At the end of the drill, Soderberg and the other QBs gathered together in a tight huddle, each put one hand up in the middle of the pack and Soderberg said, “QBs on 3!” They all hollered, “One! Two! Three! QBs!!” The athletes each took a snap and navigated several cones while running with the ball. “He is absolutely so passionate about football.”Ģ015/ Victory Day In Grand Rapids: Football And Big SmilesĮric Soderberg, starting senior quarterback for the Grand Rapids football team, was leading a group of QBs in drills at Noble Hall Field. “His heart, his desire is tremendous,” said coach Shawn Kennedy. Those are two remarkable facts: Riley is a football player who is legally blind. Even though he has been practicing on these fields since he was a fifth-grade football player, clear vision for the senior extends no farther than the end of his arms. Southland football player Riley Schmitz can’t see the farm, the silos or the livestock that surround the Rebels’ practice field. 1 stories from past years, beginning in the summer of 2014…Ģ014/ Southland’s Riley Schmitz: Heart, Desire Make Up For Limited Vision So, as a prelude to the release of this year’s Top 10 Johns Journal stories, here are brief excerpts from the No. 1 stories included such topics as a softball coach who gave birth in a car on the way from a game to the hospital, how teams kept the memory of deceased teammates with them, how emergency preparations saved the life of an athlete who collapsed due to heart issues, and more. 1 story from that year was about Riley Schmitz, a football player from Southland who was legally blind. The first Top 10 list came after the 2013-14 school year, and the No. This is always an entertaining exercise as I reflect on the kids, adults and communities I am so fortunate to visit and the things I am able to chronicle.Īs I started in on this project in recent days, a question came to mind: How long have I been putting together these Top 10 lists? Well, it turns out that we are nearing the 10-year anniversary of this endeavor. They will be re-posted in reverse order, starting with No. The goal is to select my Top 10 favorite stories. In what has become an annual ritual of summer, I am looking back through all the John’s Journal stories I have written during the 2022-23 school year.
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