RIDGEFIELD — Every football coach wants a player like Ridgefield senior Tanner Roberts.
He comes to every practice ready to compete, eager to lead and willing to do whatever is needed to help the team succeed.
“He’s the full package as far as what you want a young man to be in your program,” second-year coach Scott Rice said.
At 5-foot-9, 175 pounds, Roberts has played five different positions over the past three years. This season, the senior plays running back and linebacker for the Spudders (2-0), who host Mark Morris on Friday.
He started at quarterback and defensive back his sophomore year, and moved to slot receiver and linebacker last season. Now, at running back, Roberts is again learning the position he grew up playing.
“One thing that’s been more tough and I’ve had to adjust to is running downhill,” Roberts said. “I’m one of the lightest guys on the field so it’s hard getting the ball, hitting the hole and running into a bunch of linemen.”
A shifty runner by nature, Roberts often finds himself seeking open space when the play calls for patience and blockers in front. The coaching staff, though, knows Roberts will catch on quick. He has eight carries for 36 yards in a pair of running-clock victories.
On defense, Roberts shines. He loves to hit people despite his slight frame, and playing the run came natural even when he was a defensive back. When the coaching staff noticed his inclination to come into the box, they moved Roberts to linebacker last year. A strong student in the classroom, Roberts showed he’s an adept learner on the football field, too. The transition was seamless.
“He plays with great instinct and knows the game really well,” Rice said.
Even after being removed as the starting quarterback following his sophomore season, Roberts still sought a leadership role within the team. He now guides the team through pre-practice and pre-game stretches and is a vocal director of the defense.
“He carries that mantle regardless of where he is,” Rice said of Roberts’ leadership. “He just believes in himself and believes when there’s a role to be filled, he can fill it.”
This season is also different for Roberts in a more meaningful way than the letters next to his name on the roster. This is the first season he is playing without his father, Taz, in the grandstands.
Taz Roberts died in November after a nine-year battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Ridgefield, and a handful of teams throughout the area, are wearing “Taz40” stickers on their helmets to honor the longtime staple of Clark County football.
“Going through this season without him, it’s been hard,” Roberts said. “Every single game is just to make him proud.”
Roberts was moved by the outpouring of support for his father throughout Clark County.
“It’s cool to see how big of an impact he had on so many different players and so many coaches in the area,” Roberts said. “At the same time, it’s going to be hard to compete against those guys with the Taz sticker on, because I don’t want to hit them as hard.”
Like his father, Roberts never let whatever struggles he was going through as his father grappled with the disease affect his play on the field. Every practice, he brought the same infectious positive attitude.
“He’s a hilarious kid; he’s always having fun,” Rice said. “His dad battled ALS for nine years and you’d never know it. He comes to practice and he’s ready to go.”
Roberts plans to enter the U.S. Naval Academy after high school. Eventually, he hopes to work in the FBI.
