River Islands’ senior class is eager to leave a mark in its final act.

Under the direction of new coach Nicholas Kendall, the Riptide is primed for an historic third varsity season after missing playoff berths in the first two.

“We just want to go as far as we can as a team,” senior receiver Christian Dell’Osso said. “Hopefully, it puts us on the map and helps the classes under us. If we can do well, they can ride that success and maybe get more talent to River Islands.”

The returning All-Mother Lode League First-Team selection is one of the many weapons at Kendall’s disposal. He believes the returning standouts fit his Air Raid-esque spread offense that will rely heavily on the right arm of Daryl Carpenter.

“I want to pass the ball around 65-35,” Kendall said of his intended pass-run ratio. “Of course, the game dictates everything, and we might have to run the ball with the guys I have, but I think airing it out will be beneficial for our guys.”

It starts with Carpenter, who joined Dell’Osso on the all-league first team despite arriving to the team late last summer. His family had moved to Lathrop, and Carpenter made his second high school transfer after previous stops at Manteca and Sierra.

Without having yet mastered the playbook, Carpenter flashed his improvisational playmaking.

“Daryl is hungry,” Kendall said. “He wants to do well, wants to lead the team and he’s doing it the right way. He’s picking up stuff fast and asking all the right questions. At first, he was kind of shy being a leader, but as he’s gotten more comfortable stepping into a leadership role, it’s almost like he’s my shadow now.”

Kendall thinks he’s due for a big season, with help from the surrounding talent. Carpenter already had an established relationship with Dell’Osso, going back to their time together at Manteca as freshmen. Getting a full offseason with the team also helps.

“I think it’s going to make a difference,” Dell’Osso said. “(Carpenter) is getting chemistry with all the receivers and getting all the plays down, so we’re not in a rush like we were last season. That’s huge, because Coach Kendall’s plays are more complex.”

Two-way contributors Mikey Figueroa, Lucas Ruiz and Isaiah Sanchez are expected to take on larger roles at wide out, running back, and tight end, respectively. Prince Presley, brought up as a sophomore last season, is another option in the passing game.

“Coach Kendall knows how to utilize his weapons on the field, and I do think it’s going to help us throughout the season to show that to defenses,” Figueroa said. “I don’t think anyone can guard us over the top, especially when we have Lucas in the backfield.”

A converted tight end, the stocky Ruiz was a revelation at running back late last season. Chibueze Uwaoma, at 6-foot-3, 180 pounds, and junior Hansel Okpah are more speed threats out of the backfield.

River Islands’ expect to get even deeper with the incoming transfer of junior Darien East, who starred at running back for Sierra last year and made the All-Valley Oak League Second Team. With his pass-catching ability, East may be used in multiple spots.

“From what I hear, he’s a dog,” Kendall said of East. “If we get him, that just strengthens our stable of running backs. Lucas was pretty good last year, and Hansel did a really good job in the second half of JV last year.

“If (East) is what I’ve been hearing about, he’ll just add talent and more grit to our backfield.”

While the Riptide adds a dynamic player at the skill positions, it has lost a big presence in the trenches.

Malachi Olabanji is one of two River Islands linemen selected to the All-MLL Second-Team offense, but he has transferred to De La Salle. The 300-pound tackle was moved up to the varsity team as a freshman, along with Colin Socheath, the other all-league honoree.

Kendall is still encouraged by what he has seen from the O-line, calling it his “smartest group.” Joining Socheath is senior tackle Dominic Manzanares and senior center Josiah Mattes, along with promising juniors Santiago Flores and Dean Rivera.

“You want your linemen to be the smartest group, and they probably are my smartest group,” Kendall said, noting the 6-2, 230-pound Flores’ 4.0 GPA. “They’re all strong, they like each other and they’re starting to jell and pick up things. They’re super smart. If you tell them one way of doing something, they’ll keep doing it and then able to auto-correct when they needed.”

The defense is switching to a four-man front with new coordinator Torijean Saffold heading the group. Although there is plenty of experience, much of it is coming from two-way players.

The Riptide’s top two tacklers are back in Figueroa and Sanchez, who are cousins, at free safety and defensive end, respectively. Presley and Ruiz return as linebackers, while Manzanares and Socheath buttress the defensive line. Seniors Eric Irving and Adrian Villareal will aid Figueroa in the secondary.

“Just excited for what we have in store,” Figueroa said. “I’m really confident in our team this year, and we want to show everybody what we can really do. I played varsity the past three years, and I think a lot of teams on our schedule thought of us as a free win. I think last year, we showed that it’s not going to be the same this year.”

In 2025, a Week 10 cancellation from its opponent and multiple heartbreaking defeats kept the Riptide (3-6) from making the playoffs or qualifying for one of the Sac-Joaquin Section’s inaugural one-off bowl games.

River Islands found its footing after a 55-0 loss to eventual MLL and Division V-A state champion Calaveras. The Riptide was then in contention for key wins against other MLL powers the next two weeks but fell short in the final quarters against Linden and Summerville.

“We can’t leave stuff on the table like they did last year,” Kendall said. “We have to be better with our execution and discipline to be able to compete late in those games. If we can clean up that stuff, I don’t see why we can’t finish around 8-2 and hopefully make playoffs.”