A year removed from being labeled a “student of the game,” junior Malachi Riley has been viewed as a teacher for many of his teammates. 

Riley’s dedication to bettering his game has bled over to him running practices for the Rams.

“A team coached by no one is absolutely horrible,” Gregory said. “A team coached by the coaches is going to be good, but a team coached by the team is the best team out there.”

For Riley, the desire to run practices and help his team stemmed from his original desire to pursue the sport three years ago.

Riley described himself as an energetic kid and he sought an outlet for that energy. Once he and his classmates came back from the COVID-19 pandemic, Riley found what he was looking for. 

“In my freshman year, we were coming back from COVID, so I was not doing anything and I did not really have any purpose. Once I was able to come out and wrestle, it was the one time where people would congratulate me for being energetic, congratulate me for doing a lot of movement and congratulate me for being an excellent wrestler,” Riley said. “Part of the reason I lead practices is that I want other people to experience that. I think wrestling is a great way to express yourself.”

The junior wrestler has earned some credibility behind his leading practices. So far this season, Riley holds a 34-4 record on the mat. 

Riley got the chance to exercise his ability to lead practice prior to the 2023-24 season beginning.The event was intended to educate parents on the rules of wrestling to help them better understand the sport their kids would compete in. 

The clinic was run by none other than Riley.

Gregory believes Riley is one of the few who has the ability to wrestle and coach at a high level.

“It is very rare that you see great athletes become great coaches,” Gregory said. “Great NFL players are not great coaches. You also see players who are not so great at the game become great coaches. Malachi Riley is an anomaly. He is a great athlete that can also become a great coach. He has the pulse of this sport, from the athlete's perspective and the coach’s perspective.”

The extra emphasis on helping his teammates has not deterred Riley from working on his own game. 

When asked what was the next level of his skillset, Riley knew exactly what he needed to work on — Breaking opponents’ stances and fighting off mental blocks. 

Riley recognized the significance of working on both aspects of his attack. 

“There have been times where I have wrestled someone who is good and one thing I noticed is that if you don't break their stance, you won’t be able to get in on any of your attacks, because they practice their stance,” Riley said. “The greatest thing is to be able to sometimes fake or level change to make them think and make them tired. If you take the strong guy and make them tired, they are no longer strong. If you take a fast guy and make him tired, he is no longer fast. If you take a technical guy and make him tired, he will no longer be technical.”

The junior emphasized mental blocks as another area of his game where he has been intentional on getting better.

“Sometimes there is a guy in front of you and you’re scared, or sometimes there is a guy and you just don’t know how to crack him so you get in your head. I have had that happen to me four times, hence why I am 34-4,” Riley said. “My biggest goal right now is to just win, but if I win state wrestling like a scrub then I won’t enjoy it.”

Riley is no stranger to having success as a wrestler at Newton. Last season, he was deemed a “stud,” who is a wrestler expected to win every match when they take the mat. 

Carrying that over from his sophomore outing, Gregory has only seen a jump in Riley and it starts with him understanding his own skillset. 

“His abilities were always there, but he has grown in identifying his own abilities. He is not a new knife, he is a sharper knife,” Gregory said. “Even in his sense of leadership. He has taken on leadership roles within the team that have caused him to obligate himself to be a winner. He can’t lose now.”

Looking ahead, Gregory has high expectations for Riley when Newton heads to Parkview on Saturday, Feb. 3 for the Region 4-AAAAAAA traditionals meet.

With the final stretch of the season ahead, Riley looks to not settle for anything other than his best as he plans to finish his junior year at the Class AAAAAAA state championships in Macon.

“There is a saying, ‘The man who loves walking will travel further than the man who loves the destination,’” Riley said. “The man who loves the destination will stop when he gets there. I have won some matches and still came off the mat disappointed saying, ‘That was not good coach, that was not me coach.’ Trying your hardest is what is going to make you better.”