The footballs sat untouched, baking in the afternoon sun, while River Islands ran.
And ran.
Bear crawls turned into backpedals, laps and sideline-to-sideline sprints. Leg-raise holds gave way to sprints from the goal line to midfield, followed by up-downs and one final combination of bear crawls and sprints.
After 75 minutes Monday, Sept. 14, the practice scene in Lathrop looked more fitting for a team trying to forget a Friday night disaster.
Except there hadn't been one. River Islands had just beaten Modesto Christian 46-20 to improve to 3-0, tying last year's mark for the most wins in program history.
This was about what comes next. River Islands has the chance to set the standard for every team that follows.
"We want to be the standard," senior
quarterback Daryl Carpenter said. "We want every team that comes after us to look at what we did and try to match it. We want to be remembered forever as the group that kick-started River Islands football."
Being remembered forever sounds ambitious until considering how close they are to the beginning.
Freshmen and sophomores first arrived at River Island in 2022. The permanent high school campus opened in August 2024, the same year the Riptide played their first football season.
"It's really humbling," first-year coach Nicholas Kendall said. "At first, I was just excited that this was going to be my first head coaching job. Then I stood in front of the team for the first time and it hit me. I thought, 'Oh, I'm really responsible for this.'"
'Building the culture'
Nothing about Kendall's first look at River Islands hinted at what might be coming.
As Modesto Christian's defensive coordinator in 2024, Kendall had a front-row seat to River Islands' first-ever win, a 12-0 victory over the Crusaders.
But Kendall wasn't walking away amazed. Modesto Christian didn't win a game that season, and River Islands finished just 2-8.
That changed when the job opened. Kendall started studying a team coming off a 3-6 season in 2025, and the closer he looked, the more he saw.
Hunger. And talent.
"I saw some clips, and it looked like they left a lot on the table," Kendall said. "I was like, 'You know what? There might be more here than people realize. This is something we can build on.'"
Three games later, how much more is becoming clear.
River Islands has topped 40 points each time out, avenging losses from a year ago to Waterford and Delhi along the way.
"The biggest difference is the energy at practice," Carpenter said. "Our coaches are a big part of that. They hold us accountable, they push us and they make sure we're putting in the work."
So, did Kendall think it could happen this fast?
"Yes," Kendall said. "We're smart. From the moment I got here, I knew they were bought in. They wanted to help build the culture."
Darien East needed a little longer to get there.
The Sierra transfer and junior wide receiver wasn't convinced until just before the Modesto Christian game, when Kendall opened the floor and let anyone say what needed to be said.
East spoke. Others did, too.
Nobody backed away from what they heard.
That showed during those 75 minutes of running.
Cut a corner, and a teammate noticed. Miss the line with a hand, someone said something. Don't give everything, and the coaches weren't the first ones to let it be known.
"We're building the culture every day," East said. "We're mentally and physically tough, and everybody is putting their blood, sweat and tears into this."
Senior wide receiver and safety Michael Figueroa added, "No more walking. No more jogging. No more having your helmet facing away from the field. Once we're between these lines, it's straight focus. Nobody is goofing around.
'Don't miss the wave'
The hunger was there. So was something else Kendall quickly discovered.
Talent.
Turns out, the film hadn't lied.
Take Carpenter.
He broke through with 1,579 passing yards, 16 total touchdowns and just two interceptions last season. Three games into this one, his 1,089 passing yards lead the Sac-Joaquin Section, while he's accounted for 13 total touchdowns without throwing an interception.
"The first time I worked with him, we were just tossing the ball around, and he was uncorking throws about 50 yards," Kendall said. "Perfect dots. That's when I knew he was going to be special."
Then there's East.
A year after rushing for 1,032 yards and 12 touchdowns, he's traded the backfield for the slot without slowing down. East already has 432 receiving yards and 254 return yards, both second in the Sac-Joaquin Section, while his eight total touchdowns rank eighth.
"Put me anywhere on the field, and I'm confident I'll get the job done," East said. "I was never just a running back. Playing in the slot is really second nature to me."
Then there's Figueroa.
He's already doubled both marks from last season, scoring four touchdowns and picking off two passes while adding 182 receiving yards.
"We play a lot of running teams, so we switched to a 4-3 this year," Figueroa said. "Now we're built to stop the run, and with how much we trust our defensive backs, we feel like there's nothing opposing teams can do."
And those are hardly the only options.
"Most people don't know what we've got going on here," Carpenter said. "We want to change that."
There's reason to believe they might.
At No. 485 in the state, according to MaxPreps, River Islands is currently ranked ahead of four of its seven remaining opponents.
"We want to go 10-0," Carpenter said. "We're not trying to lose. We've set the standard high, and now we want everybody to know River Islands is a real team."
Ten wins or not, the chance is there.
To be remembered as the team that started it all.
"What's about to happen here is something no one's seen before," Kendall said. "Don't miss the wave."
This article originally appeared on The Record: Perfect start has River Islands football chasing something much bigger
