IHSAA football preview: South Bend Riley striving to be 'upper echelon' team in 2023
SOUTH BEND – On the outside, South Bend Riley football had a solid 2022 season, finishing 5-5 with a loss to eventual sectional champion Northridge in the first round of the postseason.
Sectional opener 2022: Northridge wins, but future is bright at Riley
Internally, the Wildcats feel like they could’ve done more.
It’s what they’re striving for in year two under head coach Darrick Lee.
“We’ve talked to our kids all offseason about how we’re not running away from any pressure or expectations — we’re inviting it,” Lee said. “It’s something to be said about being one of the better teams in northern Indiana. … It’s not enough for us just to be the best team in South Bend. We want to be in that upper echelon.”
Riley had the best record of any team within South Bend city limits last fall. It could’ve been better, too, given they had a six-point loss to John Glenn and a double-overtime defeat to South Bend Adams in back-to-back weeks early in the season.
From 2022: Lee, New Prairie's McKim named co-football coaches of the year
They countered that losing streak with three-straight wins to push their record to 4-2 at the time. The scheduled toughened up from there, losing three of its last four games to New Prairie (Class 4A runner-up), Jimtown (a Class 3A sectional finalist) and Northridge.
There is plenty of talent returning for the Wildcats this year, too. The leading passer and rusher on offense return, as well as the leaders in tackles, sacks and interceptions from a season ago.
“There’s a lot of hungry guys a part of our program,” Lee said. “It sounds crazy, but our managers that helped last year, to the incoming freshmen that saw how we kind of ended the year off, to the seniors — we’re sitting at 23 seniors compared to eight last year. So, there’s some excitement, and some big expectations, obviously. … We know the work that we’ve been putting in. We know what we’re capable of and that we’re the only people that can stop us from having the success we truly aspire to have.”
Here are some more facts about the 2023 Riley football team heading into the season.
More: Here are 2023 high school football schedules and links to previews
South Bend Riley football facts
Head coach: Darrick Lee, second season
Location: South Bend
Conference: Northern Indiana
Class: 4A
Last year’s record: 5-5 (lost to Northridge in sectional quarterfinals)
Key returners
Austin White, junior, quarterback
White was the full-time starter for the Wildcats as a sophomore, totaling 1,346 passing yards and 15 touchdowns. He’ll have to improve his completion rate (42.5% in 2022) and lower the number of interceptions thrown (10) if Riley is to take the next step on offense.
“I think he’s one of the toughest student-athletes we have in our building,” said Lee of White. “I’m excited. I feel really good about him at our quarterback position. I know that there are some other places that would love to have a kid with his experience and a kid that they can lean on and coach hard.”
Robert Nabieu, senior, running back/linebacker
Nabieu was a super utility weapon for the Wildcats in 2022. On offense, he had 591 rushing yards and six touchdowns. Defensively, he was second on the team with 78 tackles and four sacks. He was also a factor in the return game, totaling 179 yards between kickoff and punt returns.
Justin Smith, senior, linebacker
Smith was the catalyst for the Wildcats’ defense last year, leading the way with 94 tackles. He also had two sacks.
Key losses
Caleb Francis, wide receiver: A dynamic pass catching option for Riley, Francis finished with 37 receptions for 875 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was one of three MVPs named by the Northern Indiana Conference because of his performance.
More: Mungia, Garner and Francis are 2022 NIC MVPs
Shamar Jackson, wide receiver: Another favorite target of White last year, Jackson recorded 28 catches for 338 yards and two touchdowns. He and Francis were the only players with double-digit receptions for the Wildcats in 2022.
Ethan Witz, linebacker: Witz was third on the team last year with 65 tackles. He also recorded an interception.
What Coach Lee says
On Riley’s biggest challenge: “Continuing to take adversity, punch it in the face and not run from it,” Lee said. “It’s hard to overcome adversity at times. I think for us, when that first shoe drops — how are we going to respond? Earlier in the year last year, it took a while to handle some of those adverse situations and flip it on its head. I think this year, we’re a little more equipped to do that.”
On Riley’s key to success: “Just relying on each other,” Lee said. “Being able to look to the left, look to the right and understand that we’ve been going through it. Our kids, they like to have a good time; we have fun. But when it’s time to work, we work. We have to if we want different results. If we want different results from the past, then we have to do different things.”
South Bend Riley football 2023 schedule
Aug. 18 at Attica, 7 p.m.
Aug. 25 at John Glenn, 7
Sept. 1 at South Bend Adams, 7
Sept. 8 at South Bend Clay, 7
Sept. 15 at Indianapolis Washington, 7:30
Sept. 22 vs. South Bend Washington, 7
Sept. 29 at New Prairie, 7:30
Oct. 6 vs. Bremen, 7
Oct. 13 vs. Jimtown, 7
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: South Bend Riley football striving to be 'upper echelon' team in 2023
