WELLINGTON – We’re less than 48 hours away from the beginning of fall practices, and Mark Antony Richards is more ready than ever for it.
Going into his senior season at Wellington, the 2019 two-way athlete has already proven to be a major contributor on his team and a blue-chip recruit on the college football circuit.
He was selected to take part in ESPN’s The Opening Finals – which took place earlier this month at Nike’s headquarters in Beaverton, Ore. And to cap off his summer, Richards will be participating in the University of Miami’s Paradise Camp this evening (July 28).
Other than that, it’s been mostly workouts with his teammates and coaches at Wellington. Some have been in the weight room, while others have been on the beach.
That’s the gist of how this summer has been for the younger brother of Wellington alum and Miami junior wide receiver Ahmmon Richards.
“He approaches the game like his brother does,” Wellington head coach Tom Abel said. “He’s very intelligent, respectful, and well-spoken. We want him to just be Mark. He’s matured into the player we hoped he would become. This is his football team, and we’re ready to let him take the reins and be the leader this year.”
Mark Antony can play multiple positions on the field. You can see him at wide receiver, running back, safety, cornerback, linebacker, punt returner, kick returner, and even some quarterback.
As the true definition of an athlete, Mark Antony has garnered 18 official offers to date, including the likes of Miami, Notre Dame, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Louisville, LSU, Missouri, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Oregon, among others.
Each college may view Mark Antony differently as a player. This can be a reason why the true athlete (in every sense of the word) is taking his time to make his final college decision, which won’t come until next month at the very earliest.
Now going back to the gridiron, Mark Antony will likely be all over the field for his senior season at Wellington. The 6-1, 190-pound athlete (rated as a four-star by 247Sports) is going to be primary player that opposing teams game plan for, which will probably be difficult to do.
“We’re going to put him in all kinds of fun positions,” Abel said. “We’re just going to put the ball in his hands and let him go, just like we did with his brother.”
We’ll have plenty of more coverage on Mark Antony Richards over the next several months. Stay tuned for further updates on our No. 2 overall player for the Class of 2019 in Palm Beach County.
PHOTO CREDITS: Gene Nardi
