocal,” Vineyard said. Mikey is a hard-nosed kid that leads more by example.”
The Raiders will also be solid in the secondary lead by a trio of seniors. Zaiden Beckner and Josh Proffitt will play at a safety position, while Tyler Cooper will man a corner spot.
All three are expected to be key contributors on offense as backs and wide-outs this year.
Vineyard says he has also seen good things from versatile sophomores Kaiden Newberry and Chanton Davis.
“There are some solid kids with good heads on their shoulders on that side of the ball. We are just looking for guys with all-around effort and willing to fly around the ball,” Vineyard said.
The offensive line will be an area of concern this year and will likely be a difference maker in regards to success for River View.
“We are limited on the line as far as returning players go. We will have one starter back and we have a couple of guys back that got a little bit of experience last year towards the end of the season when people started going down with injuries,” Vineyard explained.”
Freshman Coltin Rowe will likely be a starter this year, as will junior Aiden Cox and sophomore Jaytex Hatfield. Savage will play tight end and give the Raiders another strong blocker up front.
“Hopefully we can find a couple of other guys that we put in with them. Success will just depend on when they can get their timing down and how quickly they can adjust to the formations and things of that nature,” Vineyard said. “They are coming along slowly , but surely. They are just not used to the game speed at this point.”
River View opens at home against Mount View Aug. 26.
2022 Schedule
08/26/22 7:30PM H – MOUNT VIEW HIGH SCHOOL
09/02/22 OPEN
09/09/22 7:30PM A – SHERMAN
09/16/22 7:30PM H – HURLEY, VA H.S.
09/23/22 7:30PM H – VAN SENIOR/MIDDLE SCHOOL
09/30/22 7:30PM A – WYOMING EAST
10/07/22 7:00PM A – TWIN VALLEY, VA H.S.
10/14/22 7:30PM A – MONTCALM
10/21/22 7:30PM A – CLAY COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL
10/28/22 7:30PM H – PIKEVIEW
11/04/22 7:30PM H – RICHWOOD
