SuburbanOneSports.com recognizes a male and female featured athlete each week. The awards, sponsored by Univest, are given to seniors of good character who are students in good standing that have made significant contributions to their teams. Selections are based on nominations received from coaches, athletic directors and administrators.
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Female Athlete (Week of Oct. 1, 2014)
Candyce Riley, according to her volleyball coach, is a walking advertisement for the saying, ‘It’s all about we, not all about me.’ “Candyce is the most selfless player I know,” coach Kathy Tanner said. Throw in the fact that the Hatboro-Horsham senior is upbeat, enthusiastic and a leader that is respected by her teammates, and it’s easy to see why the senior captain is pretty much a coach’s dream. “If we had 10 Candyces on our team, life would be wonderful,” Tanner said. Riley’s selfless attitude was underscored when the team was looking for a setter at the start of the season. A four-year starter, she has made a verbal commitment to Saint Francis University as a libero, but that didn’t prevent her from volunteering to try a new position. “Candyce contacted me before the season started to tell me that she would be happy to play any position that was needed,” Tanner said. “In Candyce style, she put her team before herself and offered to learn a whole new position before I could even approach her about it. A setter on the team is like a quarterback in football. Not only does the role require athleticism, it requires leadership, intelligence and an ability to communicate and accept feedback from every teammate. I was amazed how quickly Candyce was able to adapt to this challenging role. She passed on the opportunity to be recognized as the best libero in the district during her final year in high school to do what was best for the team.”
It took Turner absolutely no time at all to realize that Riley was not your run-of-the-mill athlete. “When I saw Candyce playing on the St. Catherine’s CYO volleyball court in fifth grade for the first time, I knew she would be something special,” the Hatters’ coach said. “It wasn’t just her athleticism. Yes, she had that, but more importantly, it was the way she interacted with her teammates and her excitement for the game. I was just a spectator at the time, cheering for the opposing team, but I couldn’t help but want to cheer for her team too.” Riley, according to Tanner, is that same player today that she was seven years ago. “I now have the privilege of coaching her,” the Hatters’ coach said. “And just like in the past, it’s not her natural athleticism and sense of urgency that impress me the most – although they are very impressive. It’s her enthusiasm and her ability to connect to every player on the court that is truly a gift.”
Riley will major in nursing, a natural choice who puts others first. This past summer, Riley as well as several of her teammates traveled to Haiti for a mission trip this summer. “Coming home was such culture shock to see how much we take for granted here,” Riley said. “Being in Haiti made me realize I definitely have to cherish the relationships I have with my parents. Being in the orphanage – the kids had no attention. There was basically no love for them. It’s definitely a trip I’ll never forget.”
Riley is a member of Hatboro-Horsham’s LINK Crew, the school’s Partnership Program, and she is a member of the Advisory Board for the senior class. “Riley really stands out because she is genuine, and kids know that,” Tanner said. “None of it’s false. It’s just a really nice thing.”
To read Riley’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/candyce-riley-0047424
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of Oct. 1, 2014)
Since eighth grade science, Quakertown two-way lineman/senior captain Brett Graver has known that he wanted to be a biomedical engineer. “I was always inclined to the sciences,” said Graver, who has already been accepted to Pitt but has not ruled out Lehigh, Drexel and Johns Hopkins and maintains a 4.2 GPA with a course load of six AP classes (he decided against a seventh). “It always came natural to me,” said Graver. “I was always a good student with a good work ethic.” While training for football and hitting books left little time for much else, such as other sports of school activities, he has become a master of time management. And it could be said Graver has put those problem-solving skills to use on the gridiron for the Panthers, who are in the midst of a memorable season.
From overcoming multiple position changes to finding a way to stop the blood gushing from a cut on his forehead to putting a verbal lashing from an assistant coach in perspective and to emerging from his shell to be a more vocal leader this season, Graver has elevated the art of dot-connecting to an art form. Guys like him are not ones filling up the stat sheet or being interviewed after games, but they really are the backbone, the heart and soul, of successful teams from Pop Warner to the NFL. “People say the line never gets enough credit, and it’s so true,” said Quakertown coach George Banas. “It’s guys like Brett Graver that make it all happen. He’s just a real quiet kid. He’s a typical lineman – a kid who just does whatever you ask him to do. He’s worked really hard, whether it has been in camps or lifting. He has put his time in and is seeing the rewards of it.
While Banas credits a player like Graver for leading the Panthers from the bottom to the top of the standings, Graver throws it back to his coach. “I give a lot of credit to coach Banas for his leadership,” said Graver. “He has brought a lot of unity to the team.” Banas sees Graver and players like him as the ones who will leave a legacy after their careers are over. “He’s just one of those tremendous, all-around kids,” Banas said. “He takes all honors classes and works his tail off in school. He will do anything you ask him to do, no matter what you ask. He was a center, then a guard, and he has really settled in at tackle and done a great job for us. We moved him around quite a bit, and he never complained. When he was named captain, he was (elected by) a player vote. Even though he’s not a rah-rah guy, all the kids understand what he brings to the team.”
To view Graver’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/brett-graver-0047487
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