- May 18, 2025
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The Riverview football team's season faced a challenge before it had a chance to play any games last season.
The Rams lost two senior leaders, linebacker Landon Marsters and offensive lineman Al Oliver, to Venice before the season began, and lost starting running back DJ Johnson to Booker midway through the year.
Despite that, the Rams (4-6) still won convincingly over Riverview Riverview, Booker, Lehigh and Sarasota.
When the season was over, head coach Josh Smithers announced he was resigning from his position to devote more of his time to his family.
That left Riverview in a position to reset, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s facing a full-on rebuild.
“Last year, we had like no chemistry with our team,” rising senior defensive end Jamaun Thompson said. “The team was offsetting. No one was clicking out here. This year, we have better leadership and more connection with each other.”
New head coach Mark Cristiani, the Rams’ former strength and defensive line coach, has two former head coaches heading his offense and defense.
Smithers has stayed on as the team’s defensive coordinator and Brody Wiseman, former head coach at Sarasota, is back as the offensive coordinator.
Better yet, Cristiani said he has lost no players to transfer this offseason, and plans to keep it that way.
“I don’t believe that we’re immune to transfers, but I know what the reality of the situation is,” Cristiani said. “Sometimes there’s other opportunities, and to be honest with you, things are going to be a lot easier at other schools. There’s schools where it’s easier to be a high school football player than it is at Riverview, but all of these young men have accepted the challenge I put in front of them, and not one of them has transferred yet. I want volunteers, not hostages.”
Cristiani played high school football at Venice and was a two-time First Team Ohio Valley Conference player at Eastern Kentucky as a defensive tackle before becoming an Army Ranger.
The discipline and work ethic he learned at each of those phases of life is something he tries to impart to the Rams daily, and players are already taking notice.
“Nobody is above the law,” rising senior offensive lineman Luke Chappell said. “No one can come in and have all of this talent and be above what coach C has to say. He treats every player the same.”
The spring season started less than two weeks ago, but Cristiani is already emphasizing the finer details.
During warmups for a spring practice on May 2, he stopped several players during stretches, demanding that they prepare the correct way, and didn’t mind letting a player know when they made a mistake during drills.
Riverview returns playmakers at several key positions.
Quarterbacks Anthony Miller, Parker Nippert and Logan Carrillo are back, along with running back Isaiah Belt.
Three of the team’s top receiving options — Yashua Edwards, Jaden Wheeler and Jaden Key — are graduating, but Cristiani said the team isn’t starting over at the position.
Top receiver Toryeon James is back, along with some unproven players like Titus Roughton, Matthew Baker, Ashton Clough and tight end Miles Przekwas. Trenton and Caden Huffman, who transferred in from Lakewood Ranch will also aid that group.
Riverview has fewer holes to fill on its defense.
The Rams return several of their top tacklers including safety/outside linebackers Andon Clough and Muembo Roughton, edge rusher Jamaun Thompson and defensive tackle Kyvon Love, as well as up-and-coming defensive back Pinot Parks.
Most importantly, though, Riverview has renewed optimism following a year of player and coaching turnover.
“I think our spirits are a little higher,” Chappell said. “Coming into last year, there were rumors that a lot of players weren’t going to be here in the fall. Our morale was pretty low.”
