Feb. 4—The Riverside football team has enjoyed immense success over the past few years thanks in part to the current senior class.
A quartet of the players on that team have decided to run it back the next four years in Alliance.
Quarterback Mikey Maloney, receiver Brady McKnight, center Isaiah Walter and linebacker Gabe Hall have all committed to Mount Union University and with sign with coach Geoff Dart’s program on Feb. 7, the first day of the winter signing period.
“It’s going to be amazing, playing together at Mount Union,” said Walter, the 6-foot, 280-pound center. “We all have one goal, and that’s to win a national championship. Hopefully we can accomplish that together.”
Walter was the first to give his verbal commitment to the Division III powerhouse, announcing his decision on Jan. 21. Hall, a physical linebacker who can also play safety, committed on Jan. 25. McKnight, the ultra-smooth playmaker, committed on Feb. 2 and then turned to his longtime buddy Maloney, the two-time winner of The News-Herald’s Tony Fisher Award who had previously committed to the University of Dayton.
“Once he committed, he looked and me and said, ‘You know what to do,'” Maloney said.
Maloney then de-committed from Dayton and committed to Mount Union, a move that he had been pondering since committing to the Flyers a few weeks back.
Dayton got a verbal from Rocky River’s Division III All-Ohio quarterback Julian Patti earlier this week. Not long after, Maloney de-committed and pledged to Mount Union. But Maloney, a first-team Division II All-Ohioan, said the two events are not connected.
“I had been talking to my parents for a few weeks about it and was thinking maybe I had rushed my decision,” Maloney said. “When I visited Mount in November, I had a good vibe. I just felt that is where I should be at. … I know no matter where I go, there are going to be a handful of other guys. There are three or four quarterbacks committed wherever you go. I’m ready to get to work no matter what.”
The quartet of Beavers heading south to be Raiders come with a ton of credentials.
Maloney threw for 2,151 yards and 17 touchdowns while also running for 1,077 yards and 20 touchdowns as a senior. He leaves Riverside not only as a two-time winner of the Tony Fisher Award, but also as a two-time All-Ohioan.
McKnight had 63 catches for 996 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also ran for 156 yards and two scores, while also playing as a lockdown cornerback on defense. He was a first-team Division II All-Ohioan this year.
Walter anchored the Beavers’ offensive line. He was a second-team Division II All-Ohioan, while Hall was fourth on the team with 70 tackles to go with eight TFLs, two sacks and three forced fumbles en route to all-district honors.
“It’s going to be amazing playing together with all of them again,” Hall said. “We already have that strong bond from high school. That’s not something you see a lot when you go to college. That’s going to be really nice.”
Hall chose Mount Union over Baldwin Wallace, Marietta and Westminster. He plans to major in exercise science or sports management.
“Me, Mikey and Isaiah all took a game-day visit this season,” Hall said. “I loved it. From the minute I stepped on campus, I loved it.”
Walter said the same thing of the game-day visit when Mount Union played Baldwin Wallace this past fall. He plans to major in business and go into an entrepreneur type of field. He chose Mount over Baldwin Wallace and Westminster.
“Basically, I was looking for a campus that could be easily accessible for my classes and academically look at how they teach their classes,” he said. “For football, I looked at facilities and how they run their program. When you look at it all, Mount Union was the place for me to go.”
McKnight chuckled when asked about his comment to Maloney that, “You know what to do.” He hoped he and his friend would play together again, but would have understood if Maloney stuck with Dayton.
“I respected his decision,” McKnight said, “but I knew when we visited Mount together, I just knew. If we had an opportunity to play together, we have to do it. We grew up together. He’s my best friend. We’re both really excited about this opportunity.”
McKnight chose Mount Union over Davidson and Butler, both FCS, non-scholarship Division I programs. However, McKnight’s sparkling 4.16 grade-point average means that his financial package at Mount will be considerable because of his grades.
He plans to major in exercise and hopes to vie for playing time from the get-go.
“It’s amazing going there because you know you’re going to have an opportunity to win a national championship every year,” McKnight said. “To win something like that would be awesome. I’m looking forward to striving for that.”
As is Maloney. Doing so with a group of friends that he joined forces with to lead Riverside to unprecedented program heights makes it that much more special. The flip from Dayton to Mount Union was well worth it.
“It’s incredible,” Maloney said. “Those are guys I love and trust, guys I know I can work hard with and win with. There’s nothing better than living out your dream of playing college football than playing alongside the guys you love.”
