The Riverheads High School football team has won three state championships in Robert Casto's 16 years as head coach (2000, 2006, 2010). The Gladiators have made the playoffs seven straight years, including three straight district titles.
21 seniors have lost a combined four games in the last three years, including back-to-back one-loss seasons (12-1 in 2011, 13-1 in 2010, 10-2 in 2009).
"Well I think that the swagger comes from just the fact that we're successful," said Casto. "We work hard to get there. We have this belief that we know we're going to win, and other people just hope they are, and our kids have that attitude, and we go out there, and we work at it, and we play hard."
Riverheads returns six starters on offense and defense in 20-12, including three on the offensive line.
The Gladiators graduated four key contributors in the trenches, as well as all-district running back Jordan Jack, who rushed for 2,759 yards the last two seasons.
But along with senior second-team all-district quarterback Zach Clymore, second-team all-state running back and first-team all-state return specialist Logan Moore leads the class of 2012. The senior is the school's all-time leading rusher, gaining 1,996 yards last year and 1,326 yards as a sophomore. The Shenandoah District Offensive Player of the Year scored 32 touchdowns for a Gladiator team that had its 25-game winning streak snapped by Gretna in the state quarterfinals last year.
"There's a lot of folks out there that play this game of football that would love to win 12 football games, and we have people that think that's a disappointment," said Casto. "I certainly don't think so. We played hard. We had a great run at it. We got beat by a quality team that won the state championship. That's how it goes."
The Riverheads class of 2013 also includes second-team all-region defensive back Cody Swisher, who'll also played fullback this year, third-team all-region offensive linemen Austin Painter and Kody Moore, and second-team all-district Kyle Wilson, who'll also play running back this year.
The junior class includes third-team all-region tight end David King, second-team all-region kicker Sam Goodson (who's 40 extra points away from the all-school state record in Virginia), and second-team all-district offensive lineman Mike Herndon. The 6'5", 290-pounder will also play middle linebacker this year. He's already received a college scholarship offer to play at Virginia Tech.
Along with Jack, Riverheads graduated first-team all-state offensive lineman and second-team all-region linebacker Franklin Miller, second-team all-state linebacker Hunter Jensen, second-team all-region defensive lineman Caleb Fredricksen, and second-team all-region offensive lineman Ryan Armstrong.
The Riverheads JV team went 9-0 in 2011.
