- December 4, 2025
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Toryeon James had dashed, juked, spun and cut his way past defenders for over two hours. His body just couldn’t take any more of the punishment.
As the junior athlete trotted back toward the Riverview bench early in the fourth quarter, he fell to the turf. The 80-yard touchdown sprint he just ripped off left him utterly winded.
Only a minute or so passed before he rose to his feet. After catching his breath, James got back up, rested under the tent for a moment and joined his fellow Rams on the sideline.
“I love all my teammates to death, and they see me as a leader,” James said. “They see me as a captain, and I appreciate them, so I do everything for them.”
Then he watched as his team’s running game continued to wreak havoc — just as it has all season — on their biggest rival.
Riverview football ran rampant in its 56-20 throttling of Sarasota last Friday, racking up 486 yards on 34 carries as the team set a new season-high with 14.3 yards per carry. James and senior running back Isaiah Belt combined for seven touchdowns as teachers of that masterclass.
By torching the Sailors on the ground, the hosts scored their most points all campaign en route to a 15th consecutive rivalry win dating back to 2012.
“It’s hard for a defense to manage two fresh people. You’ve got me in the game and I’m going strong, then if I get tired, Tory(eon) comes in,” Belt said. “It’s hard for a defense to manage that when they’re tired.”
Entering Week 7, Riverview still has yet to lose. The 5-0-1 squad — ranked No. 6 in Class 7A as of Sept. 23, per the FHSAA — has dropped 38 points or more in every completed contest since a season-opening tie. On top of that, it has hit 45 for three weeks running.
Paving the way has been arguably the area’s premier one-two backfield punch.
James’ 290 rushing yards on 12 carries Friday, as well as Belt’s 188 on 21, didn’t mark the first time either of them cracked 100 yards in a game this season. The former did so against Hillsborough Riverview and Palmetto on Aug. 29 and Sept. 5, respectively, whereas the latter put on a 305-yard clinic Sept. 12 versus Melbourne Central Catholic.
But the Rams’ triumph over the Sailors did signal the first such occasion where both ball carriers crossed that plateau together. In doing so, the team around them finished with 707 total yards of offense — another new high in 2025.
“They care a lot about their craft. They practice really, really hard, and they hold their teammates accountable,” said coach Mark Cristiani. “They have wonderful relationships with the o-linemen — makes things easy.”
James is doing it all as a first-year back. It’s his second season on varsity, but as a sophomore, he was used primarily in the passing game.
And he wasn’t just another receiver last year. He was Riverview’s go-to guy out wide.
The young talent totaled a team-best 517 yards on an average of 19.1 per catch in 2024. His involvement in the running game, though, was minimal, carrying the ball six times for 52 yards. Four of his teammates wound up with more rushing yards than he did.
At 5-foot-6 and 158 pounds, James is undersized relative to other college-hopeful players at his position, but that hasn’t stopped him from tearing apart opposing defenses. He’s now up to 782 rushing yards with 14 touchdowns after finding the endzone four times against Sarasota.
“I have tried to tell everybody in the country, and I will continue to beat on the desk for Toryeon James,” Cristiani said. “If people would stop worrying about height-measuring sticks and body weight, they’d realize he’s one of the most explosive and tough players in our area.”
Much of what the junior has learned in his switch from wide receiver to running back comes from Belt, who he lauded as an “absolute mentor,” after both of them powered their team’s Week 6 defeat of the Sailors.
After all, Belt was the primary running back last year — ultimately responsible for 766 of the Rams’ 1,178 rushing yards. He also accounted for 1,094 as the secondary option out of the backfield in 2023.
Offensive coordinator Brody Wiseman has made a habit of alternating between James and Belt to keep opposing defenses on their toes. Such an approach has yielded 640 yards on 73 carries for the latter, and combined with James, their yardage amounts to 1,422 on the ground.
Admiration is mutual between the two workhorses.
“I’ve known him since his freshman year — hard worker,” Belt said. “I love his game. It’s nothing but passion, and I’m very proud of him.”
The two running backs have helped keep Riverview undefeated past the midway point of the regular season. For the program, that alone is something worth celebrating in light of its 4-6 finish a year ago.
But there are more games to come. With them will be further opportunities for James and Belt to slice through offensive lines and juke out defensive backs.
They’ll do so together, each throwing haymakers from the backfield.
