Mt. Hope student among state’s ‘Golden Dozen’

Husky football player honored for academic and athletic achievement

By Patrick Luce
Posted 5/23/17

To recognize his academic and athletic prowess, a Mt. Hope High School student has been named a Golden Dozen recipients for the 2016-2017 year.

Joe Rioux, a senior from Warren, is one of just 12 …

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Mt. Hope student among state’s ‘Golden Dozen’

Husky football player honored for academic and athletic achievement

Posted

To recognize his academic and athletic prowess, a Mt. Hope High School student has been named a Golden Dozen recipients for the 2016-2017 year.

Joe Rioux, a senior from Warren, is one of just 12 high school football players in the state to receive the award given to the state’s top 12 senior football student/athletes by the Rhode Island Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. Each high school football coach nominates one player who achieves academic excellence for the committee to consider.

The Husky safety and running back also plays on the Math team at Mt. Hope and loads his academic schedule with four AP classes. The son of Joseph and Jennifer Rioux plans to go to Bryant University in the fall to major in actuarial sciences.

“I was pretty happy when I found out I got the award. It recognizes athletics and academics,” Joe Rioux said.

Mt. Hope football Coach T.J. DelSanto nominated Joe, who he called an example for others to follow on the field, in the classroom and beyond.

“Joe epitomizes the attributes a person needs to have,” Mr. DelSanto said. “He’s a great student. He’s involved beyond the classroom and beyond the field. He’s really a wonderful kid.”

On the field, Joe was a two-way player who wasn’t a regular starter but made sure to be ready when called upon. That time came last fall against Shea High School, one of the state’s best teams. He took advantage of his opportunity.

“This year against Shea, both running backs went down,” Rioux said. “I got in the game, and we ran a power left. I broke a 50-yard run. It was almost a touchdown. That was pretty great.”
It makes sense that the accomplished math student and aspiring scientist would take an almost scientific approach to the game of football.

“I remember the repetition of it all,” he said of his high school football career, and perhaps his work in the lab. “You have to repeat the plays so you don’t mess up at game time.”

Mt. Hope High School, Golden Dozen

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