Athlete of the Week: Griffin Richards, Tri-Village

Richards is a junior wide receiver and defensive back for Tri-Village football. In their Nov. 7 home playoff game against Portsmouth West, a 54-22 win, he had eight receptions for 203 yards and four touchdowns. He also made five tackles on defense, and returned a punt 75 yards for a touchdown on special teams.

For his efforts, Griffin was named the Dayton Daily News Athlete of the Week for Nov. 3 through Nov. 9, earning the honor through reader voting at DaytonDailyNews.com.

“I just love football and I love to play the game,” Richards said of his nomination. “I was lucky enough to score five touchdowns and get nominated for Player of the Week.”

Richards said his father has been supportive of all the dreams he has for any sport. Although his dad didn’t have a chance to play football in high school, he has been there for his son to work on anything he needs.

“If I am feeling weak in some part of my game, like my hands or something, I know that he would throw the football with me and help me get that ready for the game or whatever was coming up,” he said.

The performance against Portsmouth West was the second time this season Richards had at least 200 yards receiving in a single game. His touchdown receptions went for 51, 22, 37, and 30 yards.

Richards is the only receiver in the Western Ohio Athletic Conference to reach at least 1,000 yards receiving this season and he entered the regional semifinal round of the Division VI playoffs with the most yards of any player from the Miami Valley remaining in the postseason.

His quarterback, senior Trey Sagester, is also the league leader in passing yards. Richards said their success in the passing game has made the Patriots a more balanced attack to take advantage of opposing defenses.

“Trey is able to put it on the money every time and he trusts all of our wide receivers,” Richards said. “He just gives us enough air and then we run under it and he trusts us enough to go get it.”

Tri-Village’s varsity program is coming out of its infancy. 2025 is the 10th season the school has fielded a team. Typical team bonding activities such as going out for a bite to eat after wins are becoming more plentiful for the program as it has gained its footing over the years, and it’s become one of Richards’ favorite things to do.

The Patriots have won a playoff game in six consecutive seasons and it’s a credit to the commitment of the program’s players, like Richards, who work hard to continue the tradition.

“I’m really proud of us because we take football very seriously,” Richards said. “Even for how young it is, we know what it takes to get to the places we want to be and that’s what we’re trying to accomplish.”

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