Knights’ Ayers ready to be game changer
By Griffin Callaghan
running back, River Ridge will
gcallaghan@cherokeetribune.com
rely on its defense, especially
early on.
He only started playing high
Collins saw rapid improvement
school football last year, but
from Ayers in 2021, despite
MJ Ayers is already one of the
it being his first actionon
most important pieces on River
the football field since middle
Ridge’s defense heading into
school.
2022.
“When he did come out, he
Coach Michael Collins has
was as athletic as I thought he
recruited Ayers to play football
would be,” Collins said. “He
for years, finally getting him to
was obviously raw, but as the
j oin before the start of the 2021
summer started going along,
season. The senior defensive
we noticed he started picking
back’s tremendous athleticism
it up very quickly.”
stuck out immediately.
Ayers registered an interception
“It was the way coach Collins
and a pair of passes defended
last year in a talented
River Ridge secondary. His role
will take a major jump in 2022.
“At this point, he is probably
as good a cover kid as I
have had,” Collins said. “I had
a few Division I corners, and
he matches up with all those
guys as far as natural ability.”
Ayers has an excellent opportunity
to showcase that
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approached me,” Ayers
said. “Being coached by him,
I feel like he is going to put
me in the right spot. I never
really had a passion for football,
but he made it seem like it
was going to be really fun. He
talked about the brotherhood.
I thought, why not.”
Collins approached Ayers
when the 5-foot-11, 16 0-pound
defensive back found himself
in a freshman weight training
class. Collins saw star potential.
Ayers played football in middle
school but discovered basketball
to be his avenue. At River
Ridge, he watched Collins
coach the K nights for a year,
and decided to step back out
on the gridiron.
“Now that I have come back
to play, I like football more than
anything,” Ayers said. “Basketball
used to be my favorite
sport. But being out here on the
field with all my friends, that
feeling was way better than I
could have imagined.”
Now ready for his second full
year, Ayers is thriving. He already
has an offer from Centre
College to continue his football
career.
Ayers’ development is critical
for a K nights’ defense that
lost its best player from last
season in Brian Bradley. With
new players at quarterback and
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improvement as River Ridge
matches up against Hillgrove
( 2-8 in 2021) on opening weekend.
The K nights then face stiffer
competition with Pope (7-4)
in Week 2.
Ayers said he worked tirelessly
with the coaching staff this
summer to take his game to another
level in his senior year.
“I feel like I have gotten a
lot better,” he said. “Watching
myself play last year, the little
mistakes I made. I came out
this summer and watched film.
I am way better than last year.”
From his ninth-grade weight
training class to a leader in the
secondary, Ayers’ rise has taken
River Ridge by storm.
“G rowing up, I was always
a sports guy,” Ayers said. “I
always watched football. I am
pretty athletic, and I always
played at recess when I was
younger. I thought, ‘Why not
put it out on the field and see
what I can do.’”
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