Rilen Richardson, born and raised in Quyon, is one of few young men in Shawville who went on to follow his passion for football. Despite being raised in a hockey town, Rilen went against the odds and tried out for a football league at the age of seven.

Rilen climbed his way up . . .

the ladder of competitive football starting off on the Ligue de football mineur de l’Outaouais, a recreational league in Gatineau. He then moved into a more competitive setting, playing for the Gatineau Vikings as well as playing in a league in Montreal.

In 2017 Rilen made the jump from Gatineau to Ottawa to play at an even higher level with the Ottawa Sooners. During Rilen’s time with the Sooners, he often travelled far field to games and practices as his league was spread out all over Ontario.

In 2019 he was recruited by John Abbott College in Montreal. Moving away from home was one of the hardest things he’s had to do, “it’s my first year down there living on my own. It’s a little nerve wracking,” he said.

All fired up and excited to start on this new journey, on a college football team, Rilen was hit with the realization that college life would not be as he envisioned. As COVID-19 got worse his routine slowly started to dissipate, football practice got shorter, classes went online, and campus life as he knew it ceased to exist.

Feeling a little homesick, Rilen said, “I was really stressed and having a hard time keeping my grades up and felt like it wasn’t for me anymore.”

During the pandemic things were not always easy his mother, Sara-Lynn Richardson, explained. One night in particular Rilen called his mother and said “I’m not doing this anymore” and for Sara that’s when she knew she had to do something.

She picked up the phone and called his coach who talked her son down. They were able to get him to stay, and also introduced him to other players who were feeling the same way during the pandemic. “His team opened up and talked about how they struggled, like you’re not the only one, you know, you think a 300 pound 6’1 lineman is supposed to be tough but they also struggle,” said Sara. Being a three hour drive away from her son, she said “it was hard to just stand back and let somebody else do it.”

Having not been on a football field in two years, to finally playing in his first college game representing the Islanders on Aug. 28, Rilen pointed out the nerves were high. “It wasn’t my best game, I can tell you that. But we came out on top with I think it was a 35 to 15 win. So it was a good game overall.”

Cheering him on from the bleachers, his family never missed a game. Rilen pointed out it’s always great to see the energy reverberating off the stands but “it’s different when you got people cheering for your number.”

Regular season was 10 weeks of games, with six wins and two losses, which ended on Oct. 23. One of the most memorable games was during the semifinals homefield game against the Sherbrooke football team pointed out Rilen.

It was a highlight for him, because they thought they were going to lose. Rilen said, “I’m nervous, right. I’ll be honest, I was holding back tears because I thought the season was done.”

Then it all changed when with one second left on the clock, the quarterback threw the ball 52 yards, and Daniel Sheehan who wore the number 10 jersey, caught the ball and ran to the end zone, giving the team the six points they needed to win the game. They won 36-32 in the last second victory.

The team also took home the RSEQ Bol D’Or championship winning 23-22 against Montmorency College, a big win and a great way to end the season. “I’ve been playing for a very long time and never had a bond like this, it’s a real brotherhood,” said Rilen as he describes the friendships he has created with his team the Islanders.

When asked what number jersey he wore, he looked over at his mother sitting across from him and said “57.” He went on to explain that it was in honour of his grandfather who, after holding him for the first time as a baby, felt he had lived to see everything he needed to experience. The same year Rilen was born, his grandfather was diagnosed with cancer and died at the age of 57.

It’s been hard to get that number because in football players are assigned numbers based on how big they are. Now that he has it Rilen said, “I’m gonna be sticking with that number for a while.”

Playing football has not only given the 19-year old some amazing memories and experiences but “It’s also taught me how to socially interact with people, and the bonds I’ve made and people that I know now, it’s surreal.”

For Rilen it was after joining his first football league in 2009, that paved the way for where he is now. “So going from not doing very well in hockey to coming out my first year actually winning something really motivated me to stay with it.”

After what was a thrilling season for Rilen, he is looking forward to finishing his program at John Abbott College and representing the Islanders. Beyond that, he hopes to go on to play high-level university football and make it in the big leagues.

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