Fall Sports Q&A 2026: Part 1 Riverside Football Players

This is part one of a four-part series featuring area athletes in fall 2026 sports.

The start of fall sports is upon us, so we took the opportunity catch up with the athletes of those teams to see what they are doing to prepare for the upcoming rivalries and to offer some perspective on the season ahead and their plans for the future.

Andre Rippy

School you attend? Riverside High School

Sport? Football

Grade? 12

How many years have you have participated? 1 Year

What do you feel is your biggest strength? I feel like my biggest strength is I am a student of the game of football. I feel like I am good on the scheme side of football and understand our playbook very well.

What is your favorite part of it? My favorite part about football is being a part of the family we have developed in the team and getting to see my teammates every day.

Who do you feel is your biggest rivalry this upcoming season? I feel our biggest rival this season is Ellwood City.

What has been your favorite memory been over the years? My favorite memory is going into my first ever practice and not dropping the ball once.

What is one thing that you have learned through your participation in sports that will carry with you through your life? One big thing being in sports has taught me is how to deal with adversity and challenges when faced with them.

What are your future plans after graduation? I plan to go a 4-year college and major in business management.

Do you plan to continue to play sports after high school? I do plan on participating in sports after I graduate from Riverside.

Trenton Keisling

School you attend? Riverside

Sport? Football

Grade? 12

How many years have you have participated? 7 years

What do you feel is your biggest strength? Man/Press Coverage

What is your favorite part of it? Getting out and creating a family outside of my actual family. The support and help from teammates and the community here at riverside is amazing.

Who do you feel is your biggest rivalry this upcoming season? In my opinion obviously Ellwood’s our cross-town rivals but I think this year it’s the Western Beaver game with what’s on the line this year no doubt in my mind Riverside vs Western Beaver is the game of 2a football.

What has been your favorite memory been over the years? Sophomore year, first round of playoffs against Olsh on film we were able to tell they really liked running bubble screens. We practiced all week setting up and reading the bubble so mason holler could read the play before it developed and stop it. When it came time for the game were already up in the 2nd qt about to in for half time. Olsh has the ball we get set up we had a check down call for if they came out 3 wide receivers our side we seen it we checked down into man coverage. Mason seen the screen get setup he jumped it picked off the ball and scored a pick six against Olsh.

 What is one thing that you have learned through your participation in sports that will carry with you through your life? It creates discipline, it’s hard going to practice in the summer and fall while all our friends are out with each other getting food or going to watch the new horror movie everyone talking about. It’s hard waking up knowing you just gave everything you had the day before, got all bruised and scrapped up just to have to go back the next day and do it all again

What are your future plans after graduation? Undecided, it really just depends on what opportunities come at me. Ideally, I’d like to go to college and continue playing football but that’s every high school athletes dreams.

Do you plan to continue to play sports after high school? I’d love to, but as I said above its just about opportunity if it comes I 100% will if not that’s alright.

Matthew Santillo

School you attend? Riverside

Sport? Football

Grade? 12

How many years have you have participated? This is my 1st year playing football

What do you feel is your biggest strength? My biggest strength is my speed

What is your favorite part of it? My favorite part is the competitiveness

Who do you feel is your biggest rivalry this upcoming season? Ellwood is our biggest rival

What has been your favorite memory been over the years? I’ve never played so my favorite memories are just watching the games

What is one thing that you have learned through your participation in sports that will carry with you through your life? How hard work and determination pays off. Talent will only take you so far.

What are your future plans after graduation? I plan to attend college

Do you plan to continue to play sports after high school? Yes, I plan to play baseball in college.