Dennis shows drive and desire

RONAN — For Ronan’s Riley Dennis, it wasn’t about how he got there, it was about the destination.

Dennis recently signed a letter of intent to play collegiate soccer at Rocky Mountain College in Billings. A speedy defenseman/midfielder with incredible drive, the Ronan senior refined his quickness out on the track as part of the record-setting Fab Five 4x100 Ronan relay team last spring, but has never put on a Chiefs’ soccer jersey because the school doesn’t offer the sport.

RONAN — For Ronan’s Riley Dennis, it wasn’t about how he got there, it was about the destination.

Dennis recently signed a letter of intent to play collegiate soccer at Rocky Mountain College in Billings. A speedy defenseman/midfielder with incredible drive, the Ronan senior refined his quickness out on the track as part of the record-setting Fab Five 4x100 Ronan relay team last spring, but has never put on a Chiefs’ soccer jersey because the school doesn’t offer the sport.

That didn’t slow him down.

Dennis’ passion has been soccer all his life. He started playing in Ronan YMCA when he was little and once he hit high school, he played for the Mission Valley soccer program for kids from Arlee, Charlo, Mission and Ronan.

However, when the coach of the program moved away, Dennis was left without many options but still wanted to continue soccer.

“It’s a lot of running and I like running,” Dennis said. “You have to be in real good shape.”

He ended up playing for the U18 coed Polson FC squad last spring. Dennis had to balance both track and soccer but caught the eye of Polson soccer coach Jess Kittle. He would leave track practice in Ronan and drive into Polson to catch the last three quarters of soccer practice.

“He’s got a motor that just doesn’t quit,” Kittle said. “I love that attitude and that style of play. He grew so much over the season. Riley is extremely coachable and brings speed, fight and desire.”

While playing for Polson FC, Riley showed himself to be a tremendous raw talent. That’s when he started thinking about the next level for soccer.

“I had a great coach, Jess Kittle, he’s the best coach I’ve ever had,” Dennis said. “I didn’t really think I was going to ever play at a college but he showed me that I was good. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate what he did for me.”

For a player that didn’t have high school soccer on his resume, Riley had to work extra hard to promote himself with college coaches. His hard work getting his name out there mirrored his hard work on the field. Dennis talked with MSU-Billings and Boise State but ultimately decided on Rocky Mountain College in January.

“I think it’s terrific Riley was able to get on with a college program,” Kittle said. “With Ronan not having soccer, it’s definitely a harder path to college than the other kids had. It shows you what kind of kid Riley is and how much he worked.”

Polson soccer players Nick Howell and Jon Murphy also signed letters of intent to play soccer there, meaning Dennis will see some familiar faces on the roster for the Battlin’ Bears. There will be 14 freshmen in all this coming season for Rocky Mountain.

“It’s always so beautiful down there,” Dennis said. “All the people and the team are pretty fun. It’s pretty much a dream come true.”

So while this spring sports season will be something of a victory lap for Dennis in preparation for college, he’s not going to let up. He’ll be doing track again for the Chiefs and should use his speed to help form another impressive Ronan relay team, and he’ll also be playing for the Ronan golf team. He’ll be keeping his soccer skills up by attending Rocky Mountain workouts leading up to the season.

While he said he got a bit of grief for being a Chief playing on a Polson team last spring, Dennis said people were supportive. His family members were perhaps his biggest fans and he said they realized his niche for the game of soccer.

“I appreciate all the support,” Dennis said. “I’m just really stoked about it. I would like to thank the Lord and savior for this opportunity.”