Former Postville prep Riley Brockway excels as receiver at Wartburg

CEDAR RAPIDS — He's not one to internally keep track of his stats during a game. So Riley Brockway didn't really know he had a career game for Wartburg last week.

'I'm not a guy who keeps track of that stuff. I'm just trying to make plays and take the game as it comes to me,' the senior wide receiver said.

The game against Monmouth came to him in bunches. As in bunches of catches.

The former Postville prep caught 13 passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns in his team's 36-13 win. The receptions and yardage set personal bests for him, the TDs tied a personal best.

Quite a performance.

'We had a good gameplan going into last week's game,' Brockway said. 'I was just trying to make plays when the ball came my way. After the game, you hear your stats, and it feels good.

'I thought it was a good team win for us. The home opener, so it was a big game. I think it was a good opponent to play Week 1. They're a good team, so it gives us a measuring point to see where our team is at. We went out, played well, executed well, completed a lot of balls. Some things we need to clean up, but we've tried to clean those up and get ready for this week.'

Wartburg opens Iowa Conference play Saturday at Simpson. The Knights are considered favorites (along with Dubuque) for the league crown and corresponding NCAA Division III playoff berth.

Returning guys like Brockway and quarterback Matt Sacia are the reasons for the lofty expectations. Sacia completed 30 of 36 passes against Monmouth for 307 yards and four TDs.

'Matt is easy to work with. He's got a good arm, and he's smart, so he makes good decisions,' Brockway said. 'That makes it easy for us. We know that if we get open, he'll put it on us.'

A 6-foot-1, 197-pounder, Brockway was a second-team all-IIAC player last season. He caught 59 balls and had five touchdowns.

He played in every game as a sophomore, nine as a freshman. In high school, he played a lot of running back, but the transition to full-time receiver in college has gone seamlessly.

'Riley has really continued to develop throughout his time in our program,' Wartburg Coach Rick Willis said. 'He does a lot of things well. He's got real good speed, he's an athletic guy who catches the ball well. He also has a lot of toughness to him. He's a tough football player, not afraid to reach out and catch the ball across the middle, those types of things. He really does everything you want him to and has developed into a go-to guy for us and a lot on our team.'

'It was a pretty natural adjustment, I'd say,' Brockway said. 'I always knew going to camps and stuff my senior year in high school that I was (going) to play receiver in college. The offense here is a lot of passing, a lot of big plays down the field, so that was something that was attractive to me. I've been able to make plays in it, so it has kind of been a fun role to be in.'

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