Riley Ogden churning out tons of yards for Corner Canyon football

Draper, Utah – Being a part of history is always fun. Riley Ogden is having a blast doing his part in help his team reach a rare milestone.

Ogden, a senior running back, has played a key role in leading Corner Canyon (Draper) to an undefeated regular season and a Region 7 title in just the school's second year of existence. The Chargers (10-0) are one of three Class 4A teams entering the state tournament with an unblemished record. They are a No. 1 seed and could be the strongest challenger to two-time defending Class 4A champion Timpview (Provo).

One reason Corner Canyon is in such great shape is Ogden. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound back leads Class 4A in rushing yards, tallying 1,323 yards and 11 touchdowns on 173 carries. Ogden has had more than 100 yards in seven different games and churned out more than 200 yards in wins over Juan Diego and Skyline earlier this season.

"He puts it out there every week," Chargers coach Don Eck said. "For two years now, he's run hard every single week. There hasn't been a week where he hasn't run hard. He works hard at practice and shows it with his play."

Ogden already revealed his potential during his junior season. He rushed for 1,135 yards and eight touchdowns to help Corner Canyon reach the playoffs a year ago.

It's safe to say Ogden is a big play threat whenever he touches the ball in the backfield. He boasts a career average of 6.2 yards per carry and has gained 7.7 yards per carry in his senior season alone.

Then again, it does help to be running behind an offensive line featuring top Divison I recruits like Branden Bowen — who has verbally committed to play for Utah. Ogden is the first to credit them for his productive running.

"They're just big, physical guys that dominate the line of scrimmage," Ogden said. "I have the best line in the state. They help push it forward. It's all possible because of them."

Ogden is not built like a traditional running back. His height puts him closer to wide receiver territory and has caused a few colleges to shy away from giving him a look at the position.

One thing Ogden has proven, though, is he has all the other tools a good running back needs. He has enough speed to get large chunks of yardage. He has enough agility and vision to get between the tackles and get out into open space.

Proving misconceptions wrong has become easy because Ogden finds a way to do it every week.

"Most people would think it is a disadvantage being tall as a running back, but I like my speed against a linebacker and my size on a safety," Ogden said. "Where most people think I'm a mismatch in a negative way, I try to turn it into a positive."

Ogden's work ethic and intelligence has also helped him succeed in the classroom. He has a 4.0 grade point average and scored a 30 on the ACT. Good academics, combined with his athletic abilities, has helped Ogden draw interest from Harvard and Yale. Utah, Utah State, Weber State and SUU have also shown some interest in the senior.

When he is on the field, Ogden applies his intelligence to frustrating defenses. He can do it well because he isn't the only backfield weapon at Corner Canyon's disposal. Senior quarterback Michael Ebeling is a true dual-threat. He has rushed for 799 yards and 12 touchdowns and has thrown for 1,502 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Ebeling's presence relieves any unnecessary burden Ogden might otherwise feel in moving the chains and scoring points.

"We kind of like to joke around, saying they can stop one of us, but not the other," Ogden said, noting that he and Ebeling take turns torching defenses that key on one or the other. "It helps a lot that they have to watch two guys in the backfield rather than just spy on one."

If Corner Canyon can build on a perfect regular season with a perfect postseason, chances are that Ogden will be torching plenty more defenses in the weeks ahead.

John Coon covers Utah high school sports for MaxPreps. You can contact him at john_coon@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter at @johncoonsports.