Raider of the Month: September

He didn’t think about it.

There was 1.2 seconds left in the final quarter.

He just reacted. It was instinct.

Junior Willie Cherry made the winning touchdown in the game against Amarillo on Sept. 4. Rider was down by three points when Willie took the the last play of the game.

Shocked, Willie ran into the end zone in that last second.

“I was just thinking man, we did it,” he said. “I was hyped up, along with the rest of the team. I couldn’t believe that it really happened. I was just thinking we did it for my mom.”

Willie’s mother, Tieshia Youngberg, passed away the morning before the game after a battle with cancer.

“She was working hard trying to stay alive for three weeks and that just influenced me to keep playing even if I was hurt, no matter what,” he said.

Willie said he also has had the support of Coach Bindel.

“He’s been really close, almost like a second dad to some of us,” he said. “If we need anything we always know we can go to him and trust him. He’s like our personal go to.”

The team has been there for Willie as well.

“They impact me every day,” he said. “They’re like my brothers. It’s more than just a football team.”

It wasn’t easy to find the strength to play Willie said, but with the help of the team and the reminder from his mom to never give up, he found a way to play that Friday night.

“The team especially motivated me,” he said. “They said that I didn’t have to play, but I knew I needed to because my mom wanted me to play,” Willie said. “I just had to find that strength I knew I had. I made this decision because I knew I needed to play. Once I made up my mind I just knew it was gonna happen.”