Senior Spotlight: Stobb Shows Determination and Perseverance
Hard-working and confident, senior football player and wrestler Riley Stobb has proved himself to be one of West’s best athletes. Despite being all-conference in football and wrestling on varsity his first year trying out for the sports, Stobb is not complacent. He strives to make an even bigger impact in his senior year, and the possibility about not having any sort of sports at all “made [him] want to grind harder.”
Stobb feels that COVID-19 has made him appreciate the game more.
“You only get a couple tries at certain sports, and you never know when it's gonna end,” he said.
So why does it seem like everything thrown at the 1st team all-conference right guard and 2nd team all-conference defensive end seems to just make him work even harder than before? West head wrestling coach and the new head football coach Duayne Hartkopf points to Stobb’s hard work and dedication to making him and those around him better.
“I think he’s just driven by the fact that he wants to do well for not only himself but others,” he said. “That's what makes him a great teammate too.”
Senior wrestler and football teammate Mason Wilke believes that Stobb's best athletic attribute is his exceptional work ethic.
“He’s always looking to do more, he's always looking to make himself better,” he said.
Stobb also starts on the wrestling mat, where he has been regarded as one of the best in the FVA.
“Instead of wrestling people he knew he could beat up on, he’d seek out a coach or guys that could push him and make him a better person and athlete,” Hartkopf said.
Stobb’s determination not only benefits himself but his teammates as well.
“Just being around him makes you want to work harder,” Wilke said.
Hartkopf says it was a pleasure coaching Stobb and that it will be tough to see him go.
“He's a good role model for what you want kids to be,” he said. “He’s just one of those guys that it's tough to replace and you hate to lose them, but you gotta also understand they’re gonna move on and do some great things in the future.”
Despite being a multi-sport athlete, Stobb still reveres the sport of football as his favorite. However, his love for football does not take away from the excitement and competitiveness of wrestling.
”In wrestling, you just go out there with everything you got in your first match and you’re just excited,” he said. “Just being able to go out there and dominate your opponent makes all the hard work worth it.”
Looking back at his three years as a Wildcat athlete, Stobb feels the many benefits of being a student athlete have helped him grow as a person.
”Being an athlete has helped me gain friendships,” he said. “It helped me become a hard worker, and these memories will always stay with me.”
By Tyler Wright
Oshkosh West Index, Volume 117 Issue I
October 2nd, 2022