The first time he touched the ball against Cox Mill High this past Friday night, Travis Riley ripped through the middle of the line and roared to a 65-yard touchdown for his Kannapolis A.L. Brown team. However, a penalty negated the play … so all he did the next time he touched the ball was run 52 yards for a touchdown. On a carry that ensued soon thereafter, Riley literally carried four defenders 20 yards. By the end of the first quarter he already had 100 yards rushing.
Meet Travis Riley, a big, strong and fast running back who is only a junior but already making noise in the North Carolina high school football ranks and will likely be one of the top running backs in the state next year as a senior. In fact, following the 61-7 win over Cox Mill (where Riley had four touchdowns) he was off to Winston-Salem to visit Wake Forest.
Riley is upholding the rich football tradition that is A.L. Brown football. Remember Ethan Horton, a big and highly talented running back who was a star at A.L. Brown before becoming an even bigger star at the University of North Carolina? We’re talking the same kind of potential for Riley.
According to his Riley’s mom, Tiffany, he has always had the gift to excel in football. Riley took to the sport at the age of 6 and never looked back. He started in the Boys & Girls Club and was a quarterback the first few years. Despite being the youngest in his group, he realized that football was a good fit for him.
“Once I realized that I could hang with the older guys, I started to feel comfortable playing football,” Riley said. “I basically went from playing quarterback to linebacker to fullback before I got to the 8th grade, and from then on I was a power back.”
Riley may be the state's top junior
Indeed, standing 6-foot and weighing in at a little over 200 pounds, power comes naturally to Riley. But now, realizing that playing college football is a strong possibility, he has turned his attention to another element of his game -- speed.
“I started focusing this last offseason on gaining speed,” Riley adds. “I started doing more squats and hamstring exercises, as well as a lot of stretching. My goal is to get even faster and more elusive.”
He’s doing a fine job of being both this season for the Wonders, having amassed 1,000 yards and 20 touchdowns over the first seven games. And, as one might imagine, interest in Riley from colleges is starting to pick up. His visit to Wake Forest this past weekend is likely to be the first of many. And if any schools need further inspiration, Riley holds a grade-point average of around 3.4.
He does have a favorite school, however, and it is Clemson. He’d love to become a Tiger, but being a Demon Deacon, Tar Heel, Blue Devil or just about any other major school would be fine with him, too.
“I’ve been to two or three Duke games this year and, of course, Wake Forest, so I’m starting to get excited about the rest of this year and next to see what happens.”
In the meantime, Riley will keep on doing what he does best: plowing over, through and around defenders, then using his new speed to run away from them. Fans of A.L. Brown can savor the fact that they have a season-and-a-half of eye-opening runs and catches to enjoy before he moves on.
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