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Having known Amador Valley High flag football quarterback Riley Harrington for over six years now, there are some things that are a given.
One, she will bring energy every day. It’s infectious, bringing a positive vibe to those around her.
Two, she’s determined. When her mind is set to something, it’s going to happen.
Finally, she’s not going to quit.
Knowing what I do about Harrington, it’s of little surprise she has led the Dons to the school’s first championship in flag football as the team went 11-0 through the East Bay Athletic League regular season and playoffs, and a 21-2 mark overall this year heading into this week’s North Coast Section playoffs.
For their efforts, the Dons are the top seed in the NCS Division I playoffs and host No. 16 San Leandro on Wednesday night at 7 p.m.
But it hasn’t always been peaches and cream for the Dons. Harrington’s freshman year was the initial season of flag football in the EBAL and the Dons finished with a 3-14 mark.
“That freshman year was very frustrating,” Harrington said. “We only had like four coaches and there were like 60 girls. It was crazy.”
The sophomore year wasn’t much better as the Dons went 7-14, but Harrington was beginning to mature as both a player and a leader.
“My sophomore year I took on a bigger role,” she said. “I was playing both offense and defense. I had to understand being a captain and what that meant.”
By her junior year, flag football had really started to expand, bringing new players to the game. In addition, Amador got a new coaching staff and things began to change.
The Dons finished the year 15-7 and had an 18-2 win over eventual NCS champion San Ramon Valley at the Wolves’ own tournament.
Despite losing 19-6 in the first round of NCS to Castro Valley, the dye was cast for Harrington’s senior season.
“The goal was to win the EBAL,” Harrington said. “But it felt like everyone was looking past us, so we had to go out and give everyone a reason to look at us.”
And they did.
They started 6-0, then headed south for a tournament. The Dons dropped a pair of games to Beckman of Irvine – but even though those were the only losses Amador has experienced this year, they showed growth from the first game to the second game.
In the first game Beckman won 26-6, but the rematch was a 20-13 final.
The first seminal moment of the season came shortly after the Dons returned from the tournament and made a trip north to Cardinal Newman, a team that had a 29-game win streak.
Amador came out with 13-12 win, and both other teams and the Dons themselves knew it could be a special year,
“That was eye-opener for us,” Harrington said. “We knew at that point we could do it.”
Two games later the Dons played host to San Ramon Valley, the defending EBAL and NCS champions. The Wolves have been the standard of excellence for flag football in the three-plus years of existence.
“We knew San Ramon Valley would be tough,” Harrington said. “But that game was crazy.”
Amador scored on the game’s final play, pulling out the 13-12 win.
But the work wasn’t done in the regular season. After the regular season ended, there was a date at Castro Valley – a team that came into the game 20-3.
The Dons were trailing 12-0 in the fourth quarter. Enter Harrington’s energy, confidence and drive.
“We were not going to lose that game,” said Harrington. “That was the hardest game of the year but as long as there is time on the clock, we feel like we have a chance to win.”
And they did, pulling out the 19-18 overtime win.
Now comes NCS with the burden of being the top seed. But after the success of the season, the late wins and the EBAL title, there’s not as much pressure as one would think.
“If we win NCS, that would be an exclamation point on the season,” Harrington said. “The great thing about this year is we have all become sisters. We all get along – this has just been amazing.”
So, what’s next for Harrington? By the time this season is done, Harrington will have thrown for over 4,000 yards and 40 touchdowns.
She’s been a four-year starter, and her energy and ferocity are things you can’t coach. The family bloodlines are deeply steeped in football as her older brother Anthony was a four-year varsity player at Amador and is now playing for Idaho State as a freshman.
Her younger brother Michael is a two-way starter for the varsity at Amador as a 14-year-old freshman and has had some big games this year running the ball.
The three are very close and drive each other.
“Anthony and Michael are my best friends,” she said. “On and off the field they push me to be better. It’s been tough this year not to be able to walk down the hall to Anthony’s room and talk to him. I wouldn’t be where I am without those two.”
And where she is, is on the verge of a collegiate flag football career. But she’s kept her mind set on the educational side of her life.
“I came into the season wanting to get two offers and I have gotten four,” Harrington said. “But I am going to be a sports broadcasting major, and I want to go to a big school. If the right opportunity isn’t there right away, I have no problem going the junior college route first.”
Game of the Week
I admit this game was not on my radar before last week’s football games but now it has risen to the top of my list. The Granada at Foothill football game has grown in magnitude with Foothill’s 35-30 win over Livermore, the defending champion of the Valley Division of the EBAL.
Granada, by virtue of their 20-9 win over Dublin last week, has both teams facing the same reality – the two teams control their own destiny towards winning the Valley this year. The winner this week will head into the final week of the season a win away from bringing the Mountain Division banner home to their school.
Editor’s note: Dennis Miller is a contributing sports writer for the Pleasanton Weekly. This column originally appeared in Tri-Valley Preps Playbook, a weekly sports e-newsletter published by Embarcadero Media Foundation. To sign up for free, visit here.
