(One of the fastest rising recruits in the NW Sam Riddle (6-2 200 Sr. QB) broke multiple school records in week 1)
If your looking for a game to go to on a Friday night I highly recommend checking out the Jaguars of Century HS, who have by far and away the best group of athletes on one team in school history. The community should be excited as we have the Jags ranked in the Top 10 on a state wide level, although there is a good chance others will leave them out of their initial polls just based on the lack of tradition.
What makes Century unique is the no huddle offense that leaves defenders gasping for air, and the plethora of athletes that they have on the line and on the perimeter. Most teams have one or the other, but the Jags are extremely solid up front and have ballers at most of the skill positions.
One of the quickest rising stars state wide is quarterback Sam Riddle (6-2 200 Sr. QB/S), who is jumping up our rankings board as fast as any player in the region. His combination of speed , size and athleticism make him a viable recruit for a host of schools in need of a very athletic QB. In week 1 against a legit Lincoln team Riddle broke off the Cardinals setting multiple school records in the process. He went for 500 + all purpose yards by himself with all of his teammates getting in the mix on the receiving end.
Riddle was 17/24 for 413 yards and 5 Tds, while rushing for the opening score of the game on 4th and 2 from 61 yards out. All he could talk about was the outstanding job that his receivers and lineman did in the process. ” Zay (Xavier Mitchell), Vance Hamilton, and Brad Bennett all played incredible and did a little bit of everything on Friday”. All three receivers got in the end zone with Hamilton hauling in 2 Tds. Bennett was a 1st team all league QB last season, but made the switch being exploited as a receiver.
The line is one of the best in the state as they return four all conference athletes lead by big man Alex Sirois (6-5 290 Sr. OL) who currently holds a D1 offer from N.Dakota. Austin Thimjon, Sheridan Olds, and Sam Devedjian will all play big roles up front and bring back much needed experience that most teams don’t have. The Jags will face a huge test this week as they travel to Bend to face the defending 5a State Champs in Mt View who haven’t lost in a while.
Head Coach Bill Smith of Century has done an outstanding job making sure his athletes were working hard all off season, and you now see them reaping the rewards as everybody is on the same page. Mt View’s first year head coach Brian Crum is one of the best young football minds in the northwest and will have his guys dialed. Coach Crum ran the offense during last years state title run, so he knows all about the preparation needed for a game like this.
We feel that Sam Riddle could be the X factor on this Century ball club moving forward, as they are going to have to win big games such as this one if they want to be considered legit title contenders. They will face Tigard in just a few weeks in a game that we will cover on OSAA.TV. That will be another contest that is a must win if the Jags are going to get a conference title. Tradition goes a long way with a teams mind set, and Century is laying the foundation this season for what could be a special run. We will continue to keep tabs on Riddle and the entire Jaguar group. Regardless of the end result you can bet Century will never have had a year like this one.
