Diamond in The Rough: Ashton Riley, Belle Chasse High School

Ashton Riley is  6’2” and 225 pounds. He attends Belle Chasse High School, and is a star player on the defensive line. Ashton has been playing football since he was five years old. His older brother got him into the game and has been the person that inspired him to play. Going to all of his brother’s games was always something that excited Ashton. After watching his brother play, Ashton decided that he wanted the same excitement and experience that his brother had. From hearing his name in the intercom during the games, to hearing how excited the crowd would get after he scored a TD.  Ashton also played baseball in high school, and used that to keep him in shape during the off season.  Even though he enjoyed playing baseball, football has always been his first love.

When asked about what he loved most about football Ashton replied, “To be able to compete every day and being able to play with my friends. I love how aggressive the sport is.”  So far Ashton has had a great season with 14 sacks and he has set the school record for regular season sacks. He is now two sacks away from having a career sack record at his school. This season his main goal for the team was to win as many games as possible and to just continue to compete aggressively  every game. Ashton believes that one of his best strengths is leadership. Being a leader for the team is what he takes pride in, and he keeps his team motivated. He is a He is the go to guy when it comes to making plays and helping his team stay focused during games and practices. On the field he is a very level headed athlete, with a lot of confidence. There are three professional players that Ashton looks up to, because they have changed the game and they are Lawrence Taylor, Von Miller and Khalil Mack. All three players have made huge impacts on the game of football, in regards to pass rushing.

Off the field, Ashton loves to joke around and have fun, he is a humbled person and enjoys the company of friends and family. Ashton has the type of energy that is contagious and all that come into contact with him enjoy being around him. School is something  that he puts before football and anything else. He is a strong student with a 2.85 GPA and he handles his business in the classroom. Ashton’s teachers would say that he is a funny kid and he gets the class going and is always excited about what he is learning. School is something that he coaches put more stress on, because they want to see their athletes make it and get into the schools that they want. Riley has a list of schools that he would like to attend; Southern University, Grambling University and Northwestern State University. While playing football in college, Ashton wants to study Mechanical Engineering. Although playing professional football is something that he would take advantage of, if the opportunity came his main focus is to get an education while he is in school.

https://www.hudl.com/profile/5478915/Ashton-Riley