American football young gun Ryan Evans will be looking to make his mark on the big stage when he lines up for the WA Raiders' under 19s side at the Gridiron Australia Junior Nationals in New South Wales this April.
The 15-year-old Dawesville prodigy recently capped off a stunning season helping his local Rockingham Vipers to a grand final berth, and will now turn his attention to representing his state after being picked as the Raiders' starting cornerback.
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He and the team will travel to Narrabeen for the nine-day carnival, which will see them go head-to-head with rival states in an effort to be crowned national champs.
For Evans, representing the state is a dream come true.
"It's just a great feeling to be recognised as good enough to play for the state," he said.
"I've wanted to play for the Raiders since I started playing the sport, so to be named in the squad is huge - I'm just excited to get over there and play now."
The young star's rise to the state ranks has been a relatively swift one, having played locally in the Gridiron West juniors for just over a year now.
His introduction to the game came after watching a set of National Football League highlights on YouTube, and it didn't take long for the rising star to hit the ground running with the Vipers.
His speed and ability to read plays saw him find his niche cornerback, but he showed his versatility playing a nine-game stint on the offensive side of the ball at wide receiver before switching back to his natural position.
There's a huge feel of respect and community when you play gridiron.
- Ryan Evans
Evans has carved out a passion for the game since coming in as a fresh-faced newbie, following the New York Giants in the NFL in between training three times a week.
It's a passion he hopes takes him overseas in the coming years as he aspires to play college football in the United States.
"I literally just watched some highlights and thought 'yeah, I could get into this'," he said.
"I went to my first few training sessions and it took a while to learn all the rules, but from there it just kind of snowballed into a love for the game.
"There's a huge feel of respect and community when you play gridiron. Everyone celebrates achievements as a team and it's good to be a part of something like that."
Evans' campaign at the national championships kicks off on Friday, April 12.
To find out more about the Raiders or to sponsor the team email Gridiron West president Ben Gastarov on president@gridironwest.com
Justin Rake
Sports journalist for the Mandurah Mail, Australian Community Media, Fairfax Media.
Sports journalist for the Mandurah Mail, Australian Community Media, Fairfax Media.
