Liam Blackmon

FROM B-TEAM TO ALL-STATE. A short article about my come up story of me as a football player, you can read it here or Santa Fe High School’s website: sfhs.sfisd.org/about/athleti… From B Team to All-State: Liam Blackmon’s Relentless Climb On paper, it doesn’t make sense. A seventh-grade B team player.
A junior still splitting time on JV.
A name that, for years, wasn’t at the top of the depth chart. And yet, by the end of his senior season, Liam Blackmon stood among the best in Texas, earning All-State honors as a running back in one of the most competitive high school football environments in the country. But if you ask his coach, the story didn’t start with awards.  It started with something much harder to measure.  “To be honest, it was day one,” said Coach Ryder. “You could always see the drive, the work ethic, the speed. The question was, would he stay the course long enough to reach it?” A Late Start; Slow Burn Unlike many standout athletes, Blackmon didn’t grow up loving the game.  “I really just did football to do football,” he admitted. “Up until about the middle of my sophomore year.” For years, football was just something he showed up for. He moved through middle school on the B team, occasionally rotating in, never fully breaking through. Even early in high school, nothing about his path suggested what was coming. Then came a moment he didn’t expect, an opportunity born out of circumstance. “I started the season as a third-string running back,” Blackmon said. “Then guys ahead of me got injured, and I had to step up.” That shift changed everything.  “That’s when I started wanting to actually play for myself.” The Turning Point The real transformation didn’t happen overnight. It was built quietly. A conversation.
A setback.
A realization. Heading into his junior year, Blackmon learned he would begin the season back on JV. “That’s when it clicked,” he said. “I needed to put in way more work if I wanted a meaningful place on the team.” From that point forward, everything changed, and Coach Ryder saw it too.  “During track season and the offseason, something flipped,” he said. “He was always fast, always had the frame. But when he committed in the weight room and got stronger, we knew we had to find a place for him.” Blackmon didn’t just improve, he transformed. Physically stronger, mentally sharper, and fully bought in.  By the time he reached nearly 200 pounds, his coach had no doubts.  “Now he’s ready.” The Work No One Sees For Coach Ryder, Blackmon’s success isn’t about what happened on Friday nights. It’s about everything that happened when no one was watching.  “It’s the extra work,” he said. “Finding a way onto the track when he’s not supposed to be there. Getting into the weight room when it’s closed. That’s what separates him.” Blackmon wasn’t driven by hype or attention. In fact, some of his biggest motivation came from something a little less traditional. Friendly competition and a little bit of pride. “My biggest motivator was my friend Jaidyn,” he said with a laugh. “He’d make fun of me because he was getting more reps. That pushed me to work harder.”  Sometimes, motivation doesn’t look like encouragement.  Sometimes, it looks like proving something to yourself or someone else.