Ayala High School football standout Riley Shackelford has signed with Portland State, doing so while on a visit there earlier this week.
“I liked the atmosphere and everything about it and I knew it was the place I wanted to spend the next four years,” he said.
Shackelford is joining the Viking program as a long snapper, an increasingly sought after specialized skill. He has only been doing that the last two years. He played on the freshman team for one year, then on the junior varsity as a tight end and defensive end and went to the coaching staff to see where he could get more playing time.
“That’s where we really had a need at the time and I have been doing it ever since then,” he said.
Shackelford ha improved over the last two years after working with noted specialist Chris Rubio who trains most of the premier snappers. The 6-foot-1, 230-pounder is currently ranked 16th in the nation and seventh in the state through through Rubio Long Snapping.
He was also considering Hawaii, Memphis and Humboldt State.
