Riverhead football eager for a turnaround season

With summer coming to an end and school bells set to ring, Riverhead’s varsity football team has been hard at work — eager to turn over a new leaf this upcoming season.

“Last year was last year,” Riverhead head coach Don Nelson said. “We don’t want to dwell on the past too much. It was my first year here, and we kept it simple. We’ve been working with these guys all year. We’re going to surprise some teams.”

Nelson inherited a program that was on its last lifeline. Participation numbers were low, motivation was lacking and though the team that ultimately took the field played their hearts out, the depth eventually crushed them game after game.

“Football is a year-round commitment,” Nelson said. “We’re finally getting the guys in the weight room. We’re getting guys to buy in. It’s going to be a long process, but we have to set the precedent today going forward.”

Though the numbers aren’t quite where they once were, there were officially 50 players signed up for the football team this summer. Getting everyone to practice, however, has been a challenge.

“It’s not what I’m used to,” Nelson said, “but we’ve got to adapt. Kids have other sports. They have jobs. They have other obligations. Things will change once school starts. We’ve had a solid core group with us all year round, and we will fit everyone else in as the year progresses.”

Part of the reason for optimism is the addition of new plays and wrinkles to the offense this season. There will be a lot of motion aimed at trying to fool the defense.

“It’s not a new system anymore,” Nelson said. “Being that it was our first year last year, we didn’t want to overwhelm the kids. But after spending all year together, we’re constantly adding new things, and with all the speed we have this season, we want to get them the ball in space.”

One of those speedsters is Kavion Hobbs, who returns to his running back position after showing flashes of electricity last year. In three games played last year, Hobbs produced 311 yards on the ground, 96 through the air and 42 yards receiving — accounting for five total touchdowns.

“Our offense is going to run through Kavion,” Nelson said. “There’s no mistake about that. He’s our bellcow out there, and we will have to lean on him whenever we can.”

Liam MacGray has been named the quarterback this season and will also be crucial to any success this team has. 

“He throws a good ball,” Nelson said. “He’s young, but he’s becoming more of a leader out there. We’re happy with how he has taken to the responsibility of a major part of this team.”

Other major contributors this season will be Jermaine Robinson, who plays halfback and outside linebacker, and Franco Revelo, who returns to man both sides of the ball on the line.

“Our focus is to win games this season,” Nelson said. “We don’t want to make excuses. We’ll be fine over time, but this season it’s about bringing our fans back and getting the community back to support these kids. It’s coming. We see it at the lower levels now. Riverhead football will be back.”

Riverhead will play a scrimmage against Harborfields on Saturday before opening their league season at Sachem East on Wednesday, Sept. 9, at 6 p.m.